The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-12

baDy creature, who cOOed and CroWed and
stretched his limbs luxuriously in the
warmth, as if he were in the downest of
cradles and in the eosiest of nurseries,
instead of being only a little waif and
stray on a rag-carpet and a kitchen
floor
Its a Christmas Y present, mummy"
said Katie, proudly
rs it one of the Jarrolds' children"
Mrs Derrick inquired with a note of
astonishment in her voice.
"Oh, no." said Harry, eagerly: why,
mother, it is a beautiful baby, and none
of the Jarrolds' children are beautiful,
you know; and it's all white and soft and
pretty. See how it~emiles. We found it
on the seat in the porch"
1.-THE Christ child put it there for us,
said Katie, catching, up her brothers
words and nodding emphatically.
ION the seat in the porch? Left there
by some tramp, 1 suppose" said Mrs. Der
rick, almost breathless with horror.
"I don't think it could be a tramp's
child" said Harry sagely. at is much
too nicely dressed for that. l suppose,
mother" with a dawning sense of saying
something that was unlikely, yet not so
unlikely as to be absurd. 81 suppose
you don't think it is-the Child HIM
self"
Mrs. Derrick could not forbear a little
laugh, but it was a laugh which had some
RIGHTEOUSNESS an 1t,
Dear Harry" she said, "of course, you
know that is impossase.'
Il am sure you told us story some
thing like it," said Harry, in an injured
tome. .about some people who took in
little child from the streets and he turned
out to be the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And there was another story about man
carrying a child over river and he found
on the other side that he had been carry
ing the Lord If these stories were true
-indignantly-'I don't at all see why the
Christ-Child should not come to us"
Let me look at the baby said Mrs.
Derrick; avoiding argument. Poor little
thing. 1 wonder whom it belongs to. Get
me a saucepan, Harry. l will warm some
milk for it. That can do no harm, at any
rate" she said in a lower tone, as if in
communion with herself.
The child nestled at once into her moth
erly arms. and Mrs. Derrick looked at it
attentively at is not poor child" she
said after a moments examination of its
clothes and appearance. 1T has been
beautifully kept, and the robes lovely. l
daresay it will be claimed before very
long"
claimed But it is our baby!," said
Harry, turning round to look at his moth
err. ''You don't mean that anybody can
take it away from us, do you, mother?"
you only found it, you See Harry"
said his mother soothingly 1T does not
belong to u.s.
But it was left at our door," said Har-
ry "and so 1T was meant to come TO us.
Why it's our Christmas present"
"a very expensive Christmas present"
said his mother with a rather dreary
laugh "Why, it's as much as I can do
to feed and clothe the two of you. You
don't suppose I want another, do you?
However, it's all right" she added, seeing
Rarry's face of woe. Perhaps we shall
find out where it came from by and by"
"And if it has come from the Christ
Child or even from Santa Claus, you'll let
us keep ii, won't you, mother?" said Har-
ry, insinuatingly. Mrs Derrick thought
it wisest to make no reply.
When baby had been fed she took it up
stairs and laid it to sleep in her own bed,
while she and the children dressed them
selves for the day. 1t was almost broad
daylight when they settled down to their
morning meal. Mrs. Derrick had sighed
over the fact that she had nothing to give
them but porridge and a. little weak tea
and bread but she need not have concern
ed herself. The children were quite too
happy in talking over the advent of the
baby to take any notice of what they ate
Further examination of the child's
clothes puzzled Mrs Derrick extremely.
All the little garments were exquisitely
fine and trimmed with beautiful lace and
embroidery, but the pretty clothes had
been covered by a very common shawl
round which a sort of rug had been fold
ed, and the whole secured by a ragged
crimson table cover, which had been tied
by the corners into knots so as to make
it appear like a bundle of clothes.
Mrs. Derrick's motherly heart rose up
i'm indignation as she thought of the perils
of cold and hunger to which the little
creature had been exposed. at is just
chance that the children found il in
time" she said, but what 1 am to do
with it, ! am sure, I don't know. I can't
keep it, that's very certain"
She had forgotten to caution Harry and
Katie not to say anything about their
new-found treasure, for it did not occuI
to her that they would Immediately In,
form all the Jarrold children with an air
of proud proprietorsf1ip that a new baby
had come to them in the night
mot a brand new baby, you know"
Harry explained, because mother says It
must be six months old. I suppose it is
what you'd call a secondhand baby; but
as good as new" The result Of which
communication was that Mrs Jarrold
came hastily to the house to gain all pos
sible information, and was loud in her
praises of the beautiful child and of the
clothes in which it was dressed. Mrs. Der
rick had never liked her before but the
womans friendliness and good nature dis
armed her prejudlces.
IT'S a good thing 1t came to you and
not either to me or Miss Binks," said Mrs.
Jarrold. when l had my seventh, Jar,
rod he was so put out as never was, and
said he would not have another baby in
the house if II were ever so; and as for
Miss BinlIs, you know what sour old
thing she Is. She'd have let the baby
freeze in the snow as like as not, or sent
1t to the workhouse. But l suppose it
will come to that in the long run, any
how" she said, contemplating the child
refectively.
Don't you think somebody will claim
it?'' said Mrs. Derrick anxiously.
Claim il? Lord love you, no. Who
ever's put 1t at your door wants to get rid