The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-01-14
THE BABY'S ADVENTURE.

THE BABI'S ADVENTURE.
Once upon time-"all on a sum-
mer's day''-a small white bundle
might have been seen half lying on a
grassy bank, in certain garden in the
northern part of Germany. We all
know that appearances is deceitful;"
but this small white bundle certainly
looked nothing more nor less than a
baby's pillow good deal trimmed with
lace and embroidery, on which was tied
with two or three straps of scarlet rib
bon, German fashion, something that
looked very like baby. looked very
like baby, and it cried very like a
baby. suppose you would have called
it baby. ..-
1t was pretty little thing, whatever
you would have called it.. The small
pink face shone forth from daintily
embroidered cap. 1t had two great
eyes as blue as pimpernels, pair of the
sweetest dimples in the world, and a
perfect little rosebud of mouth, that
could open into full-blown rose at the
shortest notice, as you will see before
this story is done.
1t was all alone in the garden. do
not know whether the baby knew she
was alone in the garden or not, but she
seemed very happy and contented. She
sat perfectly still, much engaged, appa-
rently, in watching some long willow
branches that went swaying back and
forth in the lazy breeze.
"Caw! cav! caw!' screamed a
hoarse black crow overhead. There
was "whir-r-r'' in the air, and down
swooped the crow, lighting-now where
do you think? Right on top of that
baby.
shall always maintain that she be-
haved very well under the circum-
stances. She did not so much as open
her lips till the bold creature began
pecking at the scarlet ribbons. You can
hardly blame her for giving such a
scream then that the unwelcome visitor
flew off in hurry.
A stork that happened to be passing
heard'the commotion, and felt obliged
to stop and see what was the matter.
She also flew down to the garden, and
it was not long before she too spied the
little white bundle sitting there under
| the trees.
The baby had stopped crying by this
time, and, all being quiet, Mrs. Stork
stepped cautiously forward. every min
ute stepping nearer and nearer, till al
last she could look straight down into
the pair of blue eyes.
Gravely the stork surveyed the baby,
and gravely the baby surveyed the stork
Neither seemed to know quite what tc
make of the situation, although soon il
began to dawn upon Madame Longlegs
that maybe she had the best of it, and
giving her head toss, her wings gen
tie flap, and opening wide her bill, she
said softly to herself:
Murray! this is lucky day for you
Mother Storkr'
Casting another glance at the baby,
who still did not offer to resent all this
familiarity on the part of stranger
Mrs. Stork, like Master Grow, next con
cluded to try taste of those gay rib
bons.
The pimpernels shut up in twinkling
The rosebud kept opening wider anc
wider. And alas! the harder the baby
cried this time, the more delighted thu
visitor seemed to grow. ..
"Ahem! it's real baby and no mis-
take, whispered the stork, dancing OF
one leg in high glee, and making noist
enough with her wings to have been ;
dozen of her sisters and brothers. "Hur
ray! hurrayr' t..... ....
The sound of voices could now BIZ
heard in the distance. If the children
only needn't have dawdled for once! |
the butterflies hadn't led them such
chase through the flower-beds! I-if-
if But then there would have beer
no story to tell.
And as usual the children did dawdle
They run from one rosebush to anothe
in pursuit of yellow butterfly; the,
held buttercups under their chins to Sc,
whether they liked butter or not; the,
stopped for a peep of their silly it'll
faces in the clear waters of the fountain
and meanwhile Mrs. Stork had beef
making up her mind to great things
She had snatched up the little whit
bundle, and serenely sailed off through
the bright summer sky. ~
| my baby! my baby! why. tina
soicked, wicked creatures got my babyr
was the agonized cry that rose from tn
garden. Iti .a... ..te.
If Mother Stork heard, she did no
heed. On she flew with her burden
never resting once till she came to he
own home-nest on top of a high barn il
a village ever so many miles away.
AS for the three young storks, the
were very much fluttered, indeed, at tn
sight of such an unexpected guest. TIL
first thing they did was to hop out of tn
nest as fast as they could; and havin
arranged themselves gracefully on on
leg in semi-circle, they gazed solemn
down at their mamma big prize, Will
that delighted lady, wishing to show o
all its beauties and accomplishments, be
gan pecking again at the scarlet ribbons
For the third time that day the bah
cried. She cried with such will tina
the village sexton forgot to play hi
usual hymna thing he had not done i
the course of sixty years,
Now, you must know that they wer
all very good, pious people who lived
that village, And ever since the churc
had been built, as regularly as tw
O'Clock came round, come rain, com
shine, the sexton had climbed the towe
stairs, and there ON the little balustrad
bad played hymn in Gods praise
| And on this particular afternoon tb