St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-23
BABY's PERIL.
Held in the Arms of n Maniac ON
the Asylum Roof.


Raleigh News and Observer.
To be sure, the man looked kindly
enough, and he took the baby from
its mothers arms like any kindly man
would do, and the mother was proud
to see her baby made much of like
any mother would be.
She was a farmers wife from Samp>
son, and, being stout of arm, had carr
ried the child all day, except when the
husband would sometimes take a turn,
and the two had walked from the time
the train got to Raleigh, for they were
used to walking over the fields; but
somehow city streets have a way of
making those from the country tired
and so the farmer wife was tired when
with the little one-year-old and the
farmer husband she had gone afoot
as far as the asylum for the insane
over 700 of the eXcErsionists had called
on the good DR.. Kirby that day, and
so there was nothing odd now about
these two farmer folks among the
others there.
TO be sure the man is kindly
enough" she said to herself, and so
she let him take the baby in his arms.
And then she was glad she was away
from the city and its buildings and
its museum whales, and shops that
fret the eye that is used to travelling
over fields of waving corn, and she
looked out from the plazza-way, and
she and the husband and the farmer
friends looked upon the deep green
swell of the home-like hills and saw
that they were good
And the baby was gone!
What did you do with him?" asked
1oe' the farmer husband, in a mans
way, that came like a bolt.
S sh TOO, the kindly man was gone.
ohe listened, and they all listened
ana looked. but her ear caught the
first sound of the child. 1t was laugh
ing somewhere from above.
r, 1t was s ever so happy; for. the man
higher, and it's little heart leaped for
JOY, and the eye of the kindly man
gleamed with the cunning conscious
ness OF a new experience, and per-
maps a broken shaft of what was once
a home light came through the dis
tant years to a brain whelmed be-
neath troubled waters
There he stood on the edge Of the
ro9I, three stores up, tossing the baby.
He was a, maniac
And the baby was in frolic, and it
was a strange sport for the mailman.
What will he do?" The woman
fell under the horror of it in dead
Swoon
Then the men counseled, while the
baby went up and down, and the coun-
sci was not taken with waste of word
Every word counted; for the baby was
IN frolic, AS he kept tossing it away
up IN the air. Some suggested a
feather bed in case the little one
should be thrown down. DR.. McGeachy
suggested ladders to creep upon the
maniac, but where is the sane man
tnat can creep upon a maniac ever
with ladders, the mailman who sees
every movement quick as an ape?
me ire alarm was suggested: the
words fell together helplessly and with
dispair
Meanwhile Mr.. Crawford was not
idle: he had gone into the office, and
he ran out with a great slice of water
melon,and the baby was kept still in
arms on the roof while the man looked
down at Mr.. Crawford.
Come down, Colonel said Mr..
crawford, land let's have some
melon" He said it SO quietly that the
man looked down again, and they all
wondered for an instant what he wou d
do. He hesitated-that was the SUI
preme moment. Come, Colonel" said
Mr. Crawford, coaxingly.
The maniac turned deliberately,
walked to the manhole on the roof.
came, down with the baby, and his
face had lost the wild CLEAN it wore
on the roof. He looked at the farmer
mother in the same kindly way as he
handed back the baby.