Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-05-10
THE BlNGS' BABY.
Tho Fathers Mission, and How
He Accomplished II.

There is nothing to arouse rny
especial sentiment Of sympathy or re-
gard in the prosaic name uf BnrS
but the poor things themselves Cas-
sius Blngs. and his shrinking. fright
cncd wife 'StashN were enough to
melt a heart Ut stone. a. they stood in
the police station three days before
Easter. making inquiries and telling.
IN gasping sentences. the story of
their babv's disappearanca Their
little Billy had been intrusted to n
neighbours child, while Mrs. Bings
was ~devoting her whole mind to fry
ing the deughnuts. just to that turn Of
rich brown which met approval in her
Cassius' eyes.
Respectable people. living In n
puiet cross street, where nothing ever
happened out of the common way.
they had not thought il at all impru-
dent To leave the boy with his little
playfellow. Sarah Moseley. a girl Of
twelve years, for an hour.
Fond as they were Of their little
t~wo-yearoid tot. in 4 simple. parental
way. neither Anastasia nor her Cas-
sius hal ever thought that their baby
was airy more cOmely. in a purely
physical way. than any 81 the seven
children belonging 60 the MoseIeys
the Gibbs. or the other families to
whom Pembroke square was a com.
mon playground But passers through
that by-way had often enough noted
the fluffy gold Of the little head. and
the deep. swimming blue Of Billy's
baby eyes. with their long. dark fring-
ing iashes A child who seemed. bv
his amazing beauty. to BE- born to
cambria velvet instead Of the cheap.
but sPotless. gingham 'tyers' in
which his mother uniformly dressed
him.
81 now. when questioned, poor.
sobbing Stashy could only reiterate
Der belief that ''Bins. had not an
enemy in the world a. would nv
stole the baby and every body she
knew had been that kind that she
couldn't have the heart to sus-
peet en-" And who could
nave the heart to take him
when he hadn't go much as a
nothin keep him warm. except "a
he was runuin' about in tho sun with
Sarah Something about the deli
eaey of the simple little woman's form,
N h deep blue Of the eyes. which
she turned appealingly to the station
master, suggested to his experience.
Notwithstanding Bings' square, En-
gi'sh build. and stubbly. sandy hair.
that their child might have had A mer-
eh,ntable Kind of p~rettiness that
would aecoun for his theft. Some in
quiry confirmed this thought. aud
when a man with a red neckerchief
and a woman with a green shawl were
reported to have been seen watching
The children Mt play lin the square"
about the time Billy disappeared. a
detective was at once set on their
track
10 accurate was the clew that. with
out much difficulty. the couple were
traced to the Boston K Albany depot.
with a sleeping child. which. in replv
Ia some question, the woman hal said
was sick Here they seeme.l to have
separated. As no such group of three
could be heard Of n entering or Ieav-
ing any train. and the OH GERS report
Ell rs much TO the father.
Cassius was \ slow-moving man in
most emergencies of life. and not At
all the clay Of which we mould a
Ideal heroes But love in any honest
heart may transmute 10 something
precious the meanest metal. and So.
rs Cassius held the helpless. weeping
mother of his little Billy in his sturdy
arms. he took a most heroic resolve.
Quietly. as he did most of his tasks.
he told 'Stashy that he was going to
New York himself to find little Billy.
he didn't say 10 look for him He lust
patted her soft hair gently with his
hard working hand and said. Don't
cry any more. S,ashy. I'm going TO
New York and find the baby. and we'u
have him here to see the Easter aow-
ers We taiked about
But Cassius." said the practical
little wife. you have not the moF.ey.
and II you wait to earn it. Billy will
be lost"
Never mind the money. 'Stashy. I
know where to get it." aad with this
of-hand reply 'Stashy was content,
and watched her husband step brayeIy
away to the rescue.
But. u~nhapPily. Bings was not so
sure rs he pretended. and when he
reached the depot knew no more how
TO reach New York than did Stashv.
since his assurance Of peeuniarv re-
sources was 4 fiction to reassure his
wife. Go he must and find Billy. for
he hal promised 'Stashy. He watched
the trains 20 in and u and tried to
plan; then. at last. the great rugged
fellow covered his despairing face and
haned against the platform. with a
desperate. almost unconscious. appeal
To Heaven: God help me fad the
baby
! wonder IL it went its way, tina,
cry Something whispered to Cassius
Btngs uninventive soul a way NJ that
pomeHt, aud be followed il. H. few