The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05

~ "a ana 10 see nti WIN bti '''f
81 in her arms is considerably
W like watching 4 wax doll play
with a kitten, or n Wild rose
give attention TO a butterfly
No one can think how tcnderlv we OBJ
serve hcr-Peeas and |, who are sew
cnty and are supposed to be concerned
with far sobercr matters. In reality
we know none of the sweet surprises
of experience and even of wisdom that
so confirm our JOY in life as the sighl
of our niece Millicente with her baby.
1t chanced that when the baby was
but few weeks old the yonng fathc
was called To The Hague upon som,
government business state of affair
for which II really seemed to Peleas
and me that the United States should
be called to account. For experience
shows that the government Will 60 ir
1esistibly forward, but Millicente S
husband can never be compensated for
that absence; and | would like To have
any one object who can believe diff.
ferently.
For all his impaIience to see whether
lnG IlltlG HulQ nhl lbdllN grown W W.
manhood in those SIX weeks or so, nc
was obliged to report at Washington
Immediately upon his return. Conse-
quently, when the steamship was almost
due, our niece Millicente found that
she could wait Tor him 10 see the
baby amazing Improvement not one
day later than that upon which his
boat was to arrive. So she took train
somewhere in Vermont with that very
little child and arrived at our house
few minutes before her telegram, IN
q sad state of collapse and almost
burning up with fever. She has no
nurse maid. They are very young mar
ried people indeed.
The nigh, that MilHcente and her
baby reached us. Peleas and | had
been sitting for an hour in the dark Of
the drawing room. We were happy
enough, and vet IT was one of the
nights when all the little shadows that
live so very near to one come creeping
forth, each made bolder by the others.
And when one is seventy there are
many shadows-though kept back for
the greater part of the time, mind you,
and never so much as allowed To show
their faces. But somewaY that night
all the shadows had arranged rendeZ
vous, and Peleas and | were sitting in
a very circle of them.
eve dreamed il differently, Ettare,'
Peleas had said slowly.
/ knew what he meant. Have we
not all dreamed it dillerentlyG And
then we sat thinking of the Great
Dream that we had and lost-a dream
so bright that ii was like q star. For
though we are seventy now, and many
bright vistas are closed to US, there
was time-when Peleas could still
model and ! could write so that a few
were deceived-that the Great Dream
for one radiant year was in our home,
too, and went away when little Cedric
died. For years since then we have
gone wondering where he may be now,
without US? For he was so very little
when he left us-hc could hardly take
a. step alone even by clingiug TO my
with all our might. And so. lest he
may still be needing us as he needed us
then, we are never very far from him
in thought, and that night we talked
long of him, and one by one all the
other little shadow dreams went away
in the presence of this dream that was
no shadow, but something far more
beautiful and terrible.
So we were sitting with "Do you re-
member'' and "But do YOU remem.
ber?'f on our lips when the door bell
rang and Nichola, our old servant. came
grumbling UP the stairs to answer IT.
We wondered little, for we have few
visitors and no small excitements. We
wondered the more when the drawing
room. door was thrown open aad on
the threshold appeared Nichola, bearing
in her arms a white bundle that wore
long and alarmingly fluffy skirts.
Nichola!' we both cried in a flut
ter-for you do'not know how pleasant
il is when the days grow colorless to
have something happen which You your
self did not bring about tNicholal
What is it?''
"It's a baby Nichola informed US
grimly. and laid it In Peleas's arms
fnce downward. as he told me after
ward. Then she beckoned me to the
hall and 1 went. barely able to stand,
for / was certain that it had been left
in basket on the steps with moth
ing but locket, and whatever were we
to do with it2
Nichola!'' / painted. "whose
baby9"
Nichola was bending over the bench
in the hall, and there sat poor little
Millicente. her face flushed with fever,
cryinr helplessly.
E'N-nobody told me-" she sobbcd on
my shoulder, "what it would be like
to travel with six-weeks-old baby.
She cried every m-mile OF the way
here-and she is a good baby, tool -
Bless the little mothersl / have
never yet known one who would not
assure you, though in The presence Of
q child exhibiting A most dreadful tenn
per- that her baby was usually SO
good. too.'
Together, though suppose that I him
dered far more than j helped. Nichola
and l got Millicente upstairs and put