Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-10-31


dropped the basket under the shadow
of the elm. "And, for goodness sake,
what ye got in yer arms?'''
"a baby, Nathan" replied his sis
ter, in a voice full of soft, reverential
JOY. "a poor little baby that was
left in the swamp I heard it crying
and went to find it, and that's what
made me so late"
"Humph - said Nathan Drew, taxi
ing the covering from the basket and
inspecting its contents. What be ye
goin to do with it?"
A cloud swept across the radiant
face of the woman. There was some
thing distinctly forbidding in her
brothers tone and manner. Evident
ly, the only question that had en-
tered his mind was how to get rid OF
the unwelcome encumbrance that had
been left upon his land. Their
thoughts were travelling in diametri-
cally opposite directions-the woman S
towards retaining the chill, the mans
towards disposing of it.
There was something Of the protec-
tive cunning of love in Abigail eyas-
i've answer to her brother. "Proba-
bly, somebody will come along and
claim it ir a little while" she said.
Nathan Drew laughed derisively.
Then he took huge bite out of one
of Abigail's delicious chicken sand
wiches and washed it down with a
guIp of coffee from the warm can.
Every likely" he replied at length
every likely" Then he laughed
again. Somebody dropped it acci-
dentally in the swamp, eh, boys?
somebodylI be comm back, most
crazy to find it, by n by"
The hired men laughed servilely,
though it was plain that their minds
were chiefly absorbed by the lunch
basket which their employer held be-
tween his legs and was steadily plum
dering.
"Well, come on, boys. Hitch up
here and have something to eat J.
cried the farmer. "We can't bother
about baby all day. There's work
to be done.
The tongues of the hired men were
loosed as their anxiety disappeared,
and one of them, a smart little French
Canadian, exclaimed;
"Ah guess ah know where dat beb-
by come from, me Dat mans leev
in lumber shanty on Coon Hill; he
gone, an heez ol hooman have tree,
four, five bebby prob'ly too. All bet
dat mans left dat bebby, sehl"
81 shouldn't wonder, replied Ma
than Drew. "Shiftless chap Camp
ing down on my property without
even asking permission and using my
lumber shanty, stove and wood I'm
glad he's gone, but Iwish he'd taken
his hull blame brood with him. The
young un'll probly grow up jest like
the rest of EN-, lazy and wuthless!'
"Ah heard say" continued the lit
tie Frenchman, "dat mans Hinglish-
man, good family, but not YER strong
for work. Los heez health an 'bliged
for take to de woods. No money
no health-big family. All guess
ah'll do bout same ling as him, bah
gosh. if ah get too much bebby
Don't doubt it, Alphonse," re-
Joined the farmer. That's jest the
sort Of critter you be and yer hull
Canuck tribe.
Alphonse grinned appreciatively
and took no ofense. Then silence fell
upon the three men until the last
crumb and drop of their monday
lunch had disappeared.
Abigail tenderiy laid the baby
down in the grass while she gathered
together the dishes and napkins and
repacked them in the basket. Her
brother stood over her. watching He
was spare, hard-faced, iron-gray
man, who showed by every line and
feature the absence Of sentiment in
his makeup. The woman's hands
trembled as she worked. She knew
he was about to say something con-
cernipg the child. Presently he
spoke:
"You kin keep that young un jest
two days, Abigail. Then, if there
don't nobody come to claim it, am
goin to take it to the Founding Hos
pital." Having thus delivered him
self, he shouldered his pitchfork and
walked determinedly away.
Tears obscured the homeward path
of the little woman as she struggled
through the shimuering sunlight with
the infant on her arm. She knew
| sLo4 H. bro4b bar .ro,,lJ ba Grrped frorn