The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-14
His Majesty Tie Babu.
By Ian Maciafen.
One Of the Famous Authors
Human Sketches.


+ One Of the Famous Authors
Human Sketches.
+ +
~ 49, T. + 1. + + + i. + I. + +
Until the bus stopped and the old gen.
tleman entered we had been contented
and genial company, travelling from sub.
urb into the city in high good fellow
ship, and our absolute monarchy was Ba.
by. His mother was evidently the wife Of
well doing artisan, q wise looking, ca
pable, bonnie young woman, and Baby
was not a marvel Of attire, nor could he
be called beautiful. he was dressed aft
er a careful, tidy, comfortable fashion,
| and he was clear skinned, healthy
child; that is all you would have noticed
had you met the two on the street.
In a bus where there Is nothing to do
for 40 minutes except stare into one an
others faces, a baby has the great
chance Of his life, and this Baby -was
made to seize it. He was not hungry,
and there were no pins about his clothes
and nobody had made him afraid, and he
was by nature human soul. So he took
US in hand one by one till he had re-
duced us all to state Of delighted sub
lection, to the pretended scandal and
secret pride Of his mother.
His first conquest was easy and might
have been discounted, for against such
an onset there was no power of resist
ance in the elderly woman opposite-One
of the lower mddies, fearfully stout,
and, Of course, grandmother. He sim
ply looked ut her.-if he smiled, that was
thrown in-for, without her knowledge,
her arms had begun to shape for his re-
ception-so often had children lain on
that ample resting place. "Bless is little
cart; it do me good to see 'im." No one
cared to criticise the words, and we re-
marked to ourselves how the expression
changes the countenance. Not heavy
and red, far less dull, the proper adjec-
tive for that face is motherly.
The next passenger, just above Gran
ME, is a lady, young and pretty, and
mother. OF course; did you not see her
look Baby over, as an expert at her
sharpest? The mother Is conscious OF
inspection and adjusts ribbon his maj
esty had tossed aside, and then she
meek'y awaited approval. For moment
we were anxious, but that was our fool
ishness, for in half minute the lady's
face relaxed, and she passed Baby. She
leaned forward and asked questions and
We overheard scraps Of technical detail:
my frst-14 months-six teeth-always
WE'LL" One was lady, the other a
working woman; they had not met he.
fore; they were not likely to meet again,
bui they had forgotten strangeness and
differences in the common bonds Of
BROTHERHOOD. Opposite me . priest was
sitting and saying his Office, but at this
point his eye fell on the mothers, and I
thought his lips shaped the words
"Sancta Maria" before he went on with
the appointed portion.
Raby had wearied Of inaction and had
begun another campaign, and my heart
sank, for this time he courted defeat.
On the other side of Grannis and within
baby's sphere of influence was a man
about whose profession there could be
little doubt, even if he had not had
bag on his knee and were not reading
from a parchment document. After a
long and serious consideration of the
lawyers clean cut, clean shaver, blood |
less face, Baby leaned forward and tap |
ped gently on the deed, and then, when |
the keen face looked up in quick inquiry, |
Baby replied with smile of roguish in |
telligence, as If to say: "By the way, |
that parchment would make an excellent |
drum; do you mind me- a tune has
just come into my head"
The lawyer, Of course, drew away the
deed and frowned at the insolence Of the
thing. No, he did not-there is soul in
In ~ kpnru hoxrr IN GrI thu
smiled. Well, it was not first rate
smile, but 1t was genuine, and the next
time he did 1t better, and afterward it
spread all over his face and lighted up
his eyes. He had never been exposed in
such genial, irresistible way before,
and so he held the drum, and Baby
played variation ON "Rule, Britannia"
with much spirit while Grannie appealed
for applause IF he don't play as well
as the band in Hyde park of Sunday"
After a well deserved rest of 40 sec.
onds, during which we wagged our heads
in wonder, Baby turned his attention to
his right hand neighbor, and, for the bal
ance Of the minute, examined her with
compassion-an old maid without ques-
ton, with her disposition written on
the thin lips and the hard gray eyes.
None Of us would care to trife with her.
Will he dare? II he has not! That was
his chief stroke of genius, and it deserved
with an expression of I'm.
affected pity he put out his soft, dim
pied hand and gently stroked her cheek,
acting as If to say: "Poor thing, all alone,
lone, lionel I'm SO solly, solly, solly, 80
velly. velly, velly solly." Did say that
her eyes were tender and true enough to
win mans heart and keep it, and that
her lips spoke Of patience and gentleness?
If I did not, I repair my neglect. She
must have been a beautiful woman in
her youth-no, no, today, just when she
|nclines her head and Baby strokes her
cheek again and cooes, "Pretty, pretty,
pretty, and so velly, vely, yelly good"
Was that not lovely flush on her cheek7
oh, the fool of a man who might have
had that Lowell She opens neat little
bag, and as this is public affairs we
watched without shame. Quite so; she
8 to be away all day and has got a fru.
yal luncheon, and-it's all she can do In
.eturn. Perhaps he cannot eat it. II
lon't know, nor does she. Baby ways
re mystery to her; but would he refuse
hat biscuit? Not he; he makes an i'm
lense to do over 1t and shows it to his
lother and to all his loyal. subjects, and
e was ready to be kissed, but she did
OF like to kiss him. Peace be with thy
by, modest soul! The Christ child come
ito thine heart!
Two passengers on Baby's left had en-
ured these escapades with patient and
Offering dignity. When n boy Is pro-
oundly conscious that he is-well,
ian, and yet blind and unfeeling
'orld conspires to treat him as-well, a I
hild-he must protect himself and assert {
is position. Which he does, to the de-
ght Of everybody with any sense of
umor, by refusing Indignantly to be
Used by his mother or sisters in public,
y severely checking any natural tenden- Z
Y to enthusiasm about anything except
port, by allowing 1t to be understood
nat he has exhausted the last remaining I
leasure and is fairly burned out. Dear
oy, and all the time ready to run mile
} see cavalry regiment drill and tor
ented by secret laundering after the
biological gardens. These two had been +.
Ice little chaps two years ago and would
, manly fellows two years hence. Mean
lille they were provoking and required
,astisement or regeneration. Baby was
= Lo,.~ 1t -. L. /