The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-11-11

doing.
And just in the unlucky moment his
attention was fully engaged Farmer
Crofts hurried out of the store and
jumped into his box sleigh. His
horses, with the sleigh, had been
turned diagonnlly toward the store;
the baby in the soap box was just be-
yond range of his sight as he came.
And in the gathering twilight no one
| ehanced 10 see the precious morsel
of craft sailing along after the big
sleigh, as the horses, tired of standing,
sped. not up the hill as Billy had an
ticipated, but down another road
winding out of sight at once.
With one glance Billy had seen the
| baby safe: with the next his scared
| eyes saw only vacancy before the store
door. With wild cry he dashed to-
ward where he had left his treasure.
"My baby! Where's my baby? :?
| Bring him back!"
But sleigh. soap box and baby had
melted completely into the shadows.
| Billy ran first up one road, then down
| the other, at last, with heart full of
despairing misery, carrying home his
sorry tale.
| He could not tell to whose sleigh he
had tied the baby. could not tell in
which direction 1t had gone, did not
know how far it might go.
Quickly through the village ran the
tragic news.
| Tears sprang to more than one pair
of eyes.
| "I-wisht I'd taken it,"
81 might "a, just as well as not"
| 81 was just thinkin' of it,"
| 81 would in a minute, if"
But there were no conditions In the
matter now, no prospect of return Of
lost opportunity. The Pratt baby was
lost and the village mourned.
Farmer Crofts' horses stepped brisk
| ly along in the early evening. The in
creasing cold and steady motion made
the baby drowsy. and like sensible
baby Che was one of the kind who al
ways seemed to do the right thing in
the right place-perhaps that was his
Inheritance in lieu of any other) he
| cuddled down into the straw and went
| to sleep. The farmer did not know of
the unusual attachment to his sleigh
until he had put his horses in and was
unloading II of things he had bought.
Then he stumbled over the soap box
and nearly fell, scattering bundles of
groceries about.
whats this?" Mr.. Crofts lifted a
lantern he had lighted. The baby held
up its head and gave little gurgle of
pleasure at sight of the light.
| "Well, I'm blesssd!" Mr.. Crofts held
the lantern closer, then jerked it away
as two small balls of hands made a
clutch for it. Then he put into another
shape his exclamation, the truth con-
tanned in which he so little realized:
"Well-if | ain't blessed!"
A look of blank bewilderment came
| over his face.
! "How did you git here?"
II baby ard soap box had fallen from
the skies it could not have been a
greater surprise. His surprise was
none the less when he saw the string
and realized how his unexpected vis-
itor had come. What was he to do?
well, seem you be here, s'pose
you can't be left out in the cold"
| Not knowing what else to do. he
picked up sled, soap box and baby and
carried them into the house.
Here, Maria" he said, setting his
burden on the kitchen floor, look
what somebody's sent YOU"
Mrs. Crofts gazed in amazement.
then in disPleasure.
Jacob, what do you mean? You
/ l..
tut something on you"
mo. indeed, | don't. You may get
as mad as you like with somebody; but
not with me. That sled was hitched
on to the back of the sleigh, and came
all the way fom Bentley"
well, l declare! A little mite like
that out in the cold! But you sec how
'tis-a game of some body's TO put that
child on us. They'll be fooled, though"
"Yes. I'll take it over to the poor
house tomorrow. They can look for
it there if they want it,"
| "They won't look for it. Well" as
small grunts and shifts arose from the
box, "seein' it's here. s'pose we can't
let it starve."
Anyhow, it's putty little crea-
tur'."
The baby had by this time, after
much winking and blinking, accus-
toned his eyes to the lighted room,
and was now giving signs of being rest
less. As Mrs. Crofts approached him
with much the look with which she
would have regarded stray kitten
| (she not liking cats) he, being accus-
toned to go TO everybody, held out
his hands with look of gra cious readi-
ness to be pleased If well treated.
We'll, it's kind O. bright"
The baby took eagerly the warm
milk brought for him, then settled
back into Mrs. Crofts' arms with look
| of perfect content with the existing
state of things. Mrs. Crofts laughed.
II can't sit here holdin' a baby. You
take him while l set things on"
She held him while the meal was eat
en-, then again passed him over to the
farmer. Baby made a dash for the
huchr ha1 xxhfela l,,..-..x.