The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-08-26

1 -+.ANFs ~ gFtAAs s3---7s7fsF4f 3+i
prise. .~~...
"Where is baby?@' screamed Mrs
.Jones..lt s7nd biaoHs .Taani 'm p
9ipL ord save us all," cried the cook,
.l.Where would he beT' askee
Maggie.rn' 'a9f saf '9 * 27aE3 u
a "Snre, nam, what do ye inean?''
o"Where.'' screamed Mrs. Jones
again. and rushed up stairs again.
, esGrandpa,'sshe cried, "oh,9 tell
me, tell me where baby is. a. 50
Il The guilty man locked Mt his
dauobterin-law and looked away
again. '' ~. -" 20 : XIII.
Il You see. Pm not used to taking
care of babies.1 he said slowly.
Naturally, I'm not. and--well--l--n
. sSpeak." cried Mrs. Jones. I'm
going to- have a spasm Of some
/ sort" ~
"Well," continued grandpa, ,''real-
| ", my dear, r. am. forced to confess
THAT T don remember. But I've
| lonlv been to the post office and down
Ito Thompson's office; | took the
car down; ! suppose | left him in
one Of those places, unintentionally,
YOU know. | rnnst have forgotten
all about him. | thought he was
in the house: I'll go and see. ;" g.
By this time Mrs. Jones had acta-
ally dropped down upon, the floor,
with her heart throbbing so that she
could hear it; but she reused her
self. Happily there was a telegraph
ic attachment in grandfather's stu
dy. and in less than half an hour
| the whole family connection was
flying about the city in search Of
the baby. Fruitless search s.a r..
The detectives who were called
in evidently suspected grandpa OF
I having done away with the child
and inquired if he had any interest
in its death? Finally night fell up
on the afflicted household, and only
those who have ever felt the same
trouble know what the poor mother
suffered, as one by one her friends
| appeared to announce their want OF
success. and consult with each other
las to the next steps to. be taken.
All drew together in the study. The
gas was9alit Grandpa, literally
Ebowed with shame and sorrow, sat
in their midst, and his son thus adj,
dressed him: ...... H..
Father, I've no wish to blame
you. but really it seems extraordlna-
|ry that you can't remember at what
moment you missed our darling.
1 That would give us aclew." II
Naturally" said grandpa. "And
tit's a most extraordinary lapse OF
memory. knew he went to sleep.
Then l forgot all about him. con
| fess til forgot all about him. /
thought 7 put him on the sofa, or
somewhere. Then l didn't know
but that 1 kept him on my arm
and carried him out with me, but
| f"Wa-a-a," cried something near
by.
'"What's that cried grandpa.
"Bahy's voice" cried Mrs. Jones.
Oh, where, where?"
al wa came from the voice
again.
II remember said grandpa. II
remember now. l thought the waste
paper basket would be good era
die for him and l left him there
| And grandpa lived under his
writing table which, was covered
with a deep cloth. and drew ont the
toblyng basket which he always
kept for waste paper, and which
was quite hidden by the cloth, and
there, just waking from its long
sleep, W 4by, rosy and unharmI
ed. ''''4 i. .,..,....t
"It all comes back like a fash, :"
said grandpa. "What remarka;7i /;
bic lapse Of. memory. I'm greatly
relieved 100 greatly relieved; dear,
dear, I'm greatly relieved, indeed. y
But Mrs. Jones could say Moth
ing. All she could do was to cry
over her baby as she elapsed it to
her bosom. The gentlemen of the
family thought the affair great
Ijoke, of course. The detectives con-
siderd it very suspicious. The
neighbors were rather disappointed
that the affair ended so tamely; and
grandpa has never been left in
charge of a baby since that hour