United labor bulletin., 1910-12-01
Somebody's Baby
By LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Literary Press


caretaker. She spent ten minutes
looking at the young man and rush.
ing around to find where the fire was.
and was then taken by the arm by
her sister and rushed for the train.
and they were hardly aboard when
the wheels began to move. They had
found a seat when they suddenly
missed something and cried out in
chorus:
my stars. but where is baby?"
If Miss Ethel Huntington hadn't
been 10 excited when she laid baby
down she might have noticed Paul
Ashley sitting close by. She would
have pronounced him a young man of
about twenty-three. very good-looking,
well dressed and a gentleman. She
could have figured. that he was there
to take train. but would have had to
guess that he was a civil engineer.
Yes, he sat there, and he saw baby
dumped down and knew that the ex-
citement had called its attendant
away. He moved one seat nearer the
| infant, instead of three seats further
away, as many a young man would
have done, and he said to himself. re-
! ferring to Miss Ethel:
"She isn't the mother. or she'd
never have done that. and she's too
good looking and well dressed for q
nurse girl Couldn't have brought
the kid here to abandon. Not old
enough to be SO hardened. Probably
come back in five minutes. Ha!
There she goes for the train with
another lady! Clear case. and the
kid goes to founding home!"
But it didn't. 1t awoke and smiled
at the man bending over 1t. He
smiled back. Then a woman came
iup and blushed and laughed and
said:
so the mink played game on
your"
'If you want to hand 1t back on her
can help you" continued the wom-
an with the same sarcastic smile.
There was another woman with her,
and she went away to buy ticket
for Blankville. twenty miles out.
That's where they have gone to-
gether."
"And that's where I'll follow" said
Mr.. Ashley. II think / can get it
there all right"
Sure. You are young man of
spunk. 1t has nursing bottle here.
and If 1t cries. you feed It,"
When the baby was missed by its
mother and aunt the train was under
full headway. The railroad company
doesn't stop and back up its trains for
lost babies. The only way was to
get off at the first station. seven
miles out. and send telegram to the
depot master and follow 1t by the
first train. Another telegram was
sent to the father. Mother and aunt
returned to the city and rushed up
and down the big depot. They found
plenty of babies. but not the baby
wanted. After twenty minutes of the
greatest anxiety, and after Miss Ethel
had pointed out the spot ten times
over where she had laid the infant
down. an old man who explained
that he was going to Montana when
ever his train came along. added
Say, I saw a young fellow steal
! that kid Yes. sir, he looked all
around to see If anybody was watch
ing, and then smiled and clucked at
her and took her up and walked out
to train I'd have tackled him. only
I'm an old man and have a bad liver.
The doctor told me not to get ex-
cited. Yes. sir. he stole that baby
as sure as shooting. and he's a hun
dred miles away by this timei"
There was weeping and wailing and
telephoning to Mr.. Congdon and tele-
graphing to conductors. One of the
latter answered:
Young man with a baby In his
arms got off at Blahkville. Had my
suspicious"
The trail led to Blankville. Irony
of Fate! Young man steals a baby
in Philadelphia and gets OF the train
where it's father and mother live. A
telegram to the police at BlankvilIe
read:
ARREST young man who got of
five o'clock train with a girl baby.
Case of kidnapping"
And there being no case for the
police to blunder and arrest an old
woman leading goat. they nabbed
Mr.. Paul Ashley as he sat In the de-
pot playing with the stolen child and
asking everybody II they could iden-
tify 1t. Father. mother and Aunt
Ethel arrived and rurhed and precipi-
tated themselves. and that sweetest,
incest. darlingest little bit OF human
ity actually kicked and fought and
cried when torn from the arms of
its bold-faced abductor.
The police had no case. The o-'y
case they appeared to be. after ex-
plantations had been made. was be-
tween Miss Ethel and Mr.. Ashley. It
hasn't been fully concluded yet. but
it has been settled that Paris will be
one Of the continental cities visited
during the coming summer.