The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-03-14


of bewildering expressions that lne
impressions of her friends were al
most as vivid as if they were viewing
a mental panorama,
when the train pulled out OF the
depot"
Never mind the train Sylvia; you
said that once before. and 1t IS wen on
its way to New York now interrupt
ed Mrs. Jenney. emerging from lhe
depths of her easy chair.
Il skip the train, but | must insist
upon the loneliness. And the nearer
approached my brand-new house the
more lonely and deserted | felt, ana
nv awe Of my brand-new maid began
to be almost fear. In fact. | began TO
think il was most unfeeling OF Carr
to 90 away and leave me with sucn
stranger
Yes, sighed Mrs Jenney, com
mend me to a really companlonaole
housemaid.'
~ scorn your ignorance. and pit
les you, laughed Sylvia When re-
turned home | found baby less than
three sitting on the porch. One hand
was a red apple, held in a sheer
linen pocket handkerchief like bou.
quot She had taken two bites
through the handkerchief. She wept
like anything like the Walrus and the
Carpenter and held up finger that
bee had not been able to resist KISS.
ing
See who found on my doorstep,
said to Olga, who answered the bell.
Isn't she adorable? | wonder whose
baby she Is
Mine, acknowledged Olga, dog
gedly.
Yours? Why-When-'
In her broken English or Swedish,
as you please, she confessed that while
| was at the station with Carl she had
gone fer the taby, as the woman who
had been boarding the baby could not
keep her any longer Fathers dead.
She has been farmed out ever since.
said nothing but | was busily think
ing as | consulted first aid, then APP
piled some simple remedy to the bee
sting Bat | found nothing in first
aid to assist me with the problem or
fact that tho phlegmatic Olga was the
mother of that beautiful baby. Later
STOLE into the room where the baby
lay sleeping after delectable feast
of sponge cake and milk. The dear
little 'p;n&!e' was bound with some
soothing lotion in absorbent cotton
watched the blood palsing through the
delicate veins OH her white temples.
"A feeling Of 50 much love and long.
ing surged through ne that my own
heart seemed 10 stop bsating-and
miracle Of miracles. When it re-
sumcd lis regular work it seemed to
me that t BEGAN to beat in time with
he baby's Having once experienced
that thrill could NOT conceive Of life
without that liJ,,e tune our hearts
seemed 10 be singing together.
In the kitchen Olga was polishing
my wedding silver With so dull and
listless an air. that it seemed nothing
short Of miraculous that it ever came
out bright and shining She turned
such an apathetic face when men
toned be- name, that my compassion-
ate and sympathetic frame of mind
became almost pu.cious.
. 1t must have been the father who
had some Olympian ancestor inter-
rupted Mrs. Jenney.
Poor soul, she never had and new
er would solve the problem of taking
care of herself and that baby. She
could marry an old sweetheart of hers
if it was not for the baby She begged
me to let her keen the baby with her
until she could find some one to adopt
her When discovered that was be-
side myself with JOY.
ipu SlllS may lIlilh L an y.
You know grandma gave me $500
to buy anything | wanted for a we'd
ding present. 1t Immediately popped
into my head to buy that baby"
Ny soul be on thy guard"
What an idea
Just like Sylvia"
In two hours time had that
woman backed up, gave her my $500.
She promised r,ver to come back and
claim the child She has gone"
And the bah%?
With her fl Sar on her lip. Sylvia
beckoned them into the next room.
The baby was still asleep Her yellow
curls were damp on her forehead, one
chubby hand tucked under her chin.
bare foot with the dearest, pinkest
toes was peeping from under the
cover. Sylvia glanced at the girls ap.
prehensiyely. Their eyes were filled
with tears, but Sylvia saw approba.
ton and eternal allegiance to the new
cause swimming in the tears.
Have you really adopted that
baby"
What will Carl say"