The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-07-23
THE DESERTED
BABY
By LAURA L. HINKLEY

I d LlOIuSul.
She left in HOLSTERS dazed mind
| the confused impression of a pretty
troubled face. a good deal of fair,
| fluffy hair under big white hat, and
furry of skirts down the aisle
that and the undeniable baby on his
| knee
We'll! | call that COOL" calculated
Hollister, gingerly sustaining the in
fant with one hand, as he twisted
round to glare at the car door.
II hope" said Hollister, that your
parent is transacting her affairs ex-
peditiously. happen to know this
train doesn't wait long"
AS he spoke, the premonitory culver
passed through floor and seat, and the
car wheels began to grind along the
rails. Hollister scanned the disap-
pearing platform; he turned with des-
perate hope toward the car door; and,
as the train swept into it's long, pull
sing rush across the country, he said
in his haste several things which the
baby was very fortunately too young
to understand.
He stopped abruptly as the door
opened; but it was only the burly con-
ductor.
SAY" cried Hollister, you've left
woman behind-this child's mother!
Stop the train!"
The conductor advanced TRANQUILITY
down the aisle. Cant stop! We're
40 minutes late now. Telegraph back
from the next station"
What's the next station?" demanded
Hollister, angrily. How far?"
Next station, Forestburg. Twenty
three miles,"
Hollister gasped and looked blankly
at the baby.
wife get OFF," inquired the conduc-
tor, sympathetically.
'She's not my wife," said Hollister,
Indignantly. II never saw her until she
dumped this baby in my lap five min
utes ago."
The trainman grinned unpleasantly.
"Bet you never see her again! She
ain't waitin' for no telegram"
Absurd" cried Hollister, in acute
alarm. People don't abandon babies
dressed like this one!"
Don't they, thought" retorted the
conductor. '1f fsyoud seen all I've seem
Leave any baggage?"
How should 1 know" protested
Hollister. "You might look"
The conductor performed tour OF
inspection. s....,
Mary baggage!" he announced,
cheerfully. "She was cute one, she
was! Picked you ont for a benevo-
lent party likely to adopt the child"
I'm not benevolent party" said
Hollister, firmly. IF the mother
doesn't turn up, shall, of course,
hand the child over to the-er-the
proper authorities"
The conductor stood beside Hollis
ter's seat and nodded thoughtfully.
"All right! Just so! Pretty kid,
amt she?"
How do you know it's she?" asked
Hollister.
Tell by the looks of 'em mostly.
I've had five of my own. Well, good
luck! Hope she don't cry!"
was letting slip the first opportunity
of shifting his charge, but the train
man, in spite of his fivefold paternity,
did not impress Hollister as precisely
the proper authority to deal with the
dainty infant who still clung to his
finger.
Really, mademoiselle," he remarked
In the ensuing solitude a deux, you
do seem to be right up against it,"
''Ah," said the baby, in a soft, vi
vacious, conversational tone, "ba, ba,
v-v-v-v-ha!"
'Precisely!" returned Hollister.
"You touch the exact core of the sit.
uation. Mam-mam has left u.s."
The shining brown eyes surveyed
him seriously. Suddenly, with a wide
display of toothless gums, the baby
laughed.
"Oh, if it strikes you as laughing
matter!" protested Hollister
Gee, gee, gu" gurgled the baby
ecstatically. 1t danced it's elastic lit.
tie body up and down and made vague,
sociable snatches in the air.
You poor little SOUL" Hollister
murmured, with an odd tightening of
the heart which somehow involved
tightening of his arm around the baby.
And in all probability cold Charity
would take to her impersonal bosom
this bewitching mite!
Hollister adopted the conductors
view. Indeed, the woman's aspect, as
he remembered it, seemed sufficient to
inspire any sane man with distrust.
The baby continued a broken, inartic-
ulate monologue of content, and Hol.
lister meditated many things
The baby squirmed, whimpered,
squealed, fretted disdafnfullv at Hol