Evening star., 1898-06-04

She put up her fragile finger and caught
his coat lapels
You won't make a mess of it. dear boy?
You'll keep your whole mind on cousin
Agatha Keep saying Cousin Agatha
Cousin Agatha-Cousin Agatha over and
over. sn you won't forget you're going to
meet her
Cousin Agatha-Cousin Agatha"
40. no. you needn't begin now! o. Pom
1t makes me have the cold shivers-lf L
could only go instead OF you"'
The face OF Heartsease against the pillow
vas wistful and distinctly anxious. Frof-
Pomeroy Pettingin Lee regarded it with
whimsical tenderness
Don't worry, little woman. ne crltd
CheerfuIly I'm on my good behavior TINS
time You shall @ee how III distinguish
myself. Hoper-may-die if 1 don't.
well. I'll trust you. Pom Now. let me
review you once more. sne's h'tle Ike
Little like me" nurmured the big man
neekly.
And doesn't wear giasses-most every
Eody does, ycu knOw-and has hight halr
end smiles. When We went to scho9. To-
ge;h-r she always smiled l should know
her lust by that. Now, say your lesson
after me.
..Th-re. now You may go. dear boy. II
he only doesn't get things mlAed, SHe
thought. following the big. square nguFe
across the room with loving syes- IL IL
only does il right Pom, Pom.
AT your service, m
NO. don't come back. Are you certain
sure YOU read the letter all through?
''HGper-niay-die if l didn't. little woman!
40 der" still worried Heartsease soft
w IF Ia only read it, Why did l have
that nervous headache just when II cafle.
And then Why did Pom lose it? o. dear
Neanwhi Prof PomerOy Petunglli Lee
str II
aIertDess in every motion of his big hsUre
He was keeping his mind on Cousin Agatha
Wild horses themselves should not dras II
away
IN his ears and reminded him of the ihsht
Of time He hailed q passing car ana set
lied himself comfortably on one of its cush-
tened seats. Might as well rae ana Ie
serve all his strength for Cousin Asatha-
There was d trlfiing hitch IN mis- coti-
pIacent seif-resignatIon when the conductor
came around for fares. Where IN the
world was that change? Co1tound IL
nan had as many pockets as a centPede
feet, All, there il was. and something else
too-Cousin Agatha's lest letter
IN review il a bit now IT'S turned up
again so handy thought the professor;
smoot hing out the crushed, sweet-scenteo
sheet on his knee
NV dear cousin-n-.n-T;l n m m -nl-and
reach you at about three forty-hFe IN lis
afternoon Uhat's all right side up,-nn-n-ln
what. -
The professor Strengthened himself,
aghast with horror He had never seen
that part befOr-heavens. no! He dldn |
read that to Heartsease. Now why by all
that was mighty must 2 woman tack on i
postscript to everything she wrote. And
this postscript"
tr.rnitv. ana the meek little man beside
him was novel with pity
Are YOU in pain, sir?' he inquired softly
In his ear
Pain pain? I'm in the last extremities-
I'm nearly gone
And he was obliged. out of sheer graft
tude for the little mans compassion to ac-
cept one of the tiny white lozenees he prof
ftrrd with nervous agility
p 81 shall bring baby with me. OF
course. l could not leave him, and, besides.
] know he will amuse you. He is 50 cum
ming,
She was going to bring the baby with
her Cousin Agatha was going to bring
the baby, and Heartsease hadn't known it.
10 tell him what to do,
He kali rose to bis feet with wild idea
OF going back To- little HeartSeaSe for diTfc
tions. Then he sank back Oh his seat again.
for the city clock was changing 80 Too
late
You have had had news. SIR crooned
the little meek mans kind voice again
Yes oh. yes. certainly. CUnfoupded bad
news, Cousin Agatna's going to bring;
that is-er-I viii bid you good day. sir. /
will get out here.
No need Of imposing Cousin Agathas
baby on everybody else, but. cnnfound it
the little meek man didn't look as if a
baby would throw him into a panic. He
pToba bly, had plenty of EN- at home. And
they hadn't knOwn-HeartSeas and ne
hadn't-that there was any baby in Cousin
ASatna'S quarter OF the world. But of
course they might have imagined it-wen.
there was nothing for it now but to accept
the ineyitable-and the baby. One to
make ready. two To start. three TOGO!
The 30 express was just steaming into
the great station with grunts of disap-
pr1Val at being pulled up. Crowds of
outgoers were eddying toward the I-nE
chain of cars, to be presently met and jt s.
tied by the incoming throng. Cabmen wee
shouting with hoarse persistence and bas
gage Was being methodically maltreated.
Confusion was rampant.
Prof. Ponneroy Pettingin Lee with great
presence Of mind. waited near the entrance
OF the ladies room for Cousin Agatha and
the baby They would have TO go in
through that door and out through the op-
pOsite ODe-they could not escape him, He
felt wild impulse to accost ali the women
as they approached with: Are you Cousin
Agatha or you2-or you?
Fortune favored him, for in all the steady
stream Of travel-stained. weary women fl
terlng through the door past him there
Were only TWO babies. and one of those was
little shiny affair in ebony. The other
one was. of course. Cousin Agatha's baby.
Here goes, muttered Prof. Pomeroy
Pettinsill Lee. setting his teeth and brush
ing past the babylsss women with a stifled
grc an. and fortifying himself with the
memory of little Heartsease.
The white baby's mother was .'httle'--he
docked OF the items the fingers men
taily-'didu't wear glasses Cor did Cousin
Agatha wear m?J-and smiled" To be
sure. IL was very faint, tired smile that
II was evident enough, was entirely for the
baby : benefit. But smiles a smile and
this one served TO identify Cousin Agatha
The little woman sank down on a seat
near the door, and proceeded to rearrange
the baby, whose sOiled little clothes were in
a tumble.
The professor waiting 70 reinforce his
courage, heard her grooming 10 ii in the
fashion mothers have-''There, there. il
shall be all s!noothy-smooth again. yes ii
shall. Mother will drive away all the ugly
wrinkies-so."
The baby crowed appre ciatively The
bite pink. creased face swayed, and wrig-
gled into It's bonnet
Let rne take the baby" the professor
said. plugging in without foolish waste
OF ceremony There's just time to catch
the O'Clock car up
The weary little mother looked up at the
towering bulk Of the big strange man.
with gasp of meek astonishment He
was clutching at the baby-he had him in
Els arms! Land OF mercy, But his eyes
were honest and kind
Are you Tenn she stammered eager
", searching the reSolute, martyr-like
iace, Tor possible points of resemblance to
her idea or 'Cordeiia's husband" She
salU ne q meet at the depot"