Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-04-26

to look beneath the overhangin
gig-top, or the green beach, wit
which her somewhat weary sou
had no concern. III anything cOul,
add to Corinne's ecstatic delight, j
was this charming motion. Closing
her eyes contentedly, she droppe,
asleep.
The baby with canary hair loOket
at the receding nurse and carriage
with widening eyes and redieniny
cheeks. Then, opening her mouth
she uttered the cry of the deserted
but the panic-stricken nurse did no
hear her, and if she had, what wer.
the cries of other children to her
Her only business was to get home
quickly with her young charge.
/ About five minntes after thess
events Jonas and Pomona came
hurrying along the path. They, too
had stayed away much longer
than they intended, and had sud
denly given up their search for the
American, whom they had hoped
TO find in high relief upon the base
of the Albert Memorial. Stepping
quickly to the child, who still stood
| sobbing by the bench, Jonas ex.
claimed: "You poor itty-P'
| And then he stopped suddenly.
Pomona also stood for asecond, and
then she made dash at the child,
and snatched itiup. Gazing sharp
! iy at its tear-smeared cOuntenance,
she exclaimed whats this ?''
The baby did not seem able to
explain what 1t was, and only an
swered by fearful sob. Jonas did
not say a word /; but, with the 1.-THE
quickness of dog after a rat, he
began to search behind and under
benches, in the bushes, on the grass,
here, there and everywhere.
About nine o'clock that evening,
Pomona came to us with tears in
her eyes, and the canary-haired
babycin her arms, and told us that
Corinne was lost. They had search
ed everywhere; they had gone to
the police kilograms had been sent
| to every section; they had done
everything that could be done, but
had found no trace of the child.
eff / hadn't this" sobbed Pomo-
ma, holding out the child, "I believe
I'd go wild. 1t isn't that she can
take the place of my dear baby, but
by a-keepin' hold OF her i believe
we'll get on the track of Corinne."
We were both of us much affected
by this news, and Euphemia Joined
Pomona in her tears.
"Jonas is scourin' the town yet,'
said Pomona. "He'll never give
up till he drops. But / felt you
ought to know, and l couldn't keep
this little thing in the night air no
longer. If it's got mother, she's
bound to want to see 1T before long
an if ever I ketch sight of her, she
don't git away from me till have
my child"
SIT is very extraordinary case,"
/ said. "Children are aften stolen,
but it is seldom we hear of one be-
ing taken and another left in its
place, especially when the children
are of different ages and totally un-
like"
"That's so," said Pomona. "At
first, / thought that Corinne had
been changed off for Princess, or
something like that, but nobody
couldn't make anybody believe that
my big, black haired baby was this
white-an-yaller thing"
"Can't you find any mark on her
Clothes" asked Euphemia, "by
which you could discover her par
entage? If there are no initials, per-
haps you can find a coronet or a
coat of arms.'
"NO," said Pomona. "there amt
nothin'. I've looked careful. But
there's great comfort to think that
Corinne's well stamped"
"Stamped! !" we exclaimed. What
do you mean by that ?"
"Why, you see," answered Po-
mona, "when Jone an was goin'
to bring our baby over here among
so many million people, we thought
there might be danger of its gittin'
lost or misIaid, though we never
really believed any such thing
would happen, or we wouldn't have
come. AM so we agreed to mark
her, for I'Ye often read about babies
bein' stole an kept two or three
years, an when found bein' so
changed their own mother didn't
know 'em. Jone said we'd letter
tattoo Corinne, for them marks
would always be there, but i would
not agree to have the little creatures
skin stuck with needles, not even
after Jone said,we might give her
chloryform so we agreed to stamp
initials on her with Perkins Indel-
ible Dab. 1t is intended to mark
sheep, but it don't hurt, and it don't
never come off. We put the letters
ON the back of her heels, where
they wouldn't show, for she's never
to 60 barefoot, an where they'd be
easy got at if we wanted to find 'em.
We put G. r. on one heel for the
name of the place, and j. p. on the
other heel for Jonas an me, If,
twenty years from n0w," said P0-
mona, her tears yelling out afresh,
81 should see a young woman with |
eyes like Corinne's, an that / felt |
was her, a-walkin' up to the bridal |
altar, with all the white flowers,
am the foatin' wells, an the crowds |
in the church, an the music-playin'
an the minister all ready, I'd jist |
jerk that young woman into the
vestry-room, an have off her shoes |
an stockin's in no time. An If she |
had r. Il. on one heel and j. p. on |
the other, that brigedroOm could go
home alone"
We confidently assured Pomona
that with such means of identified
tion, and the united action of our
selves and the police, the child
would surely be found, and we ac-
companied her to her lodgings, in
house not far from ours.
When the nurse reached home
with the little carriage it was al
most dark, and snatching up the
child, she ran to the nursery with
out meeting anyone. The child felt
heavy, but she was in such a hurry
she scarcely noticed that. She put
it upon the bed, and then lighting
the gas she unwrapped the afghan,
in which the little creature was now
almost entirely enveloped. When
she saw the face, and the black hair
from which the cap had fallen off,
she was nearly frightened TO death,
but fortunately for herself, she did
not scream. She was rather a stu
pid woman, with but few ideas,
but she could not fail to see that
some one had taken her charge, and
put this child in its place. Her first
impulse was to run back to the
gardens, but she felt certain that
her baby had been carried off; and
besides, she could not, without dis
covery, leave the child here or take