Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-03-22
The Baby
By EDWARD l.. REckARD
Copyright. 1905, by p. c. Eastment-

OF his crime.
He mechanically removed from his
mouth an unlighted cigar, and pressed
his lips determinedly. There could be
no mistaking the words spoken in
Mrs. Melton's soft. motherly voice.
Mr.. Lloyd stopped still on the stair
case and deliberately listened.
Martha Is coming with the baby to-
morrow on the IL 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 a 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-
dencc with the Meltons a year ago.
Next to babies, Mr.. Lloyd abominated
splnsters OF certain age out of pure
fear OF their possible designs upon in
nocent 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 at the other end of
the prosperous little county seat where
he had won q name for himself in the
few years he had resided in Blairville.
The spare room was across the hall
from Mr.. Lloyd's own ample and hand
somely furnished snuggery. So Mar
tha and the baby" were to go in the
spare room, were they? The doors
were 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 day and, from Mr.. Lloyd's un-
sympathetic and pitifully deficient un-
derstanding as to babies, elghty-one
hours a night, waiting on ''the baby"
making life miserable for the star
boarder and supposedly delightful for
everybody else? Not if John Lloyd
knew 1t! He would return to the ho-
tel In the village, at which he had
been a central figure until the day he
had gone with the Meltons In their
big, rambling home on the hill among
the NAPLES. Hotel life had its draw
backs, but the proprietor had been un-
der contract not to room doting moth
ers and leathery lunged infants with
in hearing Of Mr.. Lloyd's apartment.
The next morning at breakfast Mr..
Lloyd's silence and gloom We're In
marked contrast with the animated
table conversation regarding the visit
ors who were to arrive that day. He
had tried n 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 a
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 flustered for
q dignlfed bachelor Of thlrty-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
burglarlous entrance or hasty exit, but,
shades of Blackstone, q woman was
coming along the narrow path over the
rear lawn, directly up to the little
porch - n woman In a neat travelling
gown and carrying a suit case!
"Caughtr' groaned Mr.. Lloyd aloud,
and he felt 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
ingr'
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 a big hat the rosy
face Of a very pretty girl. Mr.. Lloyd
had not seen her profile because OF the
hat and now that 1t came into full
view he looked again and did not re-
move his eyes from the roguish ones
that sought his SO inquiringly.
Martha, supposeT he ventured,
impolitely, scornfully and audibly.
"Sirv 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.
ITO be sure you are" insisted Mr..
Lloyd, very firmly. where's the-the
baby?"
'The what" cried the young lady
wonderlngly.
1.-THE baby-Martha's baby. Where IL
ne, Spe OF III, or WHdteFeE you Sah
'em?' Mr. Lloyd was desperate; but,
as boy babies and girl babies all looked
alike to him, his mixture OF gender
was excusable.
An unmistakahle Rirlish GigHle OF
mirth rippled from the shadow or the
big hat, and its owner let the suit case
drop to the porch. 1t landed squareiy
on Mr.. Lloyd's toes and brought the
tears to his eyes.
"rm the baby" she laughingly said
as she stood for a moment ON the
threshold of the door taking him In
from head TO foot, striving to fix the
Identity OF her mysterious cross ex-
amlner 'I am baby still, despite my
advanced age and the centuries OF fu-
tile protestvat my mothers tender for
getfulness. Did / not do well for an
infant"-thls very saucily and boldly
ITO travel way from Albany to Blair
Vile all alone, only TO meet n severe
interlocutor barring the entrance to my
aunt's homer"
"But Marthaf' was all Mr.. Lloyd
could say.
'Is my mother, who will arrive to-
morrow. ! came ahead. Does this sat
Isfy you, Mr.. Impertlnence? Please re-
move your foot from beneath my lug
ya e,a and carry II into the house. Ba-