Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-05-14
e II N

sons have had terrible time over their
baby. Mr.. Atkinson sent home folding
crib, with Stats made in two pieces and
hung down upon hinges. When they
opened this crib and put the mattress in it,
Mr.. Atkinson omitted to fix securely the
catches that held the Stats. Mr.. and Mrs.
Atkinson went to bed early that night,
and about eleven O'Clock, while they were
asleep, the baby got awake and began to
kick vigorously. The result wassthat the
Stats slowly descended and deposited the
baby upon the floor. The baby, being par
ticularly wide awake, crawled out into the
room, and seeing light in the entry, went
through the door just as Mr.. Atklnson's
aunt, Miss Boggs. was coming up the stairs
to bed. She picked the baby up, and find
ing that it's father and mother were asleep,
she carried it TO her room in the third sto-
~, and deter mined to take care Of it
through the night.
About an hour later Mrs. Atkinson
awoke, and thought she would glance over
at the crib to see how the baby was getting
along. No sooner had she done so than
I she Jumped from the bed in alarm. The
baby was not there The bottom seemed
to have fallen out of the whole contri-
vance. Her first thought was that the ba-
by was lying under the mattress smother
ed to death. She pulled the mattress aside,
but there was no sign of the baby.
Then with wild alarm, she shook Mr..
Atkinson, and told him to get up. Atkin-
son, growled out in sleepy tone
1.-THE paregoric is in the closet; go and
get it yourself
s'Alonzo!'' shrieked Mrs. Atkinson, "you
don't understandable baby is gone!-sto-
len kidnapped murdered, maybe! 0.
what shall do?''
''Now, be calm, JULIA" said Atkinson.
getting out Of bed; don't get hysterical.-
"The child, most likely, is under the bed"
"No, it isn't; it's not there!" exclaimed
Mrs. Atkinson, upon her hands and knees.
Possibly said Alonzo, beginning to
feel uneasy, ''he has crept into the closet.
Let US look.''
ssThis is horrible" said Mrs Atkinson,
clasping her hands.
'sDo you think" asked Mr.. Atkinson,
ssthat he could have crawled into the bu-
reau drawer and pulled it in after him?''
ssCertainly not!'' said Mrs. Atkinson
ssYou know he couldn't"
II think hear him now. He has fallen
out Of the window' said Mrs. Atkinson,
as faint wall foated up from the back
yard.
ssNo; it's only Mrs. Magruders's cat
yawling on the fence" replied Atkinson,
as he closed the sash. sHave you looked
in the bath tub in the next room? Per-
haps he has gone to take bath.''
drowned! know 1t! I'm sure of it!'
yelled Mrs. Atkinson, rushing in the back
room.
s'He's not here,' said Atkinson. sCould
he have gone down stairs and fallen into
the sugar bucket in the pantry?''
ssWe must search the whole house for
him. said Mrs. Atkinson.
So they began to hunt. They looked
everywhere. In the clothes hamper, in the
in the kitchen cupboard, in the pantry,
in the parlor, and even in the cellar, but
without avail.
s'He couldn't have gone up stairs, be-
cause he couldn't climb the steps,"
mo; he must have been stolen. He has
been stolen by burglarsl 1 shall never see
him again-never!''
.sDon't give away, Julia. Be calm.
will go up at once for the police
Mr.. Atkinson dressed himself hurriedly.
and dashed down stairs and out into the
front street. He met a policeman almost
at the door, and in frantic accents laid
the case before him. The policeman sound
ed an alarm, and soon had six other police
men at hand. They entered the house and
proceeded to examine the fastenings.-
Everything was right, and one OF the
policemen said:
''In my opinion the burglar is in the
house yet"
"WeI go for him. said another. So
drawing revolvers, they proceeded TO
kinson heard the report of pistol in the
kitchen. He rushed down.
II think I've killed him." said police
man Jones. "Bring the light quick
'.And killed the baby. tool" shrieked
Mrs. Atkinson.
by George, I forgot the baby" said
the officer.
Tnen Che light came and they found
that policeman Jones had shot his dog
which had followed him into the house
Then policeman Smiths pistol went oil
accidentally, and the bullet hit the Kitchen
clock. which at once struck nine hundred
and elghty-one, and the confusion and
the confusion and racket SO unstrung Mrs
Atkinson's nerves that she went into hys.
terics any emitted successive yells OF ter
rife character. This brought Mrs. Boggs
down from the third story in great alarm
'sWhat on earth is the matter 7" she
called.
ssMatter ?'' said Atkinson, ''dont you
know that burglars have broken into the
house and stolen the baby !? Why we've
been having the awfulest time you ever
heard of for the last two hours"
s'Why, I've got the baby up stairs with
me,'' said Miss Boggs. s'I've had him all
night"
breath.
''Ce1tainly.'
'sDo you mean to tell me,'' said Atkin
son. with supernatural calmness, ''that
baby was quietly sleeping in your room all
this time ?"
Eyes"
Atkinson simply looked at her, He felt
language was unequal to the expression of
his feelings, Mrs. Atkinson flew upstairs.
two steps at time. The policemen laugh
ed and filed out, Jones pulling his dog by
the fail. Atkinson went to bed with rag
inc anger in his soul; and the next morn
mo he mt a sheet iron bottom, fastened
with riyets, under that folding crib.