The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-04-18
"Pshaw p said Mr.. Trueax, with an

glanced hastily about. IW go no fur
ther, Winnie, but wait for you here;"
and he retreated into q dark corner-by-
the-by, the only obscure corner in the
hall--whlle his sister tripped gayly away
on tour of inspection.
But as he impatiently waited, frown-
ing with all his might, and hoping that
Winnie would not exceed the ten min
utes he had 80 ungraciously accorded
her, suddenly it dawned on him that
somebody not entirely unconnected with
the show was in his immediate vicinity,
for a not unmusical murmur, sweet
voiced mothers Groom to her baby,
reached him, and, turning, he saw a
young and girlish creature in widows
weeds with tiny child on her lap.
AS Mr.. Trueax turned, this young
creature raised pair of the most won
derful blue eyes, fringed with the most
wonderful golden lashes, and cast a half
shy. half-appealing glance at him. i
Mr.. Trueax began to feel very uncom-
Portable. He, the hater of women, the
despiser of babies, shut in, as it we're,
with a dangerous member of each spe-
cies For moment he felt inclined to
flee, but the thought of his pretty sister
wandering discorsolately about in search
of him nipped the inclination in the
bud; snd the next moment the girl was
holding up the blue-eyed baby, and say
ing in low, timid voice, " She's very
pretty, sir"
And the child aDas very pretty.
Steeled as he was against the innocence
and beauty of childhood, he could not
deny that. A little angel, lacking only
the wings, with bonnie blue eyes like its
Co. l. L
mouth, and chin and cheeks like the in
most petals of pink-white rose.
And just then Winnie came back, with
eagerly, "Oh, John, we must vote.
see the handsomest mother, the pref
test baby >" and, her eyes falling upon
the wee girl being held up for Johns
approval, she ponnced upon it at once.
sc You loveliest of darings Why,
Brother John, this is the prettiest baby
eUer saw, and Good gracious p
dropping the baby back into its mothers
arms (from which she had taken it, with
a precipitancy that must have astonished
that loveliest of darlings-" Little Red
Riding hood" "
YES" said the girlish mother, /" Lit
tie Red Riding hood. But, Winnie
Miss Trueax, I meant don't expect
you to recognize me now. Times have
SO changed for the worse with me Gas
you have guessed, no doubt, seeing me
here) since we went to school together,
and wore tue scarlet cloak which gained
me my pet name, and you made me your
own happy little friend
ooh, indeed' said Winnie, arching
her slender neck. And then, stopping
suddenly and ki9slng the guivering red
lips, "Allow ne to decide that matter
for myself, nj .ss Daisy Bower. But, of
all places in 6he world, to meet you at q
baby show. and with baby Come,
tell me all about it, dear. Brother John,
you may go to the Academy and hear
your great man, and I'll stay here and
listen to my small woman, and you can
stop for me on your way back"
But Brother John never stirred. The
baby had reached out her dimpled hand
and elutchea his watch seal, and was
examining it with exceeding interest,
telling him, meanwhile, in gurgIng
language, apparently founded on the
one word "goo," how much she adj
mired it aud he didn't want to rudely
wrest it from the little fingers, "or
something," as Winnie would have re-
marked and SO, as said before, he
never stirred. -i-+ t
Go on, DEAR said Winnie, seating
herself beside her new-found friend.
"Don't mind John. He's a regular
wolf, I'll confess. but Ill take care he
don't nurt you.
With timid glance at the wolf, who
stepped few steps away-baby having
turned her attention to che bird in Win
80 1,ok 1.,,l - fo,. 1,,,H x,o4 H.
caught every word uttered, in a soft,
"When you finished your education
three years ago, and was called home
to Maryland by the death of my mother
my father, you know, died three years
before-I was left with no relation in
the whole world but my dear old grand
mother She had comfortable income
at the time, and for a year everything
went we'll; and then the bank in which
all her money was deposited broke, and
we were penniless. Grandmother sank
beneath her misfortune and became al
most helpless, and I always was spoiled,
good-for-nothing- as,.E
"You always were a darling," burst
in Winnie, impetuously.
And-and I married grandmamma's
lawyer, and he was very, very kind to us
both, and we were very comfortable un-
Gil about three months ago-the day wee
Daisy was half a year old-when he died,
and oh Winnie, he left no viii but one
dated long before he 4new me, which
bequeathed all his fortune to nephew
in some far-distaut country, and again
we were left penniless. Grandmother
grew weaker day by day, until she be-
came utterly helpless, and now she lies
from morning till night and from night
till morning again on her bed unable to
move; and we were almost starving, and
I saw" speaking slower and slower,
"the advertisement calling for children
for this show"
eyes, Daisy dear" said Winnie, pat
ting the thin white cheek encouragingly,
"you saw the advertisement
"And I think baby is just as pretty
as baby could be-"
"Lovely," said Winnie, kissing the
sweet, blue-eyed thing.
"And it occurred to me that, if she
could win n prize, poor old grandmamma
and the darling herself might be kept
frcm cold and want this winter, and so
came here. But I'm afraid very few
people have noticed baby, for I've sat in
this out-of- the way corner all the time, I
so dread a crowd, and The tears
came into the wonderful blue eyes.
Brother Jchn," said Winnie, as she
paused.
Swell, my dear % said Mr.. Truea1,
coming step forward. So,
"M-s.- By-the-by, what is your
married name, Red Riding-hood ?''
'Mulgrove.
sl"Bless my heart !''-exclaimed John.
"Old Lawyer Mulgrove-old enough to
have, been her grandfather" Then