The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05
Just Little Story About Little Tot,
and How it Caused the Years to
Roll Back for the Old People.

! her in bod-pOor, nervous little thing
| hardly more than a baby herself for all
| her wise use of the most advanced baby
| terms.
Nichola hurried downstairs for some
thing hot. aud hustled back after few
minutes absence with a stcamng bowl
| of some mYslerious compound-how do
some people always know what to bring
| You, hot and savoCy, in "A bowie If !
Had gone down to the kitchen / am
sure that ! could have devised nothing
1ut eggs. Nichola insisted upon feed
ng Mil!jccnte--the impudcnt old wo-
nan has noticed that when / am eX-
.ltcd my hands tremble But whose
10 not! Ms for Nichola, as | have Of.
on told her, she could not tremblc If
, giant were TO walk in the front door.
instead of fear. NIchola S way of ONO.
ion is always anger. and | dare say
| he would tartly remind such giant
{ the purpose Of the door.mat.
"Gou d best SAID Nichola 10 me
over her shoulder. Hgo downstairs and
see after that-baby."
Nichola S scorn was scathing. Mich
ola dislikes n great many things, but
the greatest of these is babies. When
she passes one in its pcrambulator |
have seen her take the extreme edge
of tho walk.
once explained ''When you 90 to pick
EN- up, they slimpse.'
/ remembered this failing of Mich
ola IS as ] hurried downstairs TO Pc
lcas. but I was chiefly concerned TO
know how he had got on IN my fifteen
minute absence-Peleas, who will not
even hold my Persian cat.
No sound came from the drawing
room. | crossed the hall quietly and
opened the door. Peleas had managed
to turn on the lights, and furthermore
he had contrived 10 take off the baby
cloak and hood and veil-though usual.
ly he could as easily embroider Il thing
rs to unite II, save after long time.
And there SAT Pcleas on the sofa, with
The baby in one arm, and he was grave
ly holding a lighted match foot from
her face.
AS / looked he threw the burned
match in the CRATE, soherly lighted an-
other. and repeated the performance,
Evidently he construed some movement
Of the baby's face to he an answering
smile; at all events. PeIeas own face
took on most tender and inane ex-
preston. and he said clearly:
'Well-tol, tol, tolly toll Yes!'
and then added in n tone to convince
all the jurors of the world: "Of
courscl'
| hurried forward laughing at him,
for all the sudden lump in my throat.
1t is sad for Peleas TO be nobody's
grandfather when he looks so precisely
like Il grandfather on the stage.
"What are the matches for, Peleas?'
| cried.
He looked up with the adorably
abashed expression that | love to bring
In his eyes.
''They keep its attention, he muir
INJURED apoloGetically. "Nothing else
would. | think it S hungry
- 1T - cried / scornfully. "Why
"'Wen," placidly argued Peleas,
'Eyou said 'It's a girl, and | said 1T s
hungry What s the diffcrence7n
And to This there was really no re-
sponse.
The baby's disturbed babbling sim
mcred TO steady frctting which in
creased in volume and violence. Hun
CRY 'it undoubtedly was.
/ remembered that MilIimente s black
bag lay on the bench in the hall. l
hurried to it, and there was the baby s
bottle-empty. When | came back,
though Peleas was lighting matches at
the top of her small strength.
''She II disturb Millicente,' l said;
"Peleas,' l added, as one suggesting
revolutions, "wo must take her down
to the kitchen and feed her.
All, you to whom such sweet offices
are the bcauty-or, heaven help us, the
burdenl-of every day, what can you
possibly know of the thrill of that mo-
ment TO one whose arms have been
empty for so long-so long? / protest
that holding the KEYS TO The Hague,
and to all Holland, and TO whole conti~
nents is not TO be compared TO the radi-
ant responsibility of that moment.
Peleas promptly stood up and extend
ed his arms.
"Take her, said he, with enchant-
ing masculine helplessness. Peleas will
not even let me carry my primroses
up and down stairs, but merely because
this was a baby he resigned his rightsi
Really I had we'll high forgotten how
extraordinarily humble men are in such
presence.
j took her In my arms, and she set
tied down with that contented little
gurgle which always attends a baby g
changing hands, most subtly fattering
the new nurse until the storm breaks
afresh, harder than ever before. This
the storm did not, and looked at Peleas
little wildly. For whatever was to
be done, / must do.
$50 first said Like Caesar TO
his torch bearer on the lip of the Rubi-
con-"and open the kitchen door"
We went down the stairs, one foot
at time, and when Peleas opened the
door the sight warmed my heart. Tho
kitchen was CHEEKY and brightly light
ed, hot fire was blazing in the range,
and the tca-kettle was singing away
to make the most miserable at peace.
Sometime ] shall write an ESSAY CON
| tanning advice to those who are bluest,
and the sum of it will be: go and put
on the tea kettle.
| / sat by the fire while Peleas, by