Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-02-22
BABY BALLOON.


name2" said Col Jack Welsted, re-
peating the question that had been put
to him by one of our party. well,
you may be sure that she wasn't
christened so. During the first three
years OF her career ! wasn't very well
acquainted with her-in fact never
laid eyes on her. But until the end
of that period she was known as Bir-
die; so I'm informed Birdie Tredloe
was her real name. I'll tell you how
she came to be called Baby Bal
LOOM
The young person to whom he re-
ferred was a lovely girl of Is, with
dark hair, serious eyes, fresh healthy
color in her checks, and 1.-the figure,
So graceful and bouyant that you
might easily have expected her to
float away if particularly strong
breeze should happen to blow across
the seward looking veranda of the
hotel at Refers Point, where we sat
talking. The idea that she might be
waited off by breeze would be es-
pecially apt to occur to you when you
saw her dancing in the great parlor
as she frequently did Of evenings
And rather thought that handsome
Joe Terrill Zone of our younger
friends), who danced with her q great
deal, would not have objected to her
floating away if he could have been
allowed to float with her. To be
plain, Joe was in love with Miss Tired
Toe, or, as the colonel called her,
Baby Balloon" Joe Terrill had
plenty of money, but he was not salts
fled with that; he wanted Miss Tired
loe as well. When he did me the
honor to confide this to me one day, /
said to him, why in the world, then,
don't you ask her to marry you2"
We'll, he replied, II don't feel at
all sure that she cares enough for me
to take me just for myself. don't i'm
agine she would want me just for my
money either. The long and the short
of it is, | don't amount to enough.
My money came to me by inheritance,
so that's nothing to my credit And
haven't done anything of Importance
in the world except just to be born and
to inherit this wealth. Now if / had
only done some great action or made
name for myself, l might possibly
expect to win her My notion is she
wants hero. Oh, by Jove that's a
good idea. If could rescue her from
a mad dog or an angry BULL or save
her from drowning, then she'd be
sure to have me.
Infatuated bulls and mad dogs do
turn up every day; and when they do
make their appearance it is likely
enough to be just at moment when
we are notprepared to cope with them.
So, not being able to impress these
animals into his service, Terrill per-
sistently took Miss Tredloe out sailing,
as if with view to some opportune
marine disaster. 1t was positively
amusing to notice how he dogged her
footsteps with a design on her life
not the design of destroying it, but of
preserving it, so that she might share
it with him.
But to return to Col. Welsted. His
declaration that he had not known the
young lady for the first three years of
her existence seemed rather strange,
considering that she looked upon him
as father, and that we all considered
him in that light, Notwithstanding the
difference in their names He ex-
planned this, however, in the course
of the story which he proceeded to
idlt. lHdJ oCOIy 10 IIC OllC all
going to tell here
Col. Jack Welsted was tall, sinewy
man with gaunt cheeks, and had q
long red mustache that dropped and
slanted over the corners of his mouth
like pennant hanging idly from the
staff on MINDLESS day. He was also cele-
brated as a crack rifle shot He could
bring down almost anything on the
4 l IL
al all ranges. But his certainty Of aim
with the rifle did not seem to help him
when he came TO love matters. He
failed to come anywhere near touching
the heart of the lady whom he loved
Evelyn Carter rejected him, and mar
rled another man, who was a grea
deal handsOmer than the colonel, but
! regret to say, not nearly so good.
Then Col Jack went off on his
travels, carrying his fire arms witt
him. He made innumerable hunting
trips, and shot endless numbers o.
deer, rabbits, Rocky Mountain goats
wild cats, ducks, prairie hens and ever
alligators. For long time it seemed
as if he was trying to wreak on these
unfortunate creatures the disappoint
ment of his affections. But all to NJ
purpose. lie could not forget Evelyn
and SO far as he could see he was u
much in love with her as ever. Thu
1t was that about four years after he
marriage he came wandering down Il
this popular sea shore resort o
Refers Point, where we were nov
staying and where he now told u
the story. Lots of other people CAM
there for their health or for amuse
ment. The colonel came because h
did not know what else to do; and al
though there was not much shootin,
to be had at Refers, he was con
stantly seen carrying his rifle abou
with him, in the crowds about tn
hotel, or along the lonely beaches, O
in the boat which he hired Ben Pive
to sail for him up and down ant
across the inlet. or sometimes well OH