The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-15

| everybody"
1.-THE powder will keep him quiet for
| twenty hours at least"
''Rather a stout baby, but ali the more
comely for that"
''Let me kiss the darling; he looks sweet
enough to eatp'
''With his veil down, yes"
This nature of wit flew about in subdued
whispers, interspersed with much suppressed
| laughter, till it was time for the Roseleaf
party to start for the station. The express
sion Of Perk. a very dragon of the virtue OF
the British spinster order, when made to
bear forth Trotty on her arms, en- bebe, was
never forgotten by those who remained at
the 'sLombardia"
''There is another blessed infant to make
the night hideous for somebody" sollio-
| quized good-loohng young Englishman,
| peering forth from the window Of a carriage
at the Florence Station.
''The train seems very full; I'm afraid we
can't have coupe to ourselves" !" said Mrs.
Roseleaf, regretfully. There is one COM
partment with only young man in it; shall
we go in thereg'
| Yes said Doris, promptly. "a man will
not notice any thing odd in the conduct OF
my baby, and will not wish to kiss it, as
some silly women might
| "By Jupiter! they are coming in here-I
am an unlucky dog. and no mistaken ex-
| claimed Mr.. Harold Lyman, the young man
| already mentioned.
His dismay was pardonable. He was es-
corting from Florence to Verona his sister S
baby, the very juvenile COntessa Monte
| fore as well as her stolid AbruZZl nurse :;
| the woman to return at once to her noun
tains so soon as she should have laid her
| young charge in the arms of her successor
| at Verona. The baby's mother was i'll OF
| measles at Florence, and to escape infection,
| the little conteSsa was hastily dispatched to
its grandfather's under the guidance of its
rather scatter-brained young uncle. The
| baby was a brazen-lunged fiend of six
months; sleeping like an angel on laced
pillow at that moment, but anon she would
awake and rend the air with her yells. To
escape this, Mr.. Lyman had feed a perfidi-
Gus guard for the adjourning coupe left
vacant for him, and now behold his privacy
invaded by another squalling torment. He
fumed and fretted inwardly for time, and
then found some solace in watching the
movements of Doris, in the light of the half
vailed lamp. She took the baby from the
grim Abigail, hugged him to her breast,
kissed him through his white gauze vail,
and hushed him to sleep on her soft arm
the sweetest rest in the world.
Impossible that that girl is the baby's
mother" mused Mr.. Lyman to himself;
''and yet. why not? She is very young, but
that kind of exquisitely pretty girl generally
marries young Lucky devil, her husband !!
1t must be her baby-girls don't coddle and
pet other peoples offspringin that way. The
old dame has grandmother plainly written
on her counterance and in her fussy manner,
and heard the young lady call the elder one
mamma. The vinegar-visaged party is their
maid, OF cOurSe.'
Thus Mr.. Lyman muSed on in way that
caused him an annoyance he could not un-
derstand. Why should he care whetherhis
pretty travelling companion was married a
dozen times or not at all! He would never
see heragain after that brief journey. What
an extraordinary quiet baby it was! for two
| hours now it had not stirred or lifted up its
voice, though it had been laid by itself on the
| seat not far from Mr.. Lyman. Was it a baby
at all! perhaps only dollOr bundle. But
n is0g sigh from the sOmnolent Trotty, and
q slight fidgeting of his corpulent body, re-
moved the young Englishman's dawning
doubts, and caused Miss Roseleaf to redouble
her attentions to her disguised pet
Presently violent jerk of the train threw
everybody into everybody else's arms. Mr..
| Lyman found himself closely clasping both
of Miss Roseleaf's hands, and assuring her
! there was not the least danger, though he
knew no more than she did what was the
trouble. A guard, running the length of the
train, crying out some tri1ling cause for the
| sudden stop. soon restored serenity.
How soft and tiny her hands are.''
thought Lyman; land what fool l am to
care whether another fellows wife's hands
are pretty or notr'
| All through this commotion the remark
| able infant uttered not sound nor moved
as much as a finger. Lyman resolved to
hazard remark that would convince him
whether or not his fair companion was the
mother Of this stolid cherub.
'.The-it-your baby is unusually good
does it neyer.cry:' he managed to enunci-
ate.
| His charming neighbours face broke into
smiles. Lyman's face fell-yes, only a
mother could look so radiant at praise of her
darling.
''Yes, he is very good" the young lady
said, with blush.
Mrs. Lyman somehow did not seem to feel
a desire to pursue the conversation which
the mishap to the train mad started, and he
soon sank quietly back into his corner.
Mamma said Doris, in an undertone,
II think l will tell this young man about
Trotty; he seems very nice, and would en-
joy the joke
81 beg OF you do nothing of the sort
What kind of low adventuresses would he
take US for.''
Certainly very new order of adventures
Mrs. Roseleaf would be, and poor Perk
was certainly free from the imputation in
appearance
perhaps he is connected with the rail.
way and custom-hOuse in some way, and
might have US all arrested" continued the
elder lady.
Doris decided it was perhaps best to keeT
her own counsel. and she settled back for a
reverie in her corner, with her hand laid
caressingly on Trotty's fat back.
What a good-looking, intelligent, humor
Gus fellow he seemed-her UiS-Icisi How
she would like 10 know him, and lead him
back an adOring slave to flaunt before the
envious girls at the "Lombardiar One
met such men only in books and on f1eeting
journeys, where one lost them again for
ever at the first big station. This phase o1
life was really very hard.
Early dawn at Verona; here the silly boy
and girl who had travelled ten hours to
gether took leave of each other forever
they supposed, and both looked grieved ou
of all proportion to the occasion. Mr.
Lyman saw his little niece and her nurse in
stalled by the door of the waiting-room. ant
then went out on the platform to fume anC
fret because the Montefiore carriage haS
| NOT cOu1a