Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-09-14

lshment IL don't know eXactly-haVe
you got one?"
81 found one last night as [ came
back from the doctors; it's at the police
station now. The mother was in fit
in the street, and she died this morn
ing"
"Don't they know where she lived?
Has she no friends?" I asked obviously.
"No; Invent round tonight. London's
large place, and hey can't find any
thing about her, he returned; ''and the
baby will be sent to the workhouse, un-
less take it.
"Babies need great deal of atten-
tion,'' I sagely observed. edo you
really want it?"
There was minute silence before he
answered.
Miss Bryce, he said, g I am good
way past forty now, and since [ was six
teen 1 have never had anything to care
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 workhouse."
What does your housekeeper think
about it ?''
ST 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 I had each other
and turned to him suddenly "Mr.
Jay, you helped us last night, and if
you take it I'll help you all I can with it.
I don't know anything about babies, but
it can't be very hard to find out.
Thank you," he said gratefully.
eff 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 ut the
door, and Mr.. Jay came in with big
bundle in his arms. There was not a
shade of anxiety in his bright face, as he
proudly opened the rough shawl to show
us his new possession.
"There /! isn't she 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-
bated over the merits of various feeding
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, it seemed almost impossible
that only two days before we had been
perfect strangers.
Before week was over, Mr.. jays
baby was an institution; but all the
anxious hours before we got into that
baby's way-it had to come to that, for
it utterly declined to fall IN with ours.
We read aloud elaborate theories from
ponderous tones on the propriety of reg
ular hours and firm training, but one
pitiful baby-cry scattered them all to the
four winds and alb the humiliating
blunder l made in trying to fashion the
little garments and make it look like
other peoples baby. Hitherto I had
ranked as 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 his treasure
home F; 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 its 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 a hghtness
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 insig-
niicant face that completely TRANSPORTED
it 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
though it had come-as we sometimes
fancied Mr.. Jay verify believed straight
from heaven.
She grew quickly into a 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 full minute before he
spoke. "Do you think 1 look like
man for any woman to fall in love with ?''
he asked.
I could not conscientiously say that he
did. "But if you - I 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.
s'Thet but was over long ago with
me-" he interrupted. "That is why [
wanted the baby"
And 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 a curious mixture of the
pathetic and ridiculous to see the me-