St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-05-17
The Tables Turned.
Helen Hunt.

81 do think" said Mrs. DObbs, snip
ping energetically at the seams of
pair of unmentionables she was just
finishing for her lord and master, Josiah
Henry DObbs, "that your father is the
queerest man | ever saw in my life.
don't believe he'd know one of his own
children from anybody else's if he were
to meet 'em in the street-or anywhere
else, for that matter, except at the din
ner table, she added, sOttO Uoce. A
fact which was quite true, and not sur
prising, since the Dobbs' heirs were
nine in number, including double twins
and a t1eshy, rOund-eyed baby, who
was not unlike dozen other infantile
specimens on the same block.
As Mrs. Dobbs gave utterance to the
above clearly expressed opinion, the
uine olive branches of the Dobbs fami-
ly, with the exception of the last edi-
ton, who lay i'll unconscious slumber in
the clothes basket at her feet, crowded
about her knees with the approving
glances on their eight respective faces
which told how fully they appreciated
her remark.
"Wouldn't even know the baby 2'
questioned one of the twins, looking up
with unwinking gravity in her face.
''Of course not" she answered, a sniff
of contempt audibly perceptible in her
voice; "and that puts me in mind of
Joke | once heard, of the way man
was fooled with his own baby" and
then she stopped.
"How was it done? ?" chorused the
eight little voices in breath.
Mrs. Dobbs rubbed her nose aid con-
sidered before she again spoke.
"Well," said she at last, ''it was this
way,-the mother of the child put it in
a basket and had it left at the door,
and when it was brought in, there was
a fine row, l can tell you the father
was for sending the brat as he called
| it, to the poor house, and the mother
went off into make-believe Mysteries,
and the end of it was that the laugh
was turned on the father, because you
see he was like that old fo-like your
worthy progenitor, Josiah Dobbs, who
don't know his own baby from his next
door neighbOr's."
The children laughed, of course, al
though the exact point where the laugh
came in was not apparent to their ten
der minds; then they fell to thinking,
the result being proposition which
SdiiC IHC VI Ult bOuDS
flock.
'Marm,n he said, s.to morrow is the
first day of April. Why can't you fool
father like t'other man with our baby ?n
Mrs. DObbs turned to him with q sud
den jerk that sent the contents of her
wOrk-basket in all directions at once,
and slapped her hands together with Il
resonant clasp.
| CESan, DDhhS - oh yo,, ....
bit of the old-your father in you
you are smart boy, and we'll do it p
at this compliment the remarkable
youth burst into an expressive whoop
of appreciation, his seven Younger
brothers adding the diminuendo of their
small voices thereto.
A hush followed, and then Mrs.
Dobbs and her interesting progeny held
Il prolonged consultation, in which the
enlivening scene to he enacted on the
following evening was duly discussed,
and Sam appointed major domo of the
occasion.
The eventtul hour drew near, and as
Josiah DO6bs sat down to his evening
meal, it was with the conviction that
there was not another family at once so
large and we'll behaved in all Christen-
dom as his own; at least, he said so,
and cOmplimented his worthy spouse on
her wonderful maternal management.
Here the front door bell rang, and
Sam, Obedient to his mothers COM
mands, rose to answer the summons.
In few minutes he returned, bear
ing good-sized market basket, from
the depths of which came smothered
wall, telling the nature of the contents
without an Interrogation.
"Sam-u-el Dobbins, what in the
name of creation have you been bring
ing in ~ cried the matrOn, in well-feign-
ed alarm, at the same time rising from
her seat. =.
''Either a cat or a baby, dunno
which," replied Sam, depositing the
basket beside his fathers chair.
"SOunds mighty like babyn mutter-
ed DObbs, growing intensely red about
the forehead and temples.
"Like to know what anybody'd leave
baby at our door for ~ snapped Mrs.
DObbs, darting an expressive look at
her lords crimsOning cOuDtenance
shut here's note that like as not will
explain it," and bending over the bask
ct she removed a white envelope which
was pinned to the cover, and broke the
seal.
"JOsiah II. Dobbs," she read aloud,
''This child is your own, as you will
perceive on looking at his face, and |
commend it to your care and -
At this point the worthy woman
deemed it proper to break down, which
she did in manner that would have
done credit to an experienced member
of the dramatic profession.
'sJO-si-ah Dobbs Dobbs - she
shrieked, ''this from you, and the wife
of your bosom, thinkin' you the. best
and truest of husbands Oh-oh-ohli !
boo-hoo" and Mrs. Dobbs, who was
extremely fat, rolled over on the old
fashioned sofa in manner that would
have been comical but for the premon-
itory symptOms~of4hyster that were
pending beyond all hope of suppression.