Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-07


lxzzey to hold him, Jeremiah opened the
door and stepped outside He walked
with some care, for his head touched the stars,
and he was afraid that if he did not watch
where he put his feet he might step off this little
earth altogether. He surveyed the universe with
calm but sincere APPRECIATION; he touched the
ground with light foot that seemed in itself to
indicate serene approval, and had the moon and
all the host Of Heaven, now shining as clearly
overhead as London sky permits, stretched
down joint and congatulatory hand to him,
he would have shaken it without surprise and
answered that it was a big, bouncing boy of
eight pounds and quarter, and that both were
doing as well as could be expected.
He walked on a little, surprised that the mar
row street with its row of neat little bay-win-
dowed villas either hand remained large
enough to permit him to move down it with
ease and when he nearly at the corner, a
girl suddenly beckonod to him. She wore ser.
wants apron and cap, and she spoke in a hur-
ried and excited manner
"Oh, beg your pardon she said with nerv-
BUSINESS that was a tribute not wholly unde-
served, to Jeremiah's swagger, ''but are you the
Duke?"
jeremiah waved lordly hand Was he the
Duke? Was he fifty dukes? Would he change
places with the King himself?
My girl, he said and for generally sub
dued and meek copying clerk in a lawyers of
fee his mien was majestic to degree "what is
duke? / am more than any duke. am
Then will your grace please come in?' said
the girl, dropping awed curtesy, and moving
back to the house from which she had Just
emerged.
jeremiah hesitated for a moment Though he
felt big enough TO step right off the earth and
take seat among the stars, he had no desire to
step into trouble. But then there came floating
from the house through the open door into the
calm evening air faint and feeble cry, as of an
expiring cat, exactly resembling that with which
his own ears had lately become acquainted as
music excelling the harmony of all the spheres
"Oh, let 'em all come" said jeremiah delight
edly, and bounded up the steps into the tiny hall
No doubt these neighbors of his wished to re-
ceive and to exchange congratulations, and that
struck Jeremiah eminently natural. He felt
in a most genial mood, ready to be on the best
of terms with all the world, but all the same he
remembered that truth is sacred and eternal and
no mere desire to please must be permitted to
prevent him from pointing out that the baby at
home was infinitely superior, in all points that
a good judge of babies would consider, to the
baby at this house; remarkable infant the lat
ter might b..
IF your grace will wait here" said the girl
and disappeared.
"She must think mines 9. girl unused Jere.
mah, Though we should never have called it
Grace anyhow. l wonder if theirs is a girl?
am glad mine is boy, though | should like a
girl, too-by Jove, ] wish it had been twins!"
He said this awful thing without twinge, and
not ten Thousand volumes could make any plain
er the extraordinary mental disturbance under
which he just now laboring.
"Will your grace come upstairs?" said the SER
want, appearing again suddenly, and Jeremiah
followed, smiling He reflected that it was won
derful how sdch things get about, and he decided
that the very first call Mrs. Tibbits must make
with little master Tibbits should be on these
friendly and sympathetic neighbors