The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-04-11
MIN Ding
The BABY

III Well, said Potter. I've moved
Sver since I've been in New York I've
lived in a boarding house in Gramercy
place 1t was good enough place and
I'd probably stay there for the rest
of my life If ii had not been for a
young man named Smith and his wife.
who took the room next to mine
and
~Ahs I see-" said Roysten- Tried
to fiirt with the pretty Mrs Smith and
the Jealous husband naturally went
for YOU
Worse'n that a blamed sight" said
Potter. dolefully She went for me
herself. then the landlady sailed in
and finally the whole house, and if
ever l rock baby for anybody again
may 1 be struck on life-size as Sam
Pile of a real idiot Now, anybody to
look at me could. 1 suppose. take me
for an obliging man., he added. paus-
ing to wait for some expression of
opinion to come out of the dense cloud
Of smoke opposite
ryes- Pray go on
We'll. those Smiths began to sus-
pect it the minute they saw me
hadn't been there a week before my
room looked as if 1 boarded some
where else-actually that fellow had
borrowed everything that could be
moved. invited me to smoke my own
III cigars and said he felt more &C
III Quainted with me than he did With his
twin brother-found out since he
never had a twin brother. Got so
COMPOUNDED chummy and 50 all over
iii Sn1r kal To- H~<,
chummy back again. by George. and
demme If 1 didn't feel grateful for
even that Went home one evening
dead sleepy and beat out-had set up
all night before with a sick chap-and
the minute l struck my room there
was Smith waiting for me- Said he
and his wife wanted to go round the
corner on an Grand and asked me if
wouldn't just listen. and if heard
their baby CRY go in and jog the
cradle 1 said 1 would. like an ass.
and after they'd gone, and long before
I'd begun to listen. that cry broke out
in the next room like haspipe- Cad.
now sleepy I was. But went in and
logged that cradle. josged it ike the
deuce. and the more iogged the more
the little whelp yelled Thought per
hapS> it had the nightmare or some
thing and hauled il out of its bunk
| and kind OF threw IL round 10 wake it
up. bat when tried to see If 1t had its
| ayes open. IN be blamed If could find
any eyes Ii went right on getting
redder and reG6er. bowling like forty
demons. and finally vriggied 50 way
inside of itself that I couldn't see any
l films h-rr rr,-h SS and 9v,.r
where TO take hold OF the little imp
by love, but / was sleepy though.
md mad enough 10 wiring Smiths
| neck, 1 didn't know what ON earth to
cS-never'6 been 80 near = cub in my
life 1 whisSled to il, s~ore at it,
shouted Ben Bolt over it, tried to look
IKE its mother. told it twas -n,uvver's
ownzss1s title irxse, wizzie, dizxie, but
il didn't believe a word of it-lust
booted two ocSaxes higher mp and for
I'VE minutes 1 almost wished 1 vas
dead Then 1 thought I'd lay it down
axasn-never forget how awful sleepy
was-guess my foot slipped or some
thing, anyway. we both fen in the
cradle OF course the poor little thing
broke out in fresh spos-heen fool
II II hadnS-And I h-aced up and be-
gan jogging that cradle again like
naAd, I was desperate. The chandelier
ssnEsed. the pictures got to hanging
crooked. the floor creaked and the
cradle cracked You'd thought all
Bedlana had day of-the little tar
tsrNs howls weren't in it-soundcd as
II they'd been wrapped up and laid
away somewhere an6-suSt then in
walked Smith and his wife and began
20 SpoloSire for staying 80 long, while
made for the door 1 didn't set
there however, Tor Mrs Smith was
looking in the cradle and screaming,
Where, Oh. where is my angel child.
voa monster of q man. And then
smith hooked. too, and leaped all over
me. shouting outs Where is my boy,
you Sco0nGrei>~
Then L looked myself, and felt
, nearer the electric chair than ever
expected to, for that cradle didn't have
y deSflish thing in It, Everything vas
on the door, but the baby vas no.
where. and they went to clawing At
me as IL had il IN an inside pocket,
We heard it talking to itself some
II where, but it might have been u ven
sriloQafst the way IL kept - thinking
III it was eserywhere where it wasn't.
lsandlaay came ap and said the mar
below had notified her that a cable
car WAS hcose UPSTAIRS then the other
hoarssers nceSeS in and helped shake
II things TO see ii the baby Wouldn't fall
out. I tried To explain and said ia
only been Ngsing the cradle, but they
all grsnnea, and one mean e0sS said
he guessed ia been tagging ii he was
Il any judge, OF course the baby was
l aM rsxhs-ewas under the bed. where
II had rolled itself Just for tan. for
il was having better time than any
body in the r,oona> 1 Swore hadn't
Il pat ID there, bat they all hooked Sus>
III Ia