Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-07-24
MRS. CARAVANS BABY.


ue iduy Was luluQle dStu anu VI ~
fined appearance. AS she sat with one
arm thrown over the shoulder Of hel
boy, her attitude bespoke motherlJ
tenderness and concern. It struck
Chester how much like the Baby the
boy was in size and general appear.
ance. The young man wondered vague;
ly il she knew how much she had tc
be thankful for in this innocent little
son, even though he was delicate. {
He reflected that a delicate little
boy. who was dutiful and good, was
preferable to hardy little boy who
was undutiful and tough" He felt
sure that this mother would think SC
and he wondered how 1t would seem
to that other mother in Corning.
A cold wave of air cut short his re:
Elections, and he shrugged his shoul-
ders slightly and was thinking to
walk about, when the woman said
something to the boy, and then rose
and left the room.
For few moments the silence of the
station was broken only by the roar
of train that came and went in the
darkness, leaving the stiffness more
perfect than before. Chester glanced
at the clock; it indicated 10 minutes
after TO-
He had still some minutes to wait,
and he was beginning to wonder how
he could occupy it when his attention
was drawn to boy doing step dance
on the platform outside. Chester,
looking through the window, recog'
nized the youngest of the boys who
had assaulted him.
The boy danced as though he had
nothing else in the world to think Of.
Chester, looking closely, could just
distinguish the forms of his two old
er companions. In another instant
these two disappeared. The Baby
shouted, and ran after them.
Their movements suggested to Ches-
ter that they were trying to get rid
Of the Baby's company. He felt more
sure of this few minutes later when
the door was pushed open wide, and
the smaller boy came, in surly
fashion, into the room, dragging his
large shoss across the floor with a
great deal of. noise,
Chester, feeling safe from recogni-
tion in his dark corner, watched him
closely, The boys hand was evidently
wrenched or twisted, for he shook it
repeatedly with very fierce frown.
Chester saw that the boy answered
perfectly Wainwright's description OF
Mrs. Caravans Baby.
The newcomer made straight for
the cozy corner in which the delicate
little boy was sitting, and looked at
him impatiently.
"Git out O. the way!" he said,
crowding the little boy from his seat
without ceremony, The delicate boy,
much frightened and wide awake, went
across the room and took another seat,
! The Baby sat down and drew himself
together as II he were cold, and then
leaned back and blinked revengefully
at the light with his cap pulled over
his eyes.
The door now opened, and the lady
came back into the waiting-room. She
did not pause nor look about the room
but went over to where the Baby was
sitting with his head down and his feet
drawn closely under him. The lady
sank into the seat beside him, gently
threw one arm over his small shoulder
and bent her head above his.
Chester felt sure that the Baby's
eyes were watching her from under
his cap, and he waited for the Baby to
do something. But the Baby did moth
ing.
Whether 1t was that the lady's ac-
ton had taken him completely by
surprise or that he had become too
much embarrassed to move, 1t is i'm
possible to say. Chester's eyes went
to the delicate little boy wonderingly
but the little boy was sitting with his
face turned away from the door and
had not noticed his mothers entrance.
When Chester looked at the lady again
her hand gently strayed to the Baby's
tangled hair, which she was softly ca
ressing with her fingers.
1t seemed to Chester that her lips
were touching the young outcast's
hof ha fointlU
muring some lullaby. The Babys
head had dropped lower; but he still
sat so motionless that Chester began
to think that perhaps he had gone to
sleep.
Five minutes passed, and Chester be-
gan to wonder how the incident would
close. He had quite made up his mind
that the Baby had fallen asleep when
the lady turned her head and her eyes
fell on the other little figure in the dis
tant corner of the room. She knew
her boy Immediately. A startled look
came into her eyes. She drew back and
looked amazingly at the boy beside
her, and murmured hastily
Dear me! l had no Ideal beg
your pardon, but did not notice you
and l thought you were my boy"
Then Chester saw that the Baby had
not been asleep, for he threw aside
his head, after one quick glance into
the lady's face, and murmured, in
what was almost tone Of reverence
"Yes, ma'am."
A few minutes later the woman and
the little boy went out to meet the
southern bound train.
Young Chester swung one foot
across the other uneasily, and looked
dreamily at polished model of a To-
comotive under a glass case. Then he
stood up, walked over to where Mrs
Caravans Baby was sitting, and took
the seat beside him.
"Do you know" Chester began slow
ly and uncertainty, "a young fellow
around here named Garvan? l was
told I might find him somewhere
about; and thought perhaps -yoT
might have seen him."
The Rahv rave q ouick keen glance