Barton County democrat., 1905-09-29


little boot:
Nancy Olden, l choose you. Nancy
Olden, love you. Nancy 0ldeh.
dare you not to love me Nancy Olden,
defy you not to laugh back at mel"
Where in the world she dropped
| from, heaven knows The organ grind
er picked up the shafts of his wagon
and rundled 1t away. The pickanin-
nies melted like magic But that gay
little firt, about a year and half
old, just held on to my finger and CAB;
bled-poetry.
|. didn't realize just then that she.
was lost, strayed or stolen. | ex-
pected every moment some nurse or
conceited mamma to appear and drag
her away from me. And looked down
at her-oh, she was just little bunch
of soft stuff; her face was a giggling
dimple, framed in a big round hat
halo, that had fallen from her chicken
I blond head and her white dress, with
the blue ribbons at the shoulders. was
just little bit dirty. like EN- little
bit dirty. Why? Perhaps because
can imagine having a little coquette
of my own a bit dirty like that, and
can't just see Nance 0lden with a
spick-and-span clean baby, all feath.
ers and lace, like bored little grown.
up.
You're a mouse" | gurgled down
at her. You're a sweetheart. You're
"a"
And suddenly heard cry and rush
behind me.
1t was false alarm; just a long
legged girl Of. IL rushing round the
corner, followed by a lot of others. 1t
hadn't been meant for me, of course,
but in the second when | had remem-
bered that precious paper and Tausig' S
rage when he should miss it, ! had
pulled my hand away from that bit
baby's and started to run,
The poor little tot! There isn't any
reason in the world for the fancies
they take any more than for our own;
eh, Mag? Why should she have been
attracted to me just because | was so
undignifed as to dance with the pick.
aninDies?
But do you know what that little
thing did? She thought ! was playing
with her. She gave crow of delight
and came bowling after me.
That finished me. stopped and
picked her up in my arms, throwing
her up in the air to hear Der crow and
feel her come down again.
Mouse" ! said, well just have 8
little trip together. The nurse that'G
lose you deserves to worry till you're
found The mother that's lucky
enough to own you will be benefited
hereafter by a sharp scare on you
account Just now. Come on, sweet
heart!"
- Oh, the feel of baby in your arms
Mag! 1t makes the Cruelty seem ,
perfectly Unreal thing, thing on,
should be unutterably ashamed o
imagining, of accusing human natur
Of; a thing only az irredeemably vii
thing could imagine Just the weigh
Of that little body riding like bonn,
boat at anchor on your arm. just tn
cocky little way it sits up, chirping AM
confident; just the light touch of bi
of han0 on your collar; just that i
enough to push down brick walls; t
destroy pictures OF bruised and maime
children that endure after the injurie
are healed; to scatter records that eve
II, Nancy Olden-cant. believe an
believe, too, that other women hav
carried their babies, as did som
= other woman's baby, across the square
On the other side | set her down.
didn't want to- was greedy CT ever
moment that had her But | wante
to get some change ready before climi
ing up the steps to the L station.
She clutched my dress as We stoo
there minute in perfectly irresist
ible way. know now why men MARI
babywomen; it's TO feel tnat delicious
helpless clutch of weak fingers; tn
clutch of dependence, of trust, Of al
peal
looked down at her with that sam
silly alteration I've seen on Molly
face for her poor, lacking, twisted bo!
At least, did in the beginning. Blu
gradually the expression of my fac
must have changed; for all at once
discovered what had been done to me-
My purse was gone.
Yes, Maggie Monahan, clean gone
My pocket had been as neatly pickle
: as | myself-well, never mind, as wha
l. Threw back my head and laughe
aloud. Nance 0lden, the great doe
up mad been done up so cleverly, S
| surely, so prettily, that she hadn't ha
; an inkling of it.
wished could get a glimpse OF tn
clever girl that did it. A girl-of cours'
it was! Do you think any boys finger
could do job like that and me. not eve
, know?
But i didn't stop to wish very loni
Here was ! with the thing valued mos
in the world still clutched in my han'
and not a nickel to my name to get III
the paper. and the baby, on our way.
1t was the baby, of course, that d,
cided me. You can't be very enterpris
| swl. l,,x.,