Omaha daily bee., 1874-07-02
ken stranger got into the wagon and

ken stranger got into the wagon and
drove away.
And Baby? He had grown, it is
true, q trifle larger; but he was thin,
and bore the marks of evident i'll
usage. His beautiful coat was mat
ted and unkempt, and his claws
those bright steel hOoks-had been
ruthlessly pared to the quick. His
eyes were furtive and restless, and
the old expression of stupid good
humor had changed to one of intel
ligent distrust. His intercourse with
mainland had evidently quickened
his intellect without broadening his
moral nature.
had great difficulty in keeping
Mrs. Brown from smothering him
with blankets and running his diges-
ton with the delicacies of her larder;
but I at last got him completely
rolled up in the corner of my room
and asleep. l lay awake some time
later with plans for his future. 1
finally determined to take him,to
Oakland, where I had built a little
cottage and always spent my Sum
days, the very next day. And, in
the midst of q rosy picture of domes-
tic felicity, / fell asleep.
When 1 awoke it was broad day.
Nv eyes at once sought the corner
where Baby had been lying. But
he was gone. / sprang from the
bed, looked under it, searched the
closet, but in vain. The door was
still locked; but there were the
marks of his blunted claws upon
the sill of the window, that I had
forgotten to close. He had evident
lv escaped that way,-but where?
The window opened upon the bal
cony, to which the only other en-
trance was through the hall. He
must be still in the house.
My hand was already upon the
bell-rope, but I stayed it in time.
If he had not made himself known, |
why should I disturb the house? l
dressed myself hurriedly, and slip
ped into the hall. The first object
that met my eyes was a boot lying
upon the stairs. 1t bore the marks
Of Baby's teeth; and as I looked
along the hall, I saw too plainly
that the usual array of freshly black |
ened boots and shoes before the
dodgers doors was not there. As I
assembled the stairs I found another, |
but with the backing carefully
licked 6f. On the third floor were
two or three more boots slightly
mouthed; but at this point Baby's
taste for backing had evidently
palled. A little farther on was a
ladder, leading to en- open scuttle.
1 mounted the ladder, and reached
the flat roof, that formed a continu-
GUS level over the row of houses to
the corner of the street. Behind
the chimney on the very last roof
something was lurking.
IT WAS THE FUGITIVE BABY.
He was covered with dust, and dirt,
and fragments of glass. But he was
sitting on his hind legs, and was
eating an enormous slab Of peanut
candy, with q look of mingled guilt
and infinite satisfaction. He even,
1 fancied, slightly stroked his
stomach with his diseEgaged fore
paw, as I approached. He knew
that 1 was looking for him, and the
expression of his eye said plainly,
"The past, at least, is secure"
1 hurried him, with the evidence
of his guilt back to the scuttle, and
descended on tlp-tOe to the floor be-
meath. Providence favored us; 1
met no one on the stairs, and his
own cushioned tread was inaudible.
/ think he was conscious of the
dangers of detection, for he even
forebOre to breathe, or much less
chew the last mouthful he had
taken !; and he skulked at my side,
with the strip dropping from his
motiOnless jaws, / think he would !
have silently chOked to death just
then, for my sake; and it was net
until l had reached my room again,
and threw myself painting on the
sofa, that l saw how near strangu-
lation he had been. He gulped once
or twice, apOlogetically, and then
walked to the corner of his own &C.
cord, and rolled himself up like an
immense sugar-plum, sweating re-
morse and treacle at every pore.
Locked him in when 1 went to
breakfast, when / found Mrs.
Browns dodgers In a state of intense
excitement over certain mysterious
events of the night before, and the
dreadful revelations of the morning.
1t appeared that burglars had en-
tered the block from the scuttles;
that, being suddenly alarmed, they
had quilted our house without COM
hitting any depreciation, dropping
even the boots they had collected in
the halls; but that a desperate at
tempt had been made to force the
till in the cOufectiOner's shop on the
corner, and that the glass show
cases had been ruthlessly smashed.
A courageous servant in No. 4 had
seen.a masked burglar, on his hands
and knees, attempting to enter their
scuttie; but on her shouting, "Away
wild yees !n he instantly fled.
(Th h 0hnfinaeHl