Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-11-09
FINDING THE BABY.

not as good as II used to DO and some
day standing before your mirror and
viewing all these rayagos, You are forced
TO admit (alas that II must DO admit
tcdO that you are growing old,
BIT at the timo my story opens, i was
Young man Of dye'and-twenty, law.
yer by profession, and with quite lu'
cratlvo practice,
One day | was called to 0 neighbofing
town to attend court. II was IN the
train while on ny journey home that !
met my fate, Opposite mo IN the car
riagc were two ladies' and q child.
Both were Young and one was beau
tiiul she held the child In her arms
during tho entire distance; a bright,
pretty little thing, about two years Of
age, The dress and general appearance
OF the ladies indicated wealth and from
the time that my eyes first rested on
the lovely face OF the lady with the
child | felt that my heartily no means
easily unprecedented gone out OF my
keeping, and that l, alas WAS "deeply,
desperately, madly in love"
Looking back upon that time ] feel
glow Of pity for my benighted con-
di,ion.
As the the train dashed on I found
myself observing the lady with close
scrutiny, which babe fair to become
decided stare.
Once caught the beautiful eyes fixed
upon my face, and l felt myself
start and color like IN awkward school
girl.
The end of tho trip was reached at
last. / never had been so sorry to reach
home before or since The train steam
ol into the station and the passengers
slowly alightcd.
A tall, graceful man, with piercing
dark eyes and flowing beard, advanced
toward the party in whom / had become
so unwarrantably interested, and joyous
greetings followed.
Kiss papa, Pansy," cried the lovely
lady, helding up the baby for the
etress.
Ny heart sank like lead in my breast.
I had fallen in love with married wo-
man another mans wife. But l de-
served to suffer for my own foolishness
and so, sitting as best l might the
wild feelings which had sprung up un-
hidden in my heart, I fastened home
ward.
The very next day I strolled into the
park. ! had n serious case on my hands
and was preoccupied and somewhat
moody, brooding over its intricacies.
Carelessly my eyes fell upon nurse
maid near-a simpering girl OF about
Gfteen-carrying remarkably pretty
child.
Suddenly a piercing shrek fell on
my ears-a child's wild, frightened
scream-a cry of terror ard alarm.
Turning in its direction l saw an old
woman--a wrotchcd degraded looking
creature, bent, wizened, horrible
her appearance somehow suggesting
to my mind Dickens's "Good Mrs.
Brown"
saw her snatch the child from the
girls arms and dart off with wonderful
dexterity and stiffness, the nursemaid
shrieking IN terror, and wildly vocifer.
ating that the mistress would certainly
kill her.
1t all flashed into my mind in an in
slant. Such cases in great cities were
by no means rare or uncommon.
The old nag, attracted by the jewelry
which tho child wore--and with which
fond and foolish mothers will persist in
decking their little ones-had stolen
the child for the sake of the gain and
the reward which would undoubtedly
be offered for its return.
Without moments reflection dart.
ed after the old woman.
She was remarkably feet-fcoted and
had somewhat the advantage of me in
regard to time but 1 followed her, and
soon had the satisfaction of overtaking
her. I brought my hand down upon
her shoulder with force which made
her cry out.
"See here, my good woman" I pant
ed excitedly, 'iust hand that child over
here, will yon?'
She began to whine and whimper and
and meant no harm-that twas all done
for o joke on the nursemaid. But l re-
peated my demand for the custody of
the child and limited that such joke
might turn out seriously for her.
In the meantime the little one turned
its pretty face toward me, and clapping
its little, dimpled hands, lisped in the
sweetest of voices -
"Papa! Papa"
The inevitable crowd had gathered !;
the dim perception of the true state of
affairs must have entered their minds,
for a loud laugh followed the baby
speech. stified my inclination to sail
in and deal summary vengeance; and
taking the child in my arms, with a
severe rebuke to the old woman, start
cd off through the park to return my
charge to the care of the weeping nurse
maid.
With winged feet, Iretraced my steps,
and returned to the exact spot where 1
had left to the girl. Oh, horror she
was gone. She had doubtless given up
all hope of recovering the lost child,
and had hastened homeward with her
doleful news-perhaps to break the poor
mothers heart.
What should do? I was in an awk-
ward scrape, slrely. Here was I, an
unmarried man-with baby on my
hands, q pretty, cooling, engaging little
creature. What would Mrs. Larkins-
say if brought the baby home to my
lodgings? What would my friends
everybody-say? trembled with vague
horror and alarm. It might even get
into the newspapers; and 1 should be
pointed out as the victim Of cruel cir
cumstances-a man upon whom fate
and misfortune had played practical
joke.
What should I-could I do? A loud
squall from the enfant terrible decided
-. ,x.,,.k oorrr 70 bo,,a and Iaovo