Evening journal., 1909-03-15
= THE =
ADOPTED BOY


more even tempered couple than Dea-I
con Tanner and his wife. They had
come to be fifty years old and were
childless.
The Rev. Mr.. Peters had succeeded
the parson who had had charge of the
church at Bamfield to which the dea-
con and his wife belonged.
One day a calamity happened in the
village. A gale blew down a barn in
which a resident and wife had taken
refuge. and they were killed. while a
year-old baby in the mothers arms
was miraculously spared. The victims
had friends. but no relatives that could
be heard of. Several good women came
forward to take care of the little Or
phan, but Mr.. Peters had his plans In
regard to that matter. He didn't think
1t right for the child to be shifted from
one to the other. but felt must be
provided with n permanent home and
grow up in gratitude and goodness.
He therefore called upon Deacon Tan
ner and his wife and suggested and
argued and insisted that they legally
adopt the little stranger. A great deal
was said about hearth, home and tho
prattle Of innocence; also about n
staff to lean on in their declining years.
In their goodness and innocence the
couple agreed with him, and the neces-
sary legal steps were taken and the
kid turned over to them. and every
body was happy, particularly those
who had got 1t off their hands after
weeks of affiiction. On the next Sun
day most of the sermon was devoted
to this tender incident, and the deacon
went home feeling good His wife had
remained home to take care of the
adopted, who had developed a beauti-
full case of rash that morning.
Only about a week had passed since
the adoption when the neighbors be-
gan to whisper that they could see a
change I'm Deacon Tanner and his wife.
They were losing their smiles. There
was something wrong somewhere. and
when It was hinted to the minister he
called in hopes to solve the problem.
He wasn't kept waiting very long.
with tears. in her eyes Mrs. Tanner
said:
"The deacon has called me foolF'
'You can't mean it?"
'But ! do. He has called me a fool
dozen times over"
"But whyf"
Because Of the baby. The little
thing hadn't had the collie over five
nights running and kept us up most of
each night when the deacon said was
n fool for wanting to adopt 1t, and he's
keeping it up"
'It seems incredible. will go out
into the garden and speak to him
about it."
Out he went and demanded an ex-
PLANTATION and got it.
"But she has called me an old idiot"
said the deacon in defense.
"Impossiblel Why should she?"
"On account Of that young 'un.
Whenever he howls she says was an
old idiot to saddle US with him."
The good man administered sootf 90
sirup to man and wife in liberal quan1
tity, and when he took his departure
they had almost forgiven each other.
Nevertheless the end of another week
saw more trouble. While standing at
his back door in the afternoon the dea-
con was overheard to say to his wifo
| IN the kitchen:
you think he's coming down with
the measles now, do you. and that it
win be four weeks before he is over
/ it7 Well, / want to say that If be
comes down I'm going to leave this
house. If you'd had the brains Of a
chickadee you'd never have got such a
nuisance here"
And later on a neighbor could have
sworn to the fact that she saw the dea-
cons wife out under the pear tree, with
her apron to her face. and overheard
her exclaim to herself:
Il can't stand 1t to live with an idiot
and a bowling baby much longerl I'm
getting to be a desperate woman"
Neither the deacon nor his wife ap.
peared at church next day. and toward
evening the minister called. He found
the baby bowling. the adopted mother
crying and the deacon hiding away up
in the garret.
''What do you think" walled the
wife as she tried TO clear her eyes Of
the tears. neither one of us got a
wink Of sleep last night. and the dea-
con called baby a hyena and me a
mutton headed scarecroww
ut can't ber'
"And what did she call me7" added
the deacon as he came down from his
roost. II told her that the baby had
mumps instead Of measles, and she
said didn't know enough to feed hogs
and that she wished she had never set
eyes on mew
But this can't go on" protested the
shocked minister.
"No; I'll leave him tomorrow ex-
claimed the wife.
an leave her firstp added the dea-
con.
After an hour the good man went
away. He talked his best and then
left the matter I'm the hands of Provi-
dence. Providence took hold Of things
and. knowing far more than minister
about the results of introducing a
bowling baby into the home Of a cou.
pie fifty years old, went at it and
brought on collie. scarlet rash, whoop-
ing cough and pneumonia. and -four
days later the little one was with the
angels. and a voice was saying to the
deacon and wife.