The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-23

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 The next summer the worlda turned absolutely upside down for the boys. When they returned lome Anita already there and-as Heaven i above!-she had a babyi
 Now of they all knew that babies were common, ordinary everyday things, Anita to have one!-Anta!
 Did you think of Anita with baby?' Harry asked Will.
 -'Naw-she said she going around the world," Will replied.
 Then they struggled somewhat sheepishly, uI to call on Anita. and were shown the baby, cum ming little tot, with eyes tightly shut, and a dim pied fist in it's mouth.
 Anita put her hand gently Toms shoulder when it he who contemplating the little creature, and said:
 Do you know 1t seems to if he belong ged to the eight of us together. Don't forget to sci him a good example always, will you dear, and remember, if lots of uble him ol to me, shall look to you to help out. Remem ber''
 Tom could not know that of 1ife's clouds had already begun to gather for his old playmate but he did feel to put his hand hers and press it warmly, while sharp stab struck him in vital part and slew his boyhood then and there
 As the summer the strangeness wore eff and they all grew good friends with the baby wno in his turn learned to know them all, and reach out his to them a1l and cry out with joy when they tossed him. Anita's husband did not appear he most frightfully rushed with business, and his wife and child stayed until late October before he had time arrange 1Or their return.
 It was that winter that the terrible financial crash came. Fortunes were lost in hour, homes ruined, committed suicide under pressure equang any in hell, and FOOT little Anita, just nineteen. creeping back to her mother in . March with a white face, black dress and veil, money, and her lovely, laughing baby
 By the of the awful grief had been somewhat asSinilated, and all the eight mothers reunited, tley had rot been in years, over the cradle that had once been Anita's Eight great wells of maternal love and human kindness bub- b1ed up around the poor little widowed girl and her child, and only object seemed to animate them all-the object of iavishing all their best gifts upon the little and his mother.
 When the young men came home from college they found the order of the day not only inaugurated and working we'll, but incumbent on every newcomer to adopt. Very cheerfL lily they adopted it and Anta's baby passed through his second summer without guessing that he was poor to have a nursery maid.
 Along toward September curious phenomenon manifested itself. All the decided separately to quit college and to work For reasons best known to themselves, two years more of study seemed utterly impossible to contemplate. Never such unanimous desire to labor Tom said nothing whatever to his family but went 10 Denver on his own hook and started in railroading there. Harry studied bookkeeping nights. Francis George sent three poems to magazine and was so artful as to inclose address for fear that ad ddress might betray his flights to his mother Indeed they and all threw out baltimore less we'll prepared-to independence.
 The mothers were much agitated when this state of affairs became known, and Johns mother said she feared his health giving way, which was just what she had always expected-he being her only child. Johns father not without alarm at this idea, and John freed from edu- cationa1 shack1es and made assistant manager in one of his rich uncles mills. Toms parents never had been able to Il anage him, and he was harder than ever to do anything with that he was in Denver. they didn't try, and of course he didn't go back to college.
 Francis Georges mother wanted him to be a diplomat and his father wanted him to be pro- duce merchant Oike himself) and goodness knows what they would have said :his sudden turn in his career had they known of it. But before Fran cis George thought prudent to enIighteu them he fell i'll with typhoid fever and that disposed of him for while.
 In the end four didn't go back and three did and the winter passed smoothly along with all the mothers, except Francis Georges (she had her hands full with Francis George and his typhoid fever), very much interested in the baby's prog ress, and taking Anita out to drive. and in minding arEthcr of how like old times it all
 
 But poor little Anita didn't appear able to join in of the pleasant happenings. spring began to grow sunsbiny she began to grow paler and whitcr than ever-and then almost before anyone h~d noticed, she began cough.
 There is something furtve and awful about a cough. It may mean nothing or it may such lot. Anita's mother was frightened half to death, the family doctor suggested Colorado, and Toms mother (from whom he inherited his strength of will) suddenly declared that she was going to her boy and that she was going to take Anita with her.
 It seemed the only thing to be done.
 The morning of the day before they left Harry came and took her to drive. During the drive he stuttered and stammered and finally succeeded