The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-11-17

frightened the animal, for he slid down
the bank and hastily disappeared.
The next moment was bending over
the wailing baby.
1t was dressed in light calico and Law
on quilt spread at the foot of tree.
When bent over it the little thing
ceased its crying and raised it's tiny
dimpled arms, as if imploring me to
take it.
1t was a healthy, well-formed girl
baby, about ten months old, with a
skin like the inner lining of a pretty
sea shell, and great dark eyes that
looked right into ones heart
looked in every direction, but see
ing no trace of any person to whom the
little one might belong, felt satisfied
that she must have been deserted and
left to cruel fate.
Taking her up in my arms, quilt and
all, entered the skiff and rowed back
to the raft,
''Pore leetle one!" Helmick exclaimed.
compassionately, as he received her
| from my arms.
l am not sure whether it was the
strange surroundings or hunger, or a
combination of both, but no sooner
had the baby reached the raft than she
resumed her crying.
HelmicS and were at our wits ends
to know just what to do in order to Sc
cure tranquility. Neither of us was
up in the art of baby minding, that
part of our education having been sadly
neglected.
1t was evident we had a white ele-
plant on our hands out there on the
Sabine, but don't think either of us
wished the little creature back on the
| wild, beast-infected shore.
But peace we were bound to have at
all hazards After feeding it on con-
densed milk. which we happened to
have in our provision box, and walk
ing the deck" with it for a good hour,
the enemy capitulated by nesting her
pretty rosy cheek against my breast
The dark eyes looked trustingly into
| mine, then the long silken lashes
closed, and ''our baby" was asleep.
l felt like mighty conqueror as
placed her gently on the couch which
Helmick had made for her in the tent.
did not, however, go into immediate
lamentation for more such worlds to
conquer.
| l sat en- box and famed myself
with my hat, while Pike Helmick
grinned upon me. l was not much in
the humor just then to be laughed at,
but l was too warm from my protract-
ed e&ertions to re quest him to desist
AS | became cooler | began consider
ing the future of the baby we had so
strangely found.
'Helmicll," l said, breaking a long
silence, 'l'm going to adopt that baby"
l saw at once from the old Woodlands
countenance that the announcement
did not please him.
That's the very thing was thinl1in'
O. dom myself" he said. THAT kid
would brighten up my lonesome life a
good bit"
80 she would mine," made answer
| II thought from the tussel you had
gittin' the kid to sleep, you'd had
enough of it," he tainted me.
"Yes, but I've conquered her now,
and the battle is won. The baby is
mine, by right of conquest"
but l seed the kid first, lyin' thar
| desarted on the bank. She's mine by
| right o discovery, l low"
| what will you do with child in a
rough camp like yours?" l argued.
The alligators will eat it up, or it will
die of malaria"
"What will you do with kid rovin
about all over the frontier as you do.
| huntin' an scoutin'?" he returned.
It'll git kidnapped or scalped by the
| Injuns."
| II can care for her."
| "Waal, SO kin /, too. Nv life's no
rougher than yours, and | know as
much about kids as you do. hain't
as much book larnin' an what city
folks calls polish as you have, know.
but / know what's right, an low
kin bring it up henest an good, an
that's better than KNOWN books" he
uttered, emphatically.
No doubt our old bachelor dispute
over the possession of the baby would
have furnished much amusement had
any other person been present to have
heard us.
We were very much in earnest in try
ing to establish our ownership We
were like the boys in the old juvenile
school reader, who fell to quarreing
over a nut found in the woods. Hell
mick based his claim on having been
the first to sight the baby ON shore, l,