Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-11-06
MRS. ATKINSON'S BABY.


Q Max Adeler, In New York Weekly.
! The Atkinsons have had . terrib
time with their baby. Mr.. Atkinsc
. sent home . folding crib with Il
Q Stats made in two pieces and hun
: upon hinges. When they opene
D their crib and put the mattress in
. Mr.. Atkinson emitted to fix securel
, the catches that hold the Stats. M
: and Mrs. Atkinson went to bed earl
: that night, and about eleven o'clocl
, while they were asleep the baby II
| awake and began to kick vigorousl,
, The result was that the Stats slowi
, descended, and deposited the ma
tress and the baby on the floor. Tn
baby, being particularly wide awak'
crawled out into the room, and, se,
ing . light in the entry, went throug
! the door just ~ Mr.. Atkinson's aun
; Mise Boggs, was coming up stairs I
. bed. She picked the baby up On
finding that its father and mothe
: were asleep, she took it up to he
, room on the third story, determine
to take care Of 1t during the rest Q
, the night.
About an hour later Mrs. Atkinso
awoke and thought she would glanc
over at the crib to see how the bah
was getting along. No sooner ha,
she done so than she jumped fror
the bed in alarm. The baby waa nc
there! The bottom seemed to hav
fallen out Of the whole contrivanc,
Il Her first thought was that the bah
was lying under the mattress an
smothered to death. She pulled th
mattress aside, but there were n
signs of the baby. 1rsI7J
Then, wild with alarm, she shoo]
Mr.. Atkinson, and told him to get ur
| Atkinson growled out, in sleep
tone: @ #5al
"The paragoric bottle is in tn,
4 closet; go and set 1t yourself"
i "Alonzo !" shrieked Mr.. Atkinson
I"you don't understand. The baby
gone 1t is sgone-stolen-kid
murdered, maybe! Oh. what shal
do? what shall do 2"
SNOW be calm, julia" said Atkin
son, getting out Of bed; ''don't re
hysterical. The child, most likely, /
under the bed"
/ "No, it isn't; no, it's not there Tex
claimed Mrs. Atkinson, upon hel
hands and knees.
POSSIBLY, said Alonzo, beginninI
to feel uneasy, she has crept into thi
closet; let rs look."
"This is horrible I" said Mrs. At
kinson, clasping her hands.
"Do you think" asked Mr.. Atkin
son, "that he could have crawled int,
er him ?"
Certainly not " said kMrs. Akin
son. "You know he couldn'tw
81 think I hear him now. He ha
fallen out Of the window I" said Mrs
Atkinson, as . faint wall floated vi
from the back yard.
"No, it's only Mrs. Magruder's ca
lyowling on the fence" replied Atkin
son as he closed the sash. "Hay,
you looked into the bath tub in tn,
next room2 Perhaps he has gone tt
take BATH"
Drowned ! know it! I'm sure
of it!' yelled Mrs. Atkinson, rushing
into the bath room.
"He's not here" said Atkinson
"Could he have gone down stairs and
fallen into the sugar bucket in the
pantryw
1--WE must search the whole house
for him." said Mr.. Atkinson.
So they began the hunt. They
looked everywhere. In the clothes
hamper, in the kithen cupboard, in
the parlor, in the pantry, and even in
the cellar, but without avail.
"Ie couldn't have gone up stairs y
said Mr.. Atkinson, "because he cant
climb the steps,"
He has been stolen by burglars! ]
shall never, never see him again
never -
"Don't give way, Julia. Be calm.
l will go at once for the police:
Mr.. Atkinson dressed himself hur.
riedly, dashed down stairs and out
into the front street. He met q DO.
liceman almost at the door. and in
frantic accents laid the case before
him. The policeman sounded an
alarm, and soon had six other police
men at hand. They entered the house
and proceeded to examine the fAsten.
ings. Everything was right, and one
of the policemen said:
"In my opinion the burglar is in
the house yet"
"We'll go for him. said another
So they drew their revolvers and pro.
ceeded to search the building. Pres.
emily Mr.. Atkinson heard the repor,
Of q pistol in the kitchen. He rushed
down. 'sf
~ think I've killed him. said DO
liceman Jones. Bring light
quicki" s
"And killed the baby, toow shrek.
ed Mrs. Atkinson.
"By George, | forgot about the b.
by" said the officer.
Then the light came, and they
found that policeman Jones bad sho
his dog, which had followed him in
to the house. Then Policeman Smith.
pistol went off accidentally, and The
the bullet hit the kitchen clock, which
at once struck nine hundred and
eighty-one, and the confusion anG
racket SO unstrung Mrs. Atkinson't
nerves that she went into hysteric
and emitted successive yells of . ter
nna ,nS sdSs.'er ils orougnt Mls'
n.as; use ,s.m, oi 'ne '"iru STORY IL
SWh.t rApru .,
sh ..mad " II 10 'ne i'A''er :
'no sa.i'".
"Matter?' said Atkinson. "Don'
you know that burglars have broker
into the house and stolen the baby
w. ny, ~, We ou oeen naving tne swiul
.wo % % hnurs" o" 0e' neAru u 'or 'ne iss
"Why, I've got the baby up stair
with me-" said Miss Boggs. awe hat
him all night" -
"You have ?' exclaimed the mart,
in breath.
Certainly.
do you moan to tell me-" asket
Atkinson with supernatural calmness
| .. 10y 4uAouy eoioeP IL