The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-02-06
HoW Mr.. NICHOLSON MIsLAID BABY.
CHAPTER I.

W0S 6t0AAOAhS III uuo
bious attitude, with the study door
half open, and her eyes turning from
the quiet figure in the armchair by the
table to another open door in the pas
sage behind her, through which she
could see q food Of sunshine and in the
sunshine q cradle.
Il don't feel quite easy" she said; ~
am so afraid she should cry and no one
hear her. I wish I had not let nurse go
out; but all you have to do" coming
into the room and speaking impressive.
". "all you have to do is to ring the
bell yiolently--violently remember--for
cook. For Heavens sake, john" lean
ing on the table and stretching out q
pretty hand to attract her husbands at
tention, aleok up, or speak, or answer
me. or you will drive me mad!"
what is it all about, Agatha? ?"
The calm. placid. intelligent face oppe-
site was lifted gently, and the thin fin
ger was slipped on to the page to mark
9 pause.
1T is baby, John" said Mrs. N;chol-
sou, in o faltering voice, and with idle,
angry tears rolling down her cheeks.
Here have |, for the last ten minutes,
been begging and %ilnploring Of you to
remember baby; not to nurse her, ]
wouldn't trust you, but only to ring the
bell if she cries"
docs that stop her? It seems sim
pie enough. I think even I can dc
that"
But Mrs. Nicholson shook her head,
still weeping.
You may laugh at me or sheer ifyou
like. If it were my own baby 1 would
say nothing, / would bear it all; but
Emmy'sl"
With q patient sigh the gentleman al
the writing table pushed tile book away
and lost his place. He looked at her in q
bewildered way.
What is it, Agatha! q babyl O, EN-
my's baby, of course"
"And not one-half, one-hundredN
part one-thousandth part, as valuable in
your eyes," broke in Agatha, with i'm
petuosity," as the smallest, the most
unknown, the most undiscovered star
You need not tell me; I know it,"
"Of course" frowning gently, every
one knows that a star. however small
stars are not famous according to their
size, my dear, is of infinitely more value
than n hair of a baby's head. / mean"
-hastily-"speaking from the entirely
scientific point of view but as you were
saylng-you We're saying, were you not"
"a little Notwithstanding about
that unfortunate babe Of Emmy's?"
Mrs. Nicholson had dried her eyes,
and was confronting him in all the cool
splendor of her pretty Summer dress,
and with all the calm determination Of
q woman who has made up her mind.
"Yes, I was, she said; .'only, once for
all, John, if you call it q babe I will
leave your house at once and never,
never come back; and if you call it I'M
fortunate I shall take that hateful man
uscript with me and burn it at the
kitchen fire. If it were yours"-with
impassioned irony-'it might indeed be
described as unfortunate; but Charles
is the best of fathers, and he has always
been the best Of husbands"
Yes, yes, of course, my dear. I
said nothing against Charles, I did not
know we were talking about him. We
can finish him up Tonight" cheerfully.
eff that is all you had better 20 out
now, while it is fine, " turning his eyes
to the dazzling sunlight for an instant
and then back to his blotted page.
5"You car tell me about Charles, you
know. when you come in. The best of
husbands! I don't know much about
them, / fear, but / know q little about
the best of wives"
He rose and laid his hand on the long
slender. soft gray glove that was lean
ing with determination on his neat
manuscript. The gray glove closed
round his hand gently ahd chung to
him, almost as il it were 10th to leave
the thin worn fingers; but he patted it
gently and laid it aside. Mrs. Nichol.
son gave a faint sigh, but when she
spoke again she spoke with less decis-
ion and more pleading.
cit is not Charles, indeed it is not it
is the baby. Nurse has gone out, and I
have put her cradle in the morning
room by the window. John" sud-
denly, fare you listening? What did !
say last?"
"The morning room. Agatha"
Well" with q sigh of relief, IT see
you are taking it in and forgetting
those horrible stars; and how you can
compare q star to a baby" parentheti
cally sis past me-"
u am sure 1 never did" he said gen.
tly.
Well, don't interrupt me, John, or /
shall get out. What was I say
ing? Oh, baby is in the morning
room, and if she cries-makes one
sound-you are to ring your bell-this
bell, John-for cook; do you under
stand?n
aYes, I believe SO. Z am to ring the
bell-this bell-for cook"
"oh, hope you will, " after a pause.
Fancy her eyes filing with tears
again, IF she cried, and no one heard
heri Q John, you will not deceive me?
Yon will try-and-rngY
MY dear" speaking with some dig
nifty, "surely / am not utterly destitute
of common humanity or common sense
! have interesting work here" pointing
to the manuscript and the books Of ref
erence heaped around him tsbut I sup.
pose, after all, Lam human"
20. / hope 10, I think So" cried Aga
this, clasplng her hands; t.only you
might not hear her, that was AII
meant
Then I think, he said, with . gen.