, 1890-05-22
THE BABY AT THE WINDOW.
Written for the REVIEW by Henry
Adams.

Adams.
I had lost my watch In the firc,
and every morning when 1 awoke
[ looked out to catch the time OF
day, as indicated In the shadows
cast by the telephone poles. n
queer little figure Mt window OPP
roslte mine confronted me one day.
IL waved n chubby hand and / an
swcrcd the salute In n careless man
ner. fsncied was too busy to
bother with babies.
The next morning, whenI looked
out to consult the telephone poles
az to the correct time, / came face
to face with the baby ut the window.
He waved his little fat fist again,
and involuntarlly l answered the
signal. detected q peculiar smile
on the childish face, and when |
arose the next morning he was first
In my thought, after prayer. The
little one was still at the window,
and this time a smile OF
recognition greeted me that could
not be misunderstood. From that
moment we were fast friends, al
though no word had been spoken
between us.
Every morning went to the win
dow as soon as 1 was attired, and
every morning my little friend was
at his window, waiting to greet mo
with that cunning little wave OF
the hand.
did not know his name, so
mentally called him Sunshine. His
cheerful face aud his cordial greet
ing, as the god of day appeared, were
really u ray OF sunshine to me, Tor
was stranger in the town and
very lonely.
a strong attachment sprnng up
between my Sunshine aud me, al
though we had never met other
wise than ut great distance
across the street. | could
not have resisted the impulse to see
him In the morning II | had tried,
aud entertained no desire TO make
the effort. I felt that had known
and loved him, could not have told
how many years, but u long, long
| time.
Why?
did not know why, aud ! never
paused In my reflections OF devotion
/ to him to ask the question or seek
reply. | only knew that loved the
baby ut the window, and was happy
In the conviction that at least ono
human being, although compare
/ lively u stranger to the world, was
willing to defy fycriticism byibreaking
over the rules Of propriety to the eS.
tent of leading me To believe that my
ungoveruablc sentiment of friend
shin toward him were not wholly
unobjectionable. There was un &C.
sn,sy In all this that will not at
tempt to describe. 1 could not, II l
should try.
But one other morning looked
out to catch the time Of day from
the shadows OF the tcle
phone poles. There was no
shadow, and when | glanced
up at the window Of my littlo
nelghbor, across the street, | found
there was no Sunshine. ! thought
had arisen too early. But there
was tho sound of the chisels and tho
axes In the granite yards just be-
yond. The cable and electric cars
were whirrlng hither and thither,
with their changing aud their
jnngling of bells and gongs. The
street below was filed with people,
a surging, billowy throng. knew
1t was time for Sunlight to appear,
but he had not come.
With a heavy heart robed my
self In my accustomed attire as a
working girl and proceeded to the
place where | was employed, at "A
salary barely sufficient to Keep soul
and body together.
found another ut my desk and q
note stating the reason. The hour
was later than had supposed. L
had fingered too long NJ the win
dow, waiting for the Sunshine and
shadow that never came. | was
therefore discharged.
But the shadow came later Re
turning to my lonely apartment
with heavy heart, saw group
of people In the street and heard one
utter something that, to my ears.
sounded like the shricn of n creature,
In great agony-perhaps the soul OF
one doomed to eternal punishment,
40 dreadful seemed the voice To me.
"The baby Is dyiDgn'
"Whose baby Is dying?" ven-
tured TO inquire, but dieadlng the
reply.
Men do not answer questions as
women do, so the one mentioned
simply waved IA hand toward tho
window of Sunshine.
don't know what happened then
only remember that when l
stopped 10 iInplant kiss upon the
brow of the only friend l had on
earth two chubby arms were
thrown about my neck and IA voice
almost angelic In It's sweetness
whispered;
81 love your
Swcctcr music never fell from
human lips. had never heard
such an expression before, 80 far as
] could remember, for ] llnd been
left an orphan on the third day OF
my existence.
| do not remember Just what hap
pcned then, or for u long time after
ward. have an indistinct. rccol-
lection of attending n iuneml from
the house across the street, OF plac-
ing u bunch pf roses and lilacs on n
little snow-white casket, ornament
cd with asilver plate, on which
were engraved the words:
was past IA, more than twice his
age, and of course lac seemed n baby
TO Inc. | really think lac was u
baby at that time.
But II great many thrilling events
r. D.