New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-19

think be WAS conscious Of the dangers o
detection, for he even forebore to oresIne
OF much less chew the last mouthful ne MAJ
taken; and he skulked at my side, with IN
syrup dropping from his motieniess jaws.
think he would have silently choked Z
death just then, for my sakei and 1t WAS no
until l had reached my room agaln. AM
threw myself painting on the sofa tina.
saw how near etrangulation he had oeen
He gulped once or twice, apJiogeticaiiy
and then walked to the corner OF his owl
accord and rolled himself up like an I'M
mense sugar plum, sweating reMorse ant
treacle at every pore.
locked him in when l went to breakfast
when / found Mrs. Browns dodgers 10
state of intense excitement over certain
mysterious events Of the night before, ant
the dreadful revelations OF the morning
1t appeared that burglars had entered thu
block from the scuttles; that, being sudden
ly alarmed, they had quilted our hous'
without committing any depredatiOns. drop
ping even the boots they had collected IL
the halls; but that desperate attempt hat
been made to force the till in the confec
toners shop On the corner, and that tht
glass show cases had been ruthiessiy
smashed. A courageous servant IN No 4
had seen a masked burglar, on his hands
and knees, attempting to enter their scuttle
but on her shouting, Away wild yees y be
instantly fed.
l sat through the recital with cheeks that
burned uncomfortable; nor was the less
Embarrassed on raising my eyes 70 meet
Mrs. Browns fixed curiously and mischiev'
| ousiy on mime. AS sOon as could make
my escape from the table ! did 90; and,
running rapidly up stairs, sought refuge
from any possible inquiry in my own room.
Baby was still asleep in the corner 1t
| would not be safe to remove him until the
| dodgers had gone down town; and l was
revolving in my mind the expectancy Of
| keeping him until night yelled his obtru-
| sive eccentricity from the public eye. when
| there came cautious tap at my door. l
| opened it. Mrs. Brown slipped IN quietly.
closed the door softly, stood with her back
against it and her hand on the knob, and
beckoned me mysteriously toward her.
Then she asked ice in low voice:
lis hair dye poisonous!'
! was too cOntOunded to speak.
80! do you know what mean, she said,
impatently. This stuff" She produced
suddenly from behind her bottle with
Greek label-s0 long as to run two or three
times spiraiiy around it from top to bottom.
He says it isn't g dye; lie a vegetable
preparation for invigorating -.--.'
WHO says 7" l aeked, despairingly
"Why, Mr. Parker, Of course said Mrs.
Brown, severely, with the air Of having re-
peated the name a great many times-'the
old gentleman in the room above. The
simple question l want to ask, she con-
tinued, with the calm manner Of one who
has Just convicted another Of gross aln-
biguity Of language, SIS only this: If some
OF this stuff were put in a saucer and lett
carelessly on the table and child, or a
baby, or cat, or any young animal should
come in the window and drink It up-a
whole saucer full-because it had sweet
taste, would it be likely to hurt them -
cast an anxious look at Baby, sleeping
peacefully in the corner, and very CRATE
full one at Mrs. Brown. and said ] didn't
think it would.
Because" said Mrs Brown, loftily, as
che opened the poor, II thought if it was
poisonous, remedies might be used N time.
Because" she added suddenly, abandoning
her lofty manner and wildly rushing to the
corner, with frantic embrace OF the uncon-
scious Baby, because, if any nasty stuff
should turn it's booful hair horrid green or
a naughty pink, it wonld break its own
muzzer's heart, it wouldH'
But, before could assure Mrs. Brown of
the inefiiciency of hair dye as an internal
application, she had darted from the room.
That night, with the secrecy OF default
ers, Baby and l decamped from Mrs.
Browns. Distrusting the too emotional
uhtUIc VI tuoU dulludI, uAC &C,
mad recourse to hand cart, drawn by
stout Irishman. to convey my charge to the
ferry. Even then, Baby refused to go I'M
less walked by the cart, and at times rode
in it.
Il wish" said Mrs Brown, as she stood
by the door wrapped in an immense shawl
and saw us depart, II wish 1t looked less
solemn, less like pauper's funeral
Unjust admit that as walked by the cart
that night l felt very much as if l were
accompanying the remains of some humble
friend to his last resting place; and that,
when l was obliged to ride in it. never
could entirely convince myself that l was
not helplessly overcome by liquor. or the
victim OF an accident, en- route to the hos
pital. But at last we reached the ferry.
On the boat think no one discovered Baby
except a drunken man, who approached me
to ask for light for his cigar, but who sud.
denly dropped it and fed in dismay to the
gentle1nen's cabin, where his incoherent
indications of delirium tremens.
1t was nearly midnight when reached
my little cottage on the outskirts of Oak
land; and it was with a feeling of relief
and security that ! entered, locked the
door, and turned him loose in the hall.
satisfied that hencetorward his depredations
would be limited to my owD property. He
was very quiet that night, and after he had
tried to mount the hat-rack, under the |
impression that it was intended
for his own gymnastic exercise. and kicked |
all the hats of, he went peaceably to sleep |
on the rug.
In week, with the exercise afforded by |
the run of large, carefully boarded inclO. |
sure, he recovered his health, strength, |
spirits, and much of his former beauty |
His presence vas unknown to my height ors, |
it was noticeable that horses in |
'shied" in passing 10 the windward |
side of my house, and that the baker and |
milkman had great difficulty in the delivery
Of their wares in the morning and INDUCED |
IN unseemly and unnecessary profanity in
80 doing.
At the end Of the week. determined to
invite few friends to see the Baby, and to
hat purpose wrote a number of formal in
After decanting at some length
On the great expense and danger attending
ais capture and training, | offered a pro.
yromme of the performances OF the Infant
Phenomenon OF Sierran Solitudes," drawn
up in the highest professional prOfusion of
and capital letters. A few ex-
racts will give the reader some idea of his
educational progress:
l. He will. rolled up in Round Ball, roll
Town the Wood Shed, Rapidly illustrating,
Ills manner OF Escaping from Ills Enemy
n His Native WiIds.
2. He will Ascend the We'll Pole, and re-
move from the Very Top Hat and as
much OF the Crown and Brim thereof as
lIay be Permitted.
3. He will perform pantomime, descrip-
i've OF the Conduct of the Big Bear, The
Bear and The Little Bear of
he Popular Nursery Legend.
4. He will shake his chain Rapidly. show
ng his Manner of striking Dismav and
Terror in the Breasts of Wanderers in Ur-
inc Widernesses.
The morning of the exhibition came. but
N hour before the performance the wretch
d Baby was missing. The Chinese cook |