The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-12-27
LOS t: A B a B Y
The Story of an Infant Truant and
the Trouble 1t Caused.

Montreal Star.
One morning Mrs. Sackett put Julia care
fully into her carriage. She tucked her up
with rugs, afghans, and shawls. Meg often
wondered how the baby could breathe; but
Julia was fat and hearty, and Meg knew that
she grew heavier. Sc it must have agreed with
her.
"Keep where it's pleasant and sunny, and
take good care of her" said Mrs. Sackett.
She said this every day. Meg took as much
care of Julia as any well-meaning but careless
girl of IA does baby. At the crossing she
thumped the carriage down into one gutter
and banged it up out of the other. The baby
was used to this and only opened her eyes
wide and gasped on arriving at the opposite
side.
Meg was just turning the corner when she
heard her mothers voice.
"Meg" !"
"Yesm ~
"Stop at Hurds and send home three
pounds of brown sugar and q half pound of
tea ~
''Yesmr'
Meg thrust her elbows through the handle
of the baby carriage, and crocheted as she
walked. Crocheting tides was Meg's favorite
pastime. She always had tidy under way.
Hurd's was corner grocery store, with
door opening on each of the two streets. Meg
wheeled the carriage close to the showwin-
dow and fastened the wheel with a store so
that it couldn't roll off.
Julia sat still, gazed with attention at the
resplendent advertisements Of Jenk's soap
and Tompkin's ginger, although she must
have known the placards by heart. Babies
have to endure so much which they do not
understand that it is not surprising that they
become philosophers
Hurds was crowded, as it always was In the
morning, but Meg did not object to waiting.
She chatted with Katie Allan and Lou French,
and even drew out her tidy and did two
rows before the sal esman had time to attend
to her.
Then she ordered sugar and tea with as
grand an air as that worn by Mrs. Ponsonby,
who ''resided" in four-story brown-stone
house on a stylish avenue, while Meg lived in
''third fiat.'
sWait for me ~ said Katie Allen. 'sI'ye got
to go to the butchers"
'All right" answered Meg.
She waited, and when Katie started size
walked with her, talking briskly, down the
street almost a block before she suddenly
cried, ''Oh, forgot the baby?"
"What baby ?" asked Katie.
"Why, had our baby with me, and I've
gone and left the carriage outside the store"
'There wasn't any baby at the door when
we came OUT" replied Kate.
'sSure enough" said Meg, "there wasn't"
She gazed in bewilderment at Kates round
eyes, and cried:
''Oh, know. 1 came in at the other door
Sl,a,e
The girls ran laughingly back and turned
the corner There was no baby nor carriage
there.
They stared at each other, and Katie would
have laughed but Meg looked so solemn.
''Perhaps you didn't bring her.''
eyes, did left her just here. know
1 did p
"Could the carriage have rolled down the
street ?"
Meg looked up and down the street in vain
No carriage was in sight.
'Perhaps policeman thought she was lost
and took her to the station-house,n suggested
Kate.
Meg began to cry. Kate's words seemed
cruel.
'Run home quick and tell your mother
about it ~
meg LOOK hdIle's auNlce' cue ran IaSu, lOr
she was frightened. Mrs. SacKett heard her
story, and gave her severe scolding for care
lessness.
''Some boy took it to scare you. 1t must be
about the neighborhood. Go and look '' she
ordered. She was a hard-working woman,
and treated things in matter of fact way.
But when Meg came back to report that no
one had seen baby or carriage anywhere, Mrs.
Sackett became alarmed. She forgot to scold
this time She put on her bonnet and
searched the street thoroughly. She inquired
at all the stores, and even went to the police
station.
Coming back from her fruitless expedition
she dropped wearily into chair by the door.
Meg could not bear to see her mothers white
face. She picked up her hat and crept down
stairs.
An organ man was playinga lively tune and
Lou French's little sisters were dancing to the
music. They came up to ask Meg "if the
baby was found" and Meg, without looking
at them, choked and rushed down the street.
She walked along in breathless state for