The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1881-09-17

! for or belong to me. I'm poor and plain,
but this little creature would not know
that, and / would be better for her than
| the work house."
"What does your housekeeper think
! about it ?"
81 havn't said anything to her yet;
she's old, you know; besides, babies
sleep nearly all day." he explained with
an air of calm confidence, "and am al
ways back by six; don't you think it's
possible? | thought you would under
/ stand"
I thought of the little mans forty
! lonely years-Will and l had each other
and turned to him suddenly "Mr.
Jay, You helped us last night, and If
you take it I'll help you MI can with it.
don't know anything about babies, but
it can't be very hard to find out.
" Thank you," he said gratefully.
Z" If you would look at it sometimes in
the day, or tell me what to do, I'm not
at all afraid of the nights"
At half-past six the very next evening
/ there was another low knock at the
door, and Mr.. Jay came in with big
! bundle III his arms. There WAS not
shade of anxiety in his bright face, as he
| proudly opened the rough shawl to show
Us bis new possession.
g." There isn't she a bonnie little
creature ?" he demanded.
! " Indeed, she is" assented Will,
warmly, stretching up from his sofa to
| look at the tiny face and placid blue
eyes nesting among the gray folds on
his arm. Itlacked no welcome from any
one of us that night. We solemnly de-
] fnfIn hn <,fxy
bottles and vague fragments of Lalf for
! gotten nursery lore for over an hour: and
when Mr.. Jay gathered up his little waif
and left us, 1t seemed almost impossible
that only two days before we had been
perfect strangers.
Before a week was over, Mr.. jays
baby was IA institution but alb the
anxious hours before we got into that
baby's way-lt had to come to that, for
it utterly declined to fall in with ours.
We read aloud elaborate theories from
pOnderous tones Oh the propriety of reg
ular hours and firm training. bat one
pitiful baby-cry scattered them all to the
four winds; and oh ! the humiliating
blunder l made IN trying to fashion the
little garments and make it look like
| other peoples baby. Hitherto [ had
ranked as o moderately intelligent and
accomplished person, but those melan-
choly failures brought me down from
the pedestal forever.
Through the day the basket that did
| duty for a cradle generally occupied one
corner of our tiny sitting-room, but
punctually at twenty minutes past six
Mr.. Jay appeared and took bis treasure
home we did not hear much of the
after proceedings from h1m-he was not
communicative peTsOn-but through
| the thin partition wall we often listened
! to his hurried quarterback walk for
hours together, trying to still it's crying.
Mr.. jays hair WAS rOugher now and his
general appearance lost much of the
neatness that had originally distin-
guished him but there was lghtness
In his step as he went down the street
every morning that there had not been
heretofore, and a look of quiet content
was gradually dawning upon his insi9-
nificant face that completely TRANSPORTED
1t at times
He had mentioned his new response
bility at GrimsbY's, and made inquiries
in every likely direction, but the little
waif seemed as completely unknown as
!
fancied Mr.. Jay verify Observation-Disclosures
from heaven.
She grew quickly into part of his
life. She asked him merrily one night
what he would do with her if he CHANGED
to fall in love, and his lady love objected
! to this claimant.
! He looked at his reflection in the
chimney glass a full minute before he
spoke. "Do you think / look like a
man for any woman to fall in love with ?"
| he asked.
l could not tonscientiously say that he
| did. "But if you -" [ began, hest
tatingly. [ had read or heard it some
where that any man not absolutely de-
/ formed might win woman If he wished,
and wanted to put it as politely as pos
sible.
"That but WAS over long ago with
me-" he interrupted. "That is why |
wanted the baby"
Aud that is all we have ever learned,
then or later, of his past.
We might tend the little one in his
absence, and he was grateful for it; but
once he reached home, he seemed to pre-
fer that she should be left entirely to his
care. 1t was q curious mixture of the
pathetic and ridiculous to see the me-
thOdlcal little man promenadiug up and
down before the woodward with his
treasure, when the early spring evenings
began to lengthen out, to give it the
benefit of the fresh air, and the smell of
the pine boards, which it was one of the
articles of our creed to believe had a
genuine country fragrance.
H He ALWAYS reminds me of the oil q
parable of the poor man and his one eve
lamb" Will once remarked, looking
after him as he passed the window on
one of these constitutionals.
Don't you think it's time she had q
name? What are you going to call
her?" he asked, as Mr.. Jay suspended
his pilgrimage moment to tell us oil
another tooth that was shortly to make
its appearance. 1t was profound mys,
terry to me III those days-it is still, fol
that maternity babies are not SEM
into the world ready furnished in that
particular Somany of this ones griev-
ances seemed to be connected with the
getting them.
Mr.. Jay rested bis arm on the window.
ledge aud looked down at Wills
cushion.
Theodore" he said briefly.
Theodore, echoed VIII; cit sounds
quite impressive. Is it after any one you
know -
"No-o," he answered slowly, and 6
little unwillingly, sit was because-it
means something, you know"
a little silence fell upon us, and he
went back to the neighborhood of the
{