The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-12-23
dait and 9amor.
Mrs. Atkinson's Baby.

and hung down upon hinges. When they
opened this crib and put the mattress In 1t,
Mr.. Atkinson omitted to fix securely the
catches that held the Stats. MIR. 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 was that the
Stats slowly descended and deposited the
baby upon the floor The baby, being par
ticularlv wide awake, crawled out into the
room. and seeing a light in the entry, went
through the door just as Mr.. Atkinson $
aunt, Miss Boggs, was coming up the stairs
to bed. She picked the baby up, and find
inc that its father and mother were asleep,
she carried it to her room in the third sto-
nv. and determined to take care OF 1t
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
she jumped from the bed in alarm. The
baby was not there The bottom seemed
to have fallen out of the whole contrivance.
Her first thought was that the baby was
lying under the mattress smothered 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. Akin
son growled out in a sleepy tone
The paregoric is in the closet; go and
get it yourself.
'Alonzo p shrieked Mrs Atkinson, you
don't Understandable baby is gone-stolen
kidnapped maybe! Oh,
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 che has crept into the closet.
Let us look"
This is horrible" said Mrs. Atkinson,
clasping her hands.
DO YOU think, asked Mr. Atkinson,
that he could have crawled into the bu-
reau drawer and pulled it in after him.
Certainly not" said Mrs. Atkinson.
You know he couldn't"
Il think hear him now He has fallen
out of the window said Mrs. Atkinson
as a faint wall fOated up from the back
yard.
no; it's only Mrs. Magruders cal
yawling on the fence, replied Atkinson, al
he closed the sash. "Have you looked il
the bath tub in the next room? Perhaps
he has gone to take a bath.
Drowned know it I'm sure of it !
yelled Mrs Atkinson, rushing in the bath
room.
Hes not here" said Atkinson; "could
he have gone down stairs and fallen into
the sugar bucket in the pantry"
We must search the whole house fol
him." said Mrs. Atkinson.
So they began to hunt. They looked
everywhere In the clothes hamper, in the
kitchen cupboard, in the pantry, in the
parlor, and even in the cellar, but without
avail.
He couldn't have gone up stairs, be
cause he couldn't climb the steps"
NO; he must have been stolen. He has
been stolen by burglars | shall never SEE
him again-never!
Don't give way, Julia. Be calm.
will 20 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 sounded
an alarm, and soon had six other policemen
at hand. They entered the house and pro
ceeded to examine the fastenings. Every
thing was right, and one of the policemen
said:
"In my opinion the burglar is in the
house yet.
"Well 90 for him." said another. Sc
drawing revolvers, they proceeded to search
the building. Presently Mr. Atkinson
heard the report of pistol in the kitchen
He rushed down
II think I've killed him, said policeman
Jones "Bring the light, quick"
"And killed the baby, too, shrieked
Mrs. Atkinson.
"By George, forgot the baby said the
officer
Then the light came and they found that
policeman Jones had shot his dog, which
had followed him into the house. Then
policeman Smiths pistol went off accident
ally, and the bullet hit the kitchen clock,
which at once struck nine hundred and
eighty-one, and the confusion and racket SO
unstrung Mrs Atkinson's nerves that she
went into Mysteries and emitted successive
yells of terrific character. This brought
Miss Dogs down from the third story in
great alarm.
"What on earth is the matter? ?" she
called
Matter r. said Atkinson, ''don't 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"
NWhy, I've got the baby up stairs with
me, said Miss Boggs. aI've had him all
night"
.'You have?' exclaimed the party in a
breath.
Certainly
DO you mean to tell me, said Atkin-
son, with supernatural calmness, ''that baby
was quietly sleeping in your room all this
time n
Eyes
Atkinson simply looked at her. He felt
language was unequal to the expression of
his feelings. Mrs Atkinson flew up stairs,
two steps at time. The policemen laugh
ed and filed out, Jones pulling his dog by
the tail. Atkinson went to bed with raging
anger in his soul; and the next morning he
put sheet iron bottom, fastened with
rivets, under that folding crib.
whats the crowd about?" queried a
stranger, as he noticed stream Of visitors
going into fashionable residence. ssIt's a
silver weddin' obligingly replied his in
n -. -. i ta.,