The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-03-06
The Baby
BY EDWARD L. RECkARD
Copyright, 1905, BY P. c. Ea.tmenf

Mrs. Notions 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 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 a year ago.
Next to babies. Mr. Lloyd abominated
spinsters of certain age out of pure
fear of their possible designs upon ir-
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
be had won a name for himself In the
few years he had resided in Blairville.
Tho l.
from Mr.. Lloyd's own ample and hand
somely furnished snuggery. So Mar
tina and the baby" were to 20 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 a day and, from Mr.. Lloyd's un.
sympathetic and pitifully deficient un-
Outstanding as to babies, eighty-one
hours a night, waiting on 1.-THE baby"
making life miserable for the star
boarder and supposedly delightful for
everybody else? Not If John Lloyd
knew it! 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 Motions In their
big, rambling home on the hill among
the naples. Hotel life had it's draw
backs, but the proprietor had been I'M
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 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 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 fiustered 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, a woman was
coming along the narrow path over the
rear lawn, directly up to the little
porch - woman In a neat travelling
gown and carrying suit case!
"Caughtv' 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
mgr
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 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, supposeY he ventured,
impolitely, scornfully and audibly.
''SirT' 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?"
1.-THE whatg' cried the young lady
wonderingly.
1.-THE baby-Martha's baby. Where is
he, she or 1t, 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 excusable.
An unmistakable girlish giggle of
-. =. ,.ppIvu Irvm tuv snnuow or rne
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.
"Pm the baby" she laughlngly 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-
aminer. II 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
Infant''-this very saucily and boldly
vile all alone, only to meet severe
interlocutor barring the entrance to my
aunts home"
But MarthaY was all Mr.. Lloyd
could say.
els my mother, who will arrive to
morrow. came ahead. Does this sat
isfy you, Mr.. Impertinence? Please re
move your foot from beneath my lug
gage and carry it into the house. Ba
bies you know, must have attention
and attendance"
Mr.. Lloyd extracted his foot with
! alacrity, though he did not obey the
command. He had fought and won
many hard legal battles, but here was
golden opportunity to prove that there
are times when discretion is the better
| part of valor. He fled, or, to be truth
| full, he limped abruptly down the little
path toward the village. AS he collect
ed his thoughts, being a good lawyer
and wise jurist, he decided to revise
and to override his previous judgment
as to babies.
"Glrl babies eighteen years of age
and upward, with rosy cheeks, laugh
Ing eyes and fluffy hair and saucy dim
PIES" unused Mr.. Lloyd, a smile play