The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-03-13
MY LUCKY FIND.
was almost i'll despair.

on myself for my good nature! Police
Investigations and reports, annoyance,
chagrin, perhaps, Mt tho outcome. Yes,
1T was enough to make man swcur
And the cause of it all was Baby
Mouse, hapless Baby Mouse! But be-
toro you, dear reader, will understand
why Baby Mouse should be to blame you
will want to know who he is It's IL
strange story, and yet sweet and tender
withal. And it ends well-that's its
best part
Three months ago was coming homo
with the evening shades. 1t was bitter
cold, and l rejoiced III anticipation of
my cozy, warm home and the simple,
dainty meal which my old housekccpcr,
Johanna, knew how to prepare so we'll
L was lost i'll just such comfortable
bachelor reverie, when descended from
tho L road to wend my way toward my
little Washington Heights homo. 1
walked rapidly and soon reached there.
Opening tho iron gate that led into the
tiny garden patch in front of the house,
L saw small package lying OH the fro
zen snow.
IA present from somebody" I said
half aloud, stopped and picked up my
find My hands, bit numb with cold,
despite my fleece lined gloves, had
scarcely graspcd the bundle when it be-
gam to kick and squirm. Nor was that
all. 1t raised such lusty howls that my
nelghbors' windows flew up, and they
stuck out their heads to sec what it
meant.
1t would have done me good to see my
face just then in convenient mirror.
All the nursery tales of cry babies and
bcwitchcd cnstaways came to my mind
with rush. felt like dcpositiuor the
lively packet i'll the place where had
found it, but that would have been
cruel
Aye, it would have been worse than
murder to leave such little mite out
Ill the open with the thermometer at 10
above zero. j had no desire to make the
acquaintance of the state attorney
But, better than all, great pity swellcd
my heart for the unfortunate creature
whom loneliness had cast away, and as
fast as 1 could run with my burden /
ran into the house. Johanna met me i'm
the door
See what I have brought YOU" l
said, with IL laugh.
Tho good woman gazed with horror
on the squirming, shaking babe and held
out her hands
Doctor, what does it mcan?" she
gasped.
1T means, Johanna, that for the next
few days You arc going to bathc and
feed and fondlc this little waif, Just as
you did me once upon time
And then told her the story of how
had found Baby Mouse
In the lamplight examined the little
founding, and Johanna, too, looked
him over with critical eyes. lie was IL
jolly little youngstcr, months old pcr-
haps, with chubby face, eyes as blue as
summer sky and lips that soon took
on cherry hue, us their blue, pinched
look died away i'll the genial warmth of
the room and Johanna's embraces that
altcrnatcd with mine
Johanna brought out fresh linen, ar
ranged bed and bathcd and washed
the founding. Tuclling him comforta-
bly, away i'll an improviscd crib, she
gave him q bottle filled with milk, and.
when he had appcased his hunger, he
fell into peaceful slumbcr | kissed
the baby's brow and said TO Johanna:
Il am going to report that case to
the police i'll the morning, and III ask
them to let me keep the little one until
his relations are heard from
Johanna gave me ;n amazed look.
My life is so lonely continued,
''hc may bring some color into itr' l
may have sighed as l walked away.
You haven't forgotten, doctor" an
swered the good woman, mo matter
how hard you've triedr'
Next day l went to the chief of po-
lice. He recorded the case and had no
objection to my keeping the baby This
Is the way came into possession of
lovely and beautiful child. Johanna and
decided to call him Robert. but his
pet name = Baby Mouse was older
than that, and it chung to him.
And NOW you know who Mouse is.
Nobody ever came to claim him, and
my heart opened to the tender waif as
1t had never opened before
Mouse, of course, was treated like
king. Now and then johanna would
say, ~ You are spelling the child, doc
tori But she was as weak as ! with
regard to Mouse
lie grew and prospcrod like Il flower
Ill the sunshine of orr love and was the
lusilcst youngstcr on the blCck
But there must be rainy days as well.
One day Mouse was taken i'll, and be-
fore night we knew that he had been
attacked with diphtheria, With flaming
checks and trembling hands he lay in
his crib, ana [ bent over him with
breaking heart. Long nights of anxious
watching followed. AT last care and
tender nursing drove death from the