The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-13

of the carrier, while Miss lilly Slowboy, who had a way of holding monologs addressed to the baby in the third person, began crooning, as she tossed the ''pre- cious' to and fro And did it's mother want 1t to stay then, and did it make Its hair grow brown and curly by lifting it's cap off. and did it scare it's mother, a precious pest, sitting by the freq
 From all of which, if John had been paying attention, he might have sus- pected that 1t had been some action on the part of the deaf Stranger which had sent Dot into mysteries And yet the next day the Stranger did not leave the house, but arranged somehow to engage board there for a time until his attendant should call for him.
 So the Cricket sang upon the hearth at night and the carrier smoked his pipe and unused beside it while his thoughtful wife, now so silent and thoughtful, saw not an aged wanderer, unknown, sitting with them, but in his place the figure of a young man undisguised by wig or spectacles and heard again the words which had so agitated her at first: Mar ried, and not to me?" Thus the time came for the visit of John and Dot to the house of Caleb Hummer and his blind daughter. There was first, of course, considerable commotion in the home of the carrier; for little Mrs. Perrybingle could not possibly think of going anywhere without the baby and to get the baby under way took time. Not that there was much of the baby, but there was much to do about and about 1t; and 1t had to be done slowly and by easy stages.
 For instance, when the baby was got by hook or crook, to a certain point of dressing where you might reasonably suppose another touch or two might fin- ish him off and turn him out top-to- bay, challenging the world. he was sud- denly extinguished in a red flannel night cap and laid away to simmer for an hour, as 1t were, between the blankets whence he was recalled to indulge in-well in general terms permit me to speak of # as slight repast," after which he was put away again and went to sleep
 And there was Miss lilly Slowboy in- sinuating herself into a sponsor of a fashion so surprising and ingenious that 1t had nothing to do with her or with anything else in the universe; but was a shrunken, dog-eared independent fact pursuing its lonely course without refer ence to anybody. But at last they were all started safely in the carriers cart, the baby, Miss Slowboy, Dot and John veal and ham pie and "things' and the bottled beer. Away when one of these state visits was made to Caleb s mansion Dot made 1t condition of her coming that she should be allowed to furnish the veal and ham pie and things" By the bye," said John in pause in the merry talk, that old gen. tieman'' (again so visbly and instantly embarrassed Ines an odd fish. But don't believe there is any harm in Nm." None at all, I am sure,' said Dot eager ly. 'Yes?" replied John, his eyes at tracted to her face by the great earnest Eess of her manner, "I am glad you feel so certain about it.
 And thus the convoy arrived at the house of the toymaker, where blind Bertha received Dot with many caresses and kisses, and Caleb did the honors in hearty and merry way peculiar to his cheerful disposition. It was a little fog BY, to be sure, for 1t was January wealth CT and was raw and cold. But who cared? It was cheerful enough in the home of Caleb Hummer. May Field ing was already there when they ar rived. So was her mother-a little, quer- uious chip of an old lady with peevish face who. in right of having waist like bedpost, was supposed to have a most transcendent figure, and in consequence of having once been better off-or of laboring under the impressieh that she might have been if something had hap pened which did not happen in the indigo trade and had never been particularly likely to happen-was very genteel and patronizing indeed. Tackelton was also there, doing the agreeable and as much in his native element in that character aJ fresh young salmon would be on the top of the Great Pyramid But Tackelton was man of taste beyond all ques-. tion-May was very pretty. Tackelton had brought leg of mutton, and, won derful to relate. tart besides. But