Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-15

sturdily Juggling away: Portia. too. was
revelation. He had never seen that
softened glow upon her 1t set him to
thinking.
The tike" said he. with affectionate
gruffness by and by. and POrtia looked
up at him and smiled appreciatively.
The crowd in the car had thinned out
somewhat by this time, and there were
plenty OF seats The couple with the
other baby seemed to be experienced
travellers, for the man handed his wife the
sleeping little one and preempted double
seat just across the aisle from Hallam
and Portia. He went out of the car and
presently returned with One-legged
board. such as railroad porters fix be-
tween the seats for card tables. Bending
the leg out of the way he fitted the board
firmly down between the cushions of the
two seats, thus Joining them into a broad.
fiat couch. On one of the seats the wOm-
an then laid her baby, secure in the
knowledge that If it turned over or was
jolted it could not roll to the floor. and
the couple sat down contentedly in the
seat just ahead.
It was but q few minutes until the Bart
lett baby let the bottle fall. empty. from
its relaxed hands. and with sweet COO
Of comfort looked up at Portia and smiled
adorably She snuggled him to her and
began a soft. grooming song in which the
baby after a while, Joined her with a
sleepy note. Hallam was spellbound. He
had seen this sort of thing before, but 1t
had never hit him with such force. The
motherly side of Portia was the most en-
trancing thing he had ever witnessed in
this world and she had been attractive
enough before to keep him awake OF
nights. He drew a deep sigh. and found
that he was holding the bottle with sentl-
mental tenderness.
Portia was looking out of the window
far. far away. with a soft light in her
eyes that nothing but the clasp or help
less baby in her arms could nave put
Loh
came wide open with Jerk. biinked
closed. came open slowly. blinked. closed.
and then the little fist. that had been rest
ing against the side of its head In pro
test against drOwsiness, fell kimberly to
it's side The borrowed baby was asleep
Hallam gently arose. He supported
Portals arm as she quietly got up. and
steadied her as she stepped over and laid
the baby down on the seat across from
the other one The young married couple
looked back and smiled cordially. The
conductor came through and paused to
scowl fondly down at the slumbering In.
nOcents 1t was easy to tell that ne had
one or two of his own at home. The fat
man tiptoed across the aisle and gloated
over them. He told the young married
couple. and Portia and Hallam. and the
conductor. and the woman IN the RED nat
and purple talcum powder, and the work.
man in the Bingham shirt. and the big
boned country boy. and the ICY gentleman
In the silk tile. each one separately ana
individually. that he was the 1athef or
three beautiful children himself His
ewes were watery with tenderness as he
sat down. and he mopped his brow with
out intermission for the next ten miles.
smiling with irrepressible good intention
all the while.
Portia and Hallam. in the meantime.
had slipped back to their seat. each one
nursing secret thrill of pride. as If they
were responsible for something or other
immensely creditable. and talked about
h,,t he thor and the
books.
They stopped for a moment at another
way station by and by. and their view OF
two corncribs and a haystack was sud