The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-09-12

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Of Tootles and Raggles. !Tootles Ii 0f.
teen months old. 1t may interest you
to know. We cant afford to have Too
ties scream with terror every time
she sees you. and It would be most nm
fortunate II Raggles should growl and
snap at you as he does at all suspicious
strangers. Once in awhile he bites,
too. Do you like babies?"
"Yes. IL think I do" he said doubt
ingly. II daresay | could cultivate I
taste for 'em; but. I say" with eager
enthusiasm, II love dOgsv
1T may be distinctly In your favor
that Raggles loathes the real Roxbury.
He growls every time that Roxy kisses
Edith"
HAS he ever bitten Roxy for itr'
NO" obviously. ''but Roxy has had
to kick him On several occasions"
How very tiresome-to kick and,
kiss at the same time!"
"Raggles is very Jealous. you under
stand"
That's more than l can say for dear
old Roxy. But I'll try to anticipate
Raggles by compelling Edith to keep
her distance" he said, scowling dark-
ly. HAS it not occurred to you that
Tootles will be pretty-er-much Of q
nuisance when it comes to mountain
climbingY' He felt his way carefully
in saying this.
"Oh. dear me. Roxbury! Would you
have left the poor little darling ct
home-in all that dreadful HEATH"
Pm sure I couldn't have been blam.
ed for leaving her at home," he pro.
tested. ''She didn't exist until half an
hour ago. Heavens. how they do
spring up!'
The remainder Of Brooks day was
spent in getting acquainted with his
family, or, rather. his menage. There
were habits and foibles. demands and
restrictions that he had to adapt him.
self to with ~unvarying benignity. He
made d friend of Raggles without half
trying. Dogs always took to him. be
admitted modestly. Tootles was leas
vulnerable. She howled consistently,
at each of his first half dozen ad-
ances His courage began to wane
with shocking rapidity. His next half
hearted advances were in reality In
glorious retreats. Spurred on BY the
sustaining Constance. he stood by his
gums and at last was gratif1ed to zee
faint signs Of surrender. By midday
he had conquered. Tootles permitted
him to carry her up and down the sta
ton platform (she was too young to
realize the risk she RAM. Edith and
Constance. with the beaming nurse
and O'Brien. applauded warmly when.
he returned from his 6rst promenade.
bearing Tootles and proudly heeled BY
Raggles. Fond mothers in the crowd
Of hurrying travellers found time to
look upon him and smile. as II to say.
"What 4 nice mani" He could alm0sA
hear them saying It, which no doubt
accounted for the intense ruddiness of
his cheeks.
do you ever spank herr" he de-
manded once Of Mrs. Medcroft after
Tootles had brought tears to his eyes
with a potent attack upon his nose.
She caught the light Of danger In his
gray eyes and hastily snatched the Of
tending Tootles from his arms.
Miss Fowler kept him constantly at
work with his eyeglass and his Eng
lish. neither of which he was manag-
ing well enough to please her critical
estimate In fact. he labored all day
with the persistence. II not the sullen-
ness. Of a hard driven slave. He did
not have time to become tired. There
was always something new to be done
or learned or unlearned; his day was
full to overlooking. He was q man Of
family.
The wife Of his bosom, was tranquil
lily itself. She was enjoying herself.
When not amusing herself BY watch.
ing Brooks misfortunes she was nap.
ping or reading or sending out for cool
drinks. With all the selfishness of
a dutiful wife she was content to shift
responsibilities upon that ever conven-
lent and useful creatures detached
J sister. :,
Brock sent kilograms for her from
cities along the way-Ulm. Munich.
Salzburg and others-all meant for the
real Roxbury in London, but sent to
q fictitious being in Great Russell
street. the same having been agreed
upon by at least two Of the c0nspira-
tors. It mattered little that she re-
peated herself monotonously in regard
to the state Of health Of herself and
Tootles. Roxbury would doubtless en-.
! JOY the protracted happiness brought
on BY these dispatches. even though
they got him out Of bed or missed him
altogether until they reached him in
! 4 bunch. the & day, He may alsq
dave been gratifed 10 bear from MI
Mich that Roxbury was perfectly love.
". She said IN the course Of hef
longest dispatch that she was % glad
that the baby was getting u like bel
father more and more 10 the day
wore on. n
At ~ station Brock narrowly escap,
ed missing the train He SWUNG him.
self aboard M the cars were rolling out
OF the sheds Al NJ sank, hot and en-
hauxted. into the s.st OppOnite his wifi
4 ond hor ~Sutur tho fnrmnnr tnOknd ~