Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-17

Father, we will be comforted;
Thou vast the gracious giver,
We yield her up-nOt dead not dead
To dwell with thee torevef
Take thou our child! ours for day.
Thine while the ages blOssOml
This little shining mead we lay
In the Redeemer's bOsoml
DOTS Baby.
1t was the most absurdly incredible thing in
the world that Dot should be the owner OF
baby. With her soft pink and white prettiness,
her crinkling, golden hair, her smiles aud her
dimples, and her happy, innocent heart, what
was Dot but a baby herself? And yet, one day
in the rosy rpeness of summer, we bad all
crowded the parlor in white Swiss frocks, with
garniture OF the loveliest blossoms, and, quite
premediatedly, but all in tears. and with yearn-
inc regrets and tender lorebodings, and signing
looks backward TO the happy girl life which had
been a thing of beauty, but would he fair
dream for evermOre, had given her away to a
tall, handsome fellow, Harry Ascot by name, Of
whom we knew nothing except lhat Dot loved
him and he loved Dot. 1t was an awful auda-
ciOus thing to do, pluCkng Fate by the sleeve
as it were and bidding her serve us n0lens 90
lens: and when, after the cake and ice cream
had been served, and everybody had kissed Dot,
and everybody who dared had also kissed the
blushing bridegroom, and our darling treasure
had chung to us all one dreadful moment, an d
cried in the most heartrending fashion, and
said she never, never could leave us, and she
was a wretch for thinking of it, and when some
body had announced the time for the train, and
Dot had slipped out Of her white silk and into
her gray linen in twinkling, and that cool
young robber had quietly shut her up in the
carriage, and we had flung an old slipper after
them for luck, and Harry, all smiles and inky
muStachc, and Dot, all bushes and sObs and
tiuttering little rings of gold hair, and vanished
in mist of tears, went away by myself to my
chamber, now desOlate iOreyermore, and had
private little weep of my own, and INDUCED in
the dismal luxury of horrd torebodings.
Harry might be brute. He might break her
heart. They might both be killed on the rail-
way. Harry might lose all his money, and Dot
might have to come back, an abandoned, miser-
able little woman, 10 the family ingle. But this
last picture had bright side. | dried my tears
TO look at it, and was presently in condition to
take myself in hand and administer good
scolding. Harry did not turn out reprobate.
was made quite miserable by Dots happiness
as reflected in her letters. All, these girls!
How confidently, with what utter hilarity, do
they flee away from the dear old hearthstone,
lured away by the might of that strange, potent
necromancer, who holds such marvellous lien
upon all human hearts!
By and by | had letter from Dot, begging
me to come to her, and lying perlu in the little
rose-Scented note was the most exquisite secret
in the world. ] went at once, and before | had
been many weeks in Dots home, all the world
our world--knew our secret. There was a
day and night Of awful suspense, the stars in
their courses seemed to stand still, and all the
great round earth to tremble and culver in
mute, breathleSS expectation Then, in the
hush of the morning, a new little life began,
and we laughed and cried over each other, and
praised Gods goodness, which we had dared to
doubt only a half hour earlier.
1t was funny TO see Harry. He had been lifted
in moment from the valley Of despair to the
sunlit heights of hope, and the poor fellow was
daZed. He stood leaning over her where she
lay, like wilted lily, but with heaven shining
in her eyes.
"Oh, Harry, look at himi"
That was just what Harry was doing with all
his might Presently he touched the baby's
cheek with his finger. ] think he had had sus-
picion that it was by no means real flesh and
blood, but only Il waXen hoax.
"He's little fellowP he said contempla-
lively
All the mother awoke in Dot
Little! why, Harry, how can You? He weighs
eight poundsP'
Harry did not recol under this monstrous
fact. He took it quite calmly.
docs he? Well, sul doubtfully, 81 suppose
he will grow"
"GrowP cried Dot, sobhing and laughing. 81
should think he will It's only question of
time. Give him time enough and he will he as
biz as you arc. Oh, you precious, conceited fell
low! | didn't know you thought you were born
grown upl"
suitable fashion, after my own heart. | never
could understand the ecstacies people 90 into
over your huge baby, who only represents so
much adipose tissue.
