Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-04-12
NO. ST..

tnao nc 1nuSt nave Cropt up STAIRS 10
yeah a8
o"Indeed he HASN'T" said the mother,
looking hurriedly about; "but he may
have crept into the backyard" So
with Biddy at her heels she stepped
into the paved court, and closely
searched every corner, but no baby was
| there.
Rub-a-dub, dub! Rat-a.tat-tatI"
sounded Johnny's drum, until his moth
er was forced to catch the drum-sticks
out of his hands before she could make
her voice heard.
"Johnny, have you seen your little
brother?" ....
No, Johnny had not seen him, and
the alarmed mother rushed up TO the
play-room, hoping that Mollie or Flora
had taken him away. ..........-. -. .
li" Why, no, mamma" said Flora.
'FThe wedding festivities are Just over,
and the newly married couple are about
to start on a trip to Europe, and we
haven't had time to think Of baby"
The now thoroughly alarmed mother
instantly commenced a most vigorous
search of the whole house. Biddy was
in despair and in tears. Her mistress
had called her careless girl, and her
reputation was2lost unless the baby were
found. Soshe peered into the most I'M
heard-ofs places, evidently thinking to
find the child laid away on one of tho
pantry.shelves, or playing bo-peep with
her from behind the sugar,jar, or hid
den in the depths of the coal-scuttle.
"Murther! bad luck to me for q for
n xuI I ,na'
heart is broke. Whatever shall | do,
and the poor darlint lost and gone?
Och hone Hear the poor mither call
ing the swate babel Biddy Murphy, ye
desarve to- do penance for week for
bringina sore trouble to thin as has
been kind to yezl' -'"s
Again and again was the house search
ed "from turret to foundation stone,"
or rather from garrett to cellar; but no
baby rewarded the search. Evidently
he was not on the premises. Arguing
that child who could not walk must
have been carried away. Mrs. Holmes
was forced to the conviction that some
one had entered the kitchen while Bid
dy's back was turned, and made off
with the unconscious babe; and being
a spirited little woman, after the first
natural ebullition of maternal feeling
she speedily rose to the occasion and
sent Biddy off after the chief OF police.
Biddy, in her zeal to repair her negll-
gence, ran half q mile at her best rate
Of speed, and had hardly sufficient
breath remaining to enable her to tell
her story; but she managed to make
the man understand what was wanted
of him, and he Immediately accompa-
MED her back to her mistress. ..
When the case was fully stated to him
he looked grave, walked all about the
kitchen, glanced keenly at the pile of
tinware Biddy had placed at the chlld's
disposal, paced slowly about the back
ward, and gave Johnny s neglected drum
a kick, questioned Biddy sternly, and
looked all the while as non-committal
as YOU can possibly imagine. The fact
was, the sharp man was at his wits end.
Mrs. Holmes awaited his decision, the
three remaining children clinging to
her skirts, their white, scared faces
showing that they realized what had
happened. ,r....c
After looking the ground over for the
third or fourth time, the chief returned
to the weeping Biddy. "My girl, you
saw there was no one here between the
time your mistress left the baby in your
charge and the moment she called you
to bring him to her?" ....
"Not livin' soul, sir. May the bliss
ed saints niver hear me prayers if it's a
lie I'm tellin' yer honorl No livin'
soul, barin' the laundry man, who drove
up to the area gate after the basket OF
clothes for the washin' that | carried
out to him myself"
"Ah!'' said the chief with brisk air;
$50 YOU sent off basket OF solled
clothes? What laundry do you patron
ize, Mrs. Holmes?"
She gave him the street and number.
Jo"I think I'll run over and take
look at the establishment meanwhile,
make yourself as comfortable as may be
under the circumstances. think
have clue to the person who carried
off your child."s ..dJ i9
. Mrs. Holmes begged him to use his
utmost exertion, declaring she should
never know aihappy moment If her OAR
ling was not found. Ha3i
II don't see what idea he has in his
head" she said to Biddy, after the man
had politely bowed himself out "Only
think Of his posting away over to the
laundry when my poor child may be in
the hands of some cruel person who is
bearing it farther and farther away
And Mrs. Holmes burst into tears, and
Johnny and Mollie and Flora initiated
her. and Biddy went down upon her
knees and called upon all the saints in
The calendar. to lend their aid in this
time of -trouble.earsi -ae = sgu-sI y. a.f
a An hour passed, 1t was hard waiting.
Mrs. Holmes had grown very nervous;
the children, seeing her distress, had
retired to a distant corner and spoke
onIy in whispers. Biddy groaned and
crossed herself at intervals, and vowed
all sorts of penances, provided the baby
might be found, when quick pull at
the street door-ben thrilled them all
and when, with trembling hands, Biddy
had. unfastened the door, who shoald
appear but the chief of. police, and what
should he have in his arms but the
stolen baby! .t5s ef..tla ..5.,. tr .
o, such a shout Of joy as went up from
that mothers heart -ryarq al. 4a TFg Io
The chief explained that the moment
he heard Of clothes having gone to the
laundry just previous to the disappear
ance Of the child, the idea struck him
that baby had gone too. And sure
enough, the little fellow had been
found, nicely curled up among the
clothes, fast asleep and apparently as
we'll content as if tucked in his pretty
crib at home. e.,-,e,,i Y.,..ags,f n,e
The dear little chick -a-biddiel He
little knew how, much anxiety he had
cost his friends. :, y-.,., gs 4 .e6
So the question of "who stole the