Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-07-29
How a Baby Brother Came.

Little Marion Day. having reached
the age when the mind eyinces desire
for Information on embarrassing topics
which is seven-demanded to know
OF her grandmother why it was that
she had never seen a stork it, the tale
of the route over which babies trav ell
were true. She spent every day frol-
licking in the house or on the sidewalk
in front, and once or twice she had
been up until midnight, yet never a
stork had she seen aud never a baby
had been left on the window sill or in
the vestibule, all of which Marion Day
thought very unreasonable. as she
wanted a baby brother badly, and was
quite sure that she would never be en-
tirely happy until she had one.
A grandmother without a stock of
arguments on the stork and baby ques-
tion isn't much of a grandmother, any
way. Marion Days grandmother had
a good supply, and Marion's blue eyes
grew bigger and her mouth opened
wider as she heard how tickle was the
nature of the stork aud how uncertain
his visits.
''Well, anyway" said Marion, ''if
cant have a brother want a son, and
if the stork doesen't come around soon
I'm going to look for him."
One morning last week Marion got
up at o'clock, dressed herself. and
ran downstairs to get her fathers pa
per. When she opeued the door she
heard a squeak. Marion has about
every kind of pet that is admitted to
modern households, but she wasn't
averse to having another, SO she pro-
ceeded to trace the squeak. 1t came
again and again. and finally Marion
found it in a box behind the outer door.
1t came from the midst of the folds of
a red shawl, and increased in volume
as the little girl, wild with excitement,
began to unwrap it. When she was
all through she found herself looking
down on the tiniest bit of humanity
that she had ever seen. IL was all
eyes as it examined its rescuer, and
all mouth a moment later when it took
it into its head to Re afraid. Marion
wrapped the baby up in the tattered
shawl again, threw the box away, and,
forgetting all about the newspaper,
started up the stairs full of the great
est joke her childish mind had ever
conceived. Up to her room she took
the infant, and, dragging the clothes
from the unfortunate doll. which had
done service until it was as bald as the
new arrival, she put them on the mite.
Then, singing gently to the little one.
she crept quietly into her parents
room, sat down IN the rocking chair,
and, swinging to and fro. sang the
song her mother used to sing to her:
Sleep little baby, sleep;
Mother Is always near.
Mr. Day works late into the night
sometimes. When he does he likes to
sleep late into the morning. Eight
o'clock was a most unseemly hour to
be awakened by lullaby. He rolled
over. glanced at his faxen-haired
daughter, and remarked:
..Marion, I'll cut that dolls head off
if you don't take it to your own room.
From the depths of Marion's arms
there came a squawk. Mr. Day had
rolled over, but the sGuawk reused
him.
..There, Marion" he said, ''don't
cry now. l won't hurt the doll, but
do keep quiet.
A storm of shrieks and howls follow
ed this. Mr.. Day turned to see what
was the matter and encountered Ma
rion's laughing face.
..Wh-wh-what in thunder-," he
stammered, but Marion interrupted.
its baby" she said. The stork |
stopped here last night and he left me
this
..Well. I'm dinged!" exclaimed Mr.. !
Day. and he woke up his wife. who
soon got the story of the find from
Marion.
There was a consultation in the Day /
household that mornining and Marion
took part in it. She took the very
largest part, as 1t turned out. for while /
her father and mother agreed that ii e
police must be notified at once she alb
declined to allow the police
or anybody else TO take the baby away |
from her.
..The storks knew wanted broth