St. Paul daily globe., 1889-03-17

furnishing counter OF dry goods store
and bought the baby suit of clothes,
from dainty little knit shirt up to a
silk hood and prettily embroidered
white cashmere cloak. An expensive
basket to place him in and a pair of
small soft blankets to wrap him were
next purchased: and finally, to give a
touch of sentiment to him, his mothers
wedding ring was obtained at Third
street jewelry store and engraved with
her name and date of marriage, to be
hung on ribbon about his neck. When
his outfit was complete | set myself to
the task of composing note to accom-
pany him that should bring tears from
the heart of stone, and produced the
following:
81 have not been on earth very long, but
I've been thinking of you ever since came.
Ny mamma died as soon as got here, and
I've travelled from Minneapolis to you. l
thought maybe you would take me and care
for me, cause you amt nobody else to care
for. m going TO try to be good boy, SO as
You'll love me, but if you keep me just few
weeks and find out you can't never love me,
| cango TO the 'svlum with the other orphans.
Ny papa wanted to live to see me, but God
wouldn't let him. haven't anybody left but
you-unless it is God. and He's pretty far off
fecuy healthy, but folks have been too busy
to tend to me. Please pity me and love me-.
have no faith in my ability to be pa
thetic, and tried the note on Prudy to
see how it worked. She cried, but |
misrusted that. Knowing my ambition
she Wept as people often smiled-to be
polite.
didn't like the idea Of making such
q cheap theatrical display of the baby,
and when word came from Mrs.
Stencil Tuesday afternoon that--in her
own elegant language-She would
make it hot' for the woman who dared
to do anything further with that baby,
| liked it less than ever. Prophetic
visions of meeting Mrs. Stencil in open
combat at the nursery at midnight and
of having her stand upon my PROSTATE
form. with the baby held aloft, crying
"Victory" as the curtain went down on
the last act. were not pleasant to con-
template. Henry" said decidedly,
You will go by my side tonight and
carry gum" Henry did so. and when
we Knocked at the nursery door at Ii
O'clock there was such
A GRAND SCUFFLE WITHIN,
I concluded the enemy was then before
us. taking position. had to give my
name before gaining admittance. Then
l learned the matron had received
warning from Mrs. Stencil that she
hflSh NHdt WIS up ~, dttu NOuiu UG
there to carry out the threat she had
sent me. With the knock at the door,
the matron had snatched the baby from
the cradle and locked herself with it in
the kitchen. anticipating an invasion of
the foe. Never was a baby dressed in
shorter order, and he appeared to en-
JOY the excitement. He pulled at his
new shirt bit as if he liked the rags
he had been stripped of better, but when
his smart hood and cloak were tied
under his chin the consciousness of be-
ing we'll dressed apparently delighted
even his young soul, and he never cried
once as he was being tucked in the
basket. The note was pinned to his
cloak and the ring hung on ribbon
around his neck. What pretty picture
he made nesting there, as resigned to
his hard lines and uncertain fate as if
it were acommOn occurrence in baby's
experience to be put up like prize
peaches to tempt a whimsical Woman'S
taste.
As we drove up to the door where
baby was to be deposited. up went the
curtain OF the front parlor window a
few inches, and woman's form was
seen STOPPING to look out. DO you
suppose her husbands nervousness has
betrayed him." said. They may live
in one of the other fats" suggested
Henry encouragingly. | got out, took a
match from the driver and went up on
the porch to find the bell. Then went
back TO the carriage, received my pre-
ciouS basketful from Henry, and car
ried il up and deposited it on the door
step. | rang the bell long and loud. [
tad just reached the side of the car
riage when woman was out of the
door. Hold there, come back, stop,
driver. stop!" she shouted.
WAVING HER ARM FRANTICALLY.
$50 it, go it, man, so it, go it, we
cried from inside the carriage. The
man IaShed his horses and we tore down
street on mad gallop with all the eclat
OF a stage fugitive pursued by stage
justice.
''Thank heaven it is done. - | breathed,
as we alighted at our own door.
IF being quickly done is well done,
YOU have nothing to regret" rejoined
Henry.
But when L got down town at noon
the next day found note under my
door saying:
Have called fifteen times Please let me
see you as soon as you get down town.
THE W-oULD-BE FOSTER FATHER.
| went Immediately to the man IS
Office, and found him looking as if he
were just recovering from an attack of
typhoid fever.
"Well?' said I, interrogatively.
''0h, it won't do at all, at a ll,'' he
groaned. had at least this much pleas
ure and satisfaction out of it. | posed
as back view of fate, and said:
81 told you so.''
Il know you did," he replied with a
degree of meekneSs that was touching.
But | thonght differently. Why, she
would even look at it, She brought it
fit of weeping, and her mother, who
was there, went into Mysteries, and her
sister did the same. felt like whole
sale murderer. The baby looked as
sweet and pretty, and never cried a bit.
| tried to persuade her to look at him:
but she took Oh and said it was cruel to
thrust baby on her to mock her Sor-
row. That awful woman,' said she; L
called to her to stop and she went right
on. Oh, if | had had pistol | would
have shot her. She wouldn't so much
as keep the baby IN the house all night,
and made me take it to the ianitOr's
wife, who is a good soul, to have her
care for it. At first she wanted me to
notify the police, call out the fire de-
partment, drive right Off with it to the
orphan asylum, and heaven knows
what. had no idea she would act so.
What's to be done?'
Did she suspect yOu?'
''Not a bit. played my part better
than | had dared hope L could. What's
to be done?'
1t is too bad; woman so seldom has
the mind to improve an opportunity to
be cruel. l should have drawn myself
up severely, and told him that when
the child passed under his roof my con-
nection with it ceased. But instead,
within five minutes | was in hack,
driving first to Mrs. Fields and then to
Mrs. Young's, to secure permit to take