The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-08-24
The BABY
BY EDWARD L. RICHARD


lie mechanically removed from his
mouth an unlfghtcd cigar, and pressed
his lips dctcrminedly. There could be
no installing the words spoken in
Mrs. McItons soft, motherly voice.
Mr.. Lloyd stopped still on the stair
case and deliberately listened.
Martha is coming with the baby to-
morrow Oh the l. o'clock train from
Albany" Mrs Melton was saying.
The rustling of note paper revealed her
source of information to Mr. Lloyd as
plainly as if he were in the sitting
room itself.
And to stay Il whole month"; cried
Miss Edith, the one remaining member
Of the Melton family who as yet had
escaped, through no fault of her own,
the matrimonial halter. Mr.. Lloyd toll
Grated Miss Edith because she was in
the house when he took up his resi-
dence with the MELONS n year ago.
Next to babies. Mr. Lloyd abominated
sDirsterS of certain age out of pure
fear of their possible designs upon in
uocent and unsuspecting bachelors
They can have the big spare room,
and
Mr.. Lloyd did not wait to hear the
| conclusion of the sentence, spoken in
Mr.. Melton'S hearty tones. He stepped
quietly out of the wide, old fashioned
hallway into the twilight and moodily
walked toward his law office, adjoin-
Ing the courthouse ut the other end of
the prosperous little county seat where
lie had won Il name for himself in the
few years he had resided in Blairvile.
The spare room was across the hall
from Mr.. LlOyd's own ample and hand
somely furnished snuggery. So Mar
tina and the baby" were to go in the
spare room, were they? The doors
We're to bang. the baby was to bawl
and all of the members of the house
hold were to run up stairs and down
again forty times an hour for eighteen
| hours Il day and, from Mr.. Lloyd's I'M
sympathetic and pitifully deficient I'M
| Outstanding as TO babies, eighty one
hours Il night, waiting on the baby"
making life miserable for the star
! boarder and supposedly delightful for
knew it. He would return to the ho-
tel III the village, at which he had
been central figure until the day he
| had gone with the Motions in their
big, rambling home on the hill among
the NAPLES. Hotel life had its draw
backs, but the proprietor had been IN
der contract not to room doting moth
linn inf npfS
in hearing Of Mr.. Lloyd's apartment
The next morning at breakfast Mr..
Lloyd'S silence and gloom were in
marked contrast with the animated
table conversation regarding the visit
ors who were to arrive that day. He
| had tried a dozen times during the
meal TO tell them that he was to give
| up his room and return to the hotel,
but each time the words stuck in his
| throat He finally decided that he
| would quietly return to the house dur
| ing the morning, put his things In or
der and later send for them with
polite note Of explanation at the sud-
| denness of his departure.
True to his resolution, Mr.. Lloyd
crept into the house unobserved and
| placed his effects in some semblance
Of order for removal. With every
sound from below be fancied he dis
| tinguished agonized squeals In infantile
| treble, mingled with the chorus Of
adult voices in soothing efforts to quiet
| the tempest. Warm and f1ustered for
| dignified bachelor of thirty-five, Mr..
Lloyd slipped down the side staircase,
| out on the little porch to which led the
short cut up the hill from the railroad
station.
None of the family had observed his
| burglarious entrance or hasty exit. but,
| shades of Blackstone, IL woman was
coming along the narrow path over the
rear lawn, directly up to the little
porch "A woman in neat travelling
| gown and carrying suit case!
Caught" groaned Mr.. Lloyd aloud,
and he felt a hot glow of shame and
veXation sweep over him. Here's
Martha, by all that has to do with
babies, fat or lean, squealing or COO
lngr'
The feminine gender in the travelling
| gown paused at the foot of the steps,
| gazed in amaZement at Mr.. Lloyd's
| stern and heated features and display
ed from beneath big hat the rosy
face of IL very pretty girl. Mr.. Lloyd
had not seen her profile because of the
| hat. and now that it came into full
| view he looked again and did not re-
move his eyes from the roguish ones
that sought his SO inquIringly.
| Martha, l suppose" he ventured.
| impolitely, scornfully and audibly.
"Sirr' The red lips parted haughtily,
and the trim figure Strengthened per-
ceptibly in the travelling gown at the
| strange salutation.
you're Martha, Mrs Melton's sister,
Of course, but where's Mr.. Lloyd's
voice dropped out of hearing as sud
denly as his courage.
I'm not Martha" she answered
sharply.
Lloyd, very firmly. where's the-the
baby"
1.-The what?" cried the young lady
wonderngly.
"The Martha's baby. Where Is
he, she or it, or whatever you call
'em?" Mr.. Lloyd was desperate; but,
as boy babies and girl babies all looked
alike TO him, his mixture Of gender
| was eXcIsable.
An unmistakable girlish giggle of
mirth rippled from the shadow Of the
big hat, and its owner let the suit case
drop to the porch 1t landed squarely
on Mr.. Lloyd's toes and brought the
tears to his eyes.
I'm the baby" she laughingly said
as she stood for IL moment Oh the
| threshold Of the door taking him in
from head to foot, striving to fix the
identity of her mysterious cross ex-
aminer. Il am baby still, despite my
advanced age and the centuries of fu-
tile protest at my mothers tender for"
getfulness. Did ] not do well for an