Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-02-19

dertng where he should begin 70 get held Of
it. 50 to speak
Tho baby soon settled that question, bold.
Ing out its erms towards his neck. Then.
somehow, be galhsrei it up and carried It
in doubt AMI trepidation to tn, big chair by
the fire, where the creature sat ccntentedly
upon his knee, the curly golden head resting
against his scarlet jacket the soft fingers Of
one baby hand tight twmod round one OF
his, the other picking and wandering aim
lessly about the scrolls and curves Of the
gold embroidery on his waistc)at.
BY JoTel you're a jolly lt5le chap" said
Bottles just a. if it could understand him.
Bat the question is, where did you come
from, and what's to be dons with youl You
cant stop her, you know"
Tho babes Zig blue eyes raised themselves
to his, and the fingers which he'd been
twiDed round his made a grab at his watch
chain.
"Gar-gar-garr-rah7 it remarked, in
such evident delight that Bottles laughed
again
'Oh, you Ike if, do your Wei. you're a
queer little beggar; no mistake about that.
wonder whom you belong to, and where
ycu live when you are at ONE! Can't be a
barrack child-too dainty-looking and not
sIeDbery enough. And this d~ress"-taking
hoia Oh the richly embroidered white skirt
this must have cost a lot; and it's all lace,
too
he knew what embroidery cosby his own
mess waistcoats and his tunics. Then not
only was the dress of the child Of a very
costly description, but its sleeves were tisd
IN NvifI Cor,l,tIao L1,o riIho,o fbot yrroua
evidently new, and its waist was enclrcled
BY q broad sash Of tao same material and
tint. Altogether it was just such q child al
he was occasionally called upon to admireil
the houses Of his married brother ~officerl;
yet that any lady in the regiment would
lend her baby for a whole night to a set OF
harum scarum young fellows fer the purpose
Of playing a trick on a brother officer was
manife3tly absurd. And besid IS that, Bottles
was so good-natured and auch a favorite
with the ladies Of the rJgiment that he
thought he knew all their babies by sight,
and he became afraid that this one was in
deed a little stranger in the land, welcome
CT unwelccme.
Yet il it was tho fellows doing, where had
they got it, And if it WA not the fellows
doing, why should any one leave a baby
asleep in his cot2 The Who'll, thing was in
applicable.
Just taen the child, in playing with
his chain, slipped a little on the smooth
cloth of his o~veralls, and Boobies, with a
whoa! whoa, my lad!' hauled it up again.
In doing so he felt a piece Of paper rustic
somewhere about the embroidered skirt.
"a note. This grows melodramatic," said
Boobies, crnning his neck TO find it. ooh,
here we are! Now we shall see"
The 10 was written in a firm, large,
yet thoroughly feminine hand, and ran
thus:
You will net absolvs me from my oath
Of secrecy respecting our marriage, though
now that l have offended you, I may starve
or go to the w%orkhouse. lcannot break my
oath, though you have broken all yours, but
| am determined that you shall acknowledge
your child. lem going to leave her tonight
in your rooms with her clothes. By mid
night I shall be out Of the country. / do
this because | have obtained a good situa-
ton, and because when l reach Ey destina-
ton I shall have spent my last shilling. 1
give you fair warning, however, that if you
desert the child, or fail to acknowledge her,
l will break my oath and proclaim our mar
rage. Ii you engage a nurse she will not
he much trouble. She is a good and sweet
tempered child, and l have called her Mary,
after your dear mother. Oh, how she would
pity me If she could zee me now! Fare
we'll"
From that moment Bottles acsolved ''the
fellows" from any share in the affair; but
what to do with tho child he had not the
least idea.
ut is the very devil" he said aloul,
watching the busy fingers still playing with
his chain.
He gathered it awkwardly in his arms,
and rose to look for the clothing spoken of
in the letter. Yes, there il was, a parcel of
goodly size, wrapped in a stout brown paper
cover, and ON the chair beside his cot Law the
outdoor garments of a young child-a
white coat bordered with fur, q fur-trimmed
cap, and some other things which Boobies
did not quite understand the use Of; white
wool fingerless gloves lat least he did not
know what else they could bel, and some
longer things of the same class, like stock
ings without fee5.
Bottles shook his head bewilderingly.
'Mothor means it to stop; / don't know
what to do" he said helples5ly.
1t occurred to him then that perhaps
some OF the fellows might be able to make a
suggestion. He did not know what to do
with the child for the night, nor, for the
matter of that, what to do with it for the
moment. He had the sense not to take it
cut into the chill midnight air, and when he
attempted to put IT back into the cot it re.
Ielled, c~linging to his Watch-chain with
might and main.
"Well, have it then" he said, slipping it
eff.
The baby, pleased with the glittering toy,
set up a cry Of delight, and Bottles took the
opportunity of slipping out. He entered
the aute-room%ith a very rusful faco, find
ing it pretty much as he had left it. Lacy
YVES the first to catch sight Of him.
Hello, Boobies, what's the mat-tahT he
asked. SIS your head worsa9"
"My head3 Oh, I forgot all about it,n
Bootlej replied. "But, 1 say, Pm in a mess.
There's a baby in my room"
"A whatN they cried, with one voice.
"a baby" repeated Boobies, dismally.
"Al-iveN asked Lacy, with his head on
ono side.
"Alive. Oh, very, very much so, and
means to stop, for it has brought its entire
wardrobe and a letter OF introduction with
it., holding the letter for any one to take
who chose. 1t was Lacy who did so, and he
asked if he should read it up.
Eyes, do said Bottles, dropping into a
chair with a groan. Perhaps some one elss
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