El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-30
The Herald's Daily
ShortStOry

Wen have hundreds and hundreds OF
folks as have babies of their own TAX
ing pity on the bereaved and broken
hearted parents, which is me and you.
Then we'll hear of babies here and
there Wot have been picked up, and
we won't have the fare to go and see,
whether it's our baby or not, and folk
viii put their hands in their pockets
to bring out the guilds for the rail-
way tickets It'll be the most
bloomin' time Of our lives. The kid'u
be worth her weight in gold. l
shouldn't wonder II we are able to
start a blOOmin' saloon or something"
You're sure the babys all right
asked Mrs Jones. when I handed her
to you, at the first station as the train
stopped at, you looked to me as you
'ad been drinking. You are sure no
one saw you with her in some saloon
while you were getting a drink?"
I didn't take her in no saloon,
replied Jones. When I went into
Charley's place 1 left her outside. A
lady was standing there holding a ba-
by, so I gave her Emmeline to hold
too"
The news Of Jones terrible bereave-
ment being duly chronicled in the pa
perS with certain embellishments by
a skilful descriptive reporter, all went
just as Jones mad anticipated. Babies
were discovered in all parts of the
country.
mat Jones and Mrs. Jones-'the dis
tracted parents" as the papers described
them-should not have the oppor-
tuuity OF interviewing those infants
to see whether one of them was not
the missing Jones, simply because
they had not railway fare was more
than the public could bear. The funds for
their doing so poured in. Jones aid
ten thousand miles travelling a week;
Mrs. Jones was quickly incapacitated
from accompanying him
Seated in his arm chair, Mr.. Jones
was one afternoon cogitating the pro-
ject Of baby being found at the
Cape Of Good Hope bearing startling
resemblance to Emmeline, and Of ap-
pealing to the public for his fare-to
be provided ten times Oyer-when
Mrs. Jones hastily announced visitors.
I believe you are Mr.. Jones?" asked
the sad faced gentleman who appeared
I an Jones', he replied. 7 am
Jones' the bereaved parent"
He had visions OF the sad faced man
turning out to be a millionaire come
to plump down something really hand
some towards the recovery Of the mis-
sing child.
.'Then." went on the sad faced man,
7 arrest you for stealing a child upon
the night of August p from a woman
who had charge of it outside a saloon.
You placed a child in her arms, alleg-
ing you wanted her to take charge
of il while you went inside for re-
freshment, and by coming out later,
you, by a trick, palmed that infant off
upon her in place of the one she was
holding.
1T was by the last picture of you in
the newspapers you were identified
Look here" shrieked Jones, its
all a mistake blooming mistake!
And If I did take the wrong kid from
the woman, I left one in place, didn't
I? One kids as good as another,
amt it?"
Opinions differ" replied the sad
faced man
Mr.. Jones vainly sought to explain
everything" from the dock. His eff
forts were not a success. The prose-
cution, on the other hand seemed to
explain a lot
"A most imprudent fraud" declared
the judge. "A brain capable of con-
cocting such plot is a danger to the
community"
He condemned Jones brain to a rest
for is months and the rest of Jones to
hard labor for the same time.