Look at his armSp they cry "Look at his
leesi'
"Dear friends do look at them, and don't
like them. They remind me of pork It's q
dreadful thought, know, but can't help it. |
suppose it betrays some horrible cannibal ped-
gree, but never see one of these over-corpulent
babies without thinking how nice he would be
cooked. AS for soul, | should despair of find
ing one in such mass Of ay0irdupois.
You may think it is only nepotism which
makes me declare that Dots baby, as baby :,
was absolutely perfect. His exquisite limbs
would have delighted Il sculptor. Indeed, they
were modelled more than once, and we might
have had quite museum OF cas1s, only Dot
declared she wouldn't have pieces Os her baby
lying round all over the house
The little fellow had a name of his own-a
very pretty name, too-but he was always
spoken of as Dots baby When he was three
| years old | went to spend the winter with Dot
at is really time you were married, Ruthy"
said Dot. 81 have forbOdng that you will be
an old maid. | read the other day that there
were seventy thousand more women than men
| in Massachusetts. The papers didn't say that
| the most Of EN- live in the country towns, but /
| know they do. You Shall stay here this winter,
| Ruthy, and if you don't get a lover by spring,
| Only you mustn't make love TO Harry, or seduce
| the baby's young affection.
| "This was the week before Christmas, and our
| principal work just then was to go shopping for
| presents. One day we had been unusually busy,
| had lunched down town, and didn't start for
| home till the short winter afternoon was Just
closing in.
| 81 am wild to see the baby" said Dot, as we
| crowded into the car, already crammed as cars
are at the holidays. 81 always think when Pm
| going home, "What if anything has happened
| to himP
"What should happen to him2"
| Dot knit her two arstocratic eyebrows into a
| frown. Don't be a goose dear, and pretend.
| You know a thousand things might have hap
| peued to him. But can't tell the man to drive
faster because am worried about my baby,
| can Ii"
| smiled at my maiden curiosity. | believe |
| said something about conceited young women
| who fancy that their baby's cradle is the axis OF
the planet Poor darling Dot! Why couldn't
l have loreseen the awful trouble that was to
| come upon her?
We got home at last, and Dot ran up the
steps before me and rang the bell. Mary, the
| second girl, opened the door, smiled at first,
| glanced past us inquiringly, and then gave a
| short scream.
"Wha's the matter2" demanded Dot, turning
| upon her with Il white face.
''Sure, an its the baby, maamp'
"The babyW shrieked Dot. "What-what-''
The words died on her lips. She was quite past
speech. Bat she seized Mary by the shoulder
and her eyes were wild and fierce in their de.
| mand.
'You said first you'd take him, ma'am, and
whin went up stairs and found he wasn't
| asleep on the sofa as We said, thought you'd
TUX him. Howly motherl it's lost he is p
One awful, liked uncomprehendmg stare
and then, as the truth came home to her Dot
fell forward in a dead faint into my arms.
Oh, how my heart achedi and yet dared moi
stop to grievc. We carried Dot up stairs
sent the cook down TO Harry's office, and Mary
to the nearest police station. In half an hour
the parlOr was full of neighbors and friends
whom the news of our sudden trouble had
brought to us. In among them all came Harry
pale and wretched, and took Dot in his arms,
God won't be 50 cruel to US, my darling" he
said.
Her dry, hot eyes seemed to cling to and de
| your him
al don't know" she sobbed. "Dreadful
things happen in the world every day, and He
| lets them"
What night that was TO live through-whai
n night to remember A dear friend came to us
and consulted with Harry They agreed upon
measures for search. Everything was done
that could he done. Harry staid by and com.
orted us. Sleep was not thought of. We