Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-02-01

w hat she did say was, what under
the sun have you got there nOwg
She's so pretty-and the woman
LETT her, and they talked of sending
her to the pOor-house. l couldn't
help it, answered Bob, rather mco-
herently.
Mercy on usl What are you talk
ing about? can't make head nor
tail of it. But give me the BABY, do.
She's most frozen, poor thing.
And as the woman, whose heart
was much softer than her speech,
sat down by the fire and began to
take off the child's hood and cloak,
BOb's courage revived, and he told
the story from beginning to end,
as we know it already.
A nice job you've undertaken!
said Mrs. Darby then. The woman
neyer'll come back, that you may
depend. She want its mother no
more'n l am.
l Thought you'd let it stay till
something could be done, said Bob,
dejectedly.
Ofeourse / will. I'm not wild
Injun, to turn such a baby as this
adrift by itself, said Mother Darby.
She then warmed some milk and
fed the little one, and in a few min
utes it was sleeping quietly on
Mother Darby's old calico lounge,
unconscious alike of past or future
Perils.
Her folks is well off, whatever
they be, said Mother Darby, examin-
ing the little blue silk hood trimmed
with swans down, and the embrOid-
cred Thibet cloak.
The woman that gave her to me
was a sumner, said Bob; by which
phrase be no doubt intended to ex-
press his appreciation of her fine
clothes.
Bob lost no time in advertising
the child; but days went on and no
answer appeared, nor did the woman
return to claim her charge. The
travelling bag contained nothing
that would afford the slightest clew
to the child's identity except the
single name "Elsie" on some of the
clothes.
Well, I'm sorry, but there's moth
ing for it but to send it to the poor
house, said Mother Darby.
That I'll never do, said Bob.
Heydayl l reckon there's some
body to be consulted besides you.
faint likely l shall undertake to
raise her at my time of life, and
nothing but my two hands to depend
upon, neither,
But couldn't vou let her stay here
if I'd pay her board2 pleaded Bob.
You? said Mother Darby, laugh
ing derisively. Much as ever you
earn the salt you eat.
Well, if you won't keep her, 1 sup
pose I must find place for her
somewhere else, for she shall never
go to the poor-house while l can
work for her.
Mercy sakesi If you're so set
about it do let her stay and try it,
said Mother Darby, whose heart Sc
cretly vearned over the child more
than she cared to acknowledge. And
so it was settled, though the good
widow could not believe the ar
rangement would be more than tenn
porary.
dare say, as soon as we begin to
get fond of the child we shall have
to send her off, said she.
But in this case she was mistaken.
1t was true that hitherto Bob had
not been overfond of work, and had
given her some ground for that
he hardly earned the salt ne ate.
But now great change came over
him. He felt that he had an object
in life; was ready to undertake any
honest job, to work early and late,
so that he might keep Elsie with
him.
And when the story got abroad
and it was seen how thoroughly in
earnest he was, much sympathy was
manifested for Bob and "Bob's ba-
by" as the child came to be called
and many kind hearted people were
ready to aid him in his endeavors.
So Bob succeeded as he deserved to
do, and nothing more was ever said
about sending poor Elsie to the poor
house.
She, meanwhile, continued to
grow and thrive. In fact, she quite
outgrew her original wardrobe,
which was carefully folded away
in Mrs. Darby's best drawer, and
new and coarser clothing bad to be
provided for her use.
Nearly a year had passed away
and people were ceasing to speculate
upon the mysterious advent of Bob's
baby, when the affair was revived
again by the appearance of an adver-
tisement in 8 New York paper
headed "Child Lost" Then followed
q description of the child, of its
clothing, with statement of dates
and circumstances which seemed to
identify Elsie as the lost one beyond
a doubt.
The address given was Amos
Markham, Box 1929, New York city.
Poor Bob! This was a terrible
blow for him; but he felt that he
ought to do all he could to restore
Elsie to her parents; SO he immedi-
ately wrote letter in answer to the
advertisement, aud, having dropped
it in the Office, returned home with q
heavy heart.
Mebbe she don't belong to them,
after all, said Bob to himself, and
they've got to prove it before they
take her away.
This was the one hope to which he
clung, but it speedily vanished, for
only three days later lady and gen
tleman stopped at Mother Darby
door. Bob fastened to open it, and
single glance at the lady's face told
him that she was Elsie'S mother.
Is this the place-began the gen
tleman, but with a faint shrek the
lady darted through the open door
and caught little Elsie in her arms.
o my darling! sobbed she; for
neither time, nor change nor absence,
could deceive the mothers heart.
lie frrt hnr r,rnnf mnn nnnInd Il I'M