The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-11-03

oSS ~ anu Aos JOu AuA OH dncou dAu
would try to grab 1t out of your hands,
and by and by you would let him
have 1t, because 1t was only a stick.
anyhow. and you didn't want it-that
Is. till the dog got it; then you wanted
It,
That was fine game, and 1t took
them several blocks away from the
house where Mrs. Smith sat calmly
content in her work, secure in the
knowledge that the Brainerd girls
were petting and coddling the young
ster and spelling him, and getting his
stomach out of whack, and teaching
him bits Of choice new slang for them
to laugh at when he repeated it. and
loving him half to death
In one of the smooth, wide drive
ways stood a quiet automobile, and a
man wearing leather cap and very
black face was doing something or
other with delightfully."- dirty-looking
tools.
A little way off, up near the foun-
tain, another man sat on bench. He,
too, had on leather cap. but his face
was clean and his clothes were clean,
and. what was more fascinating than
all. he was feeding peanuts to the
squirrels.
He walked right up and held out his
right hand. The white dog. at the
same time. walked up to the man and
shifted. but 1t was only a perfunctory
sniff. He. too. possessed the clairvoy-
ance that could see through clothes
and countenances and fair speech to
the hearts Of men.
The young man promptly proceeded
to fill both chubby hands. Peanuts
stuck out from them In every direc-
ton, and one fell upon the ground In
trying to pick it up he dropped six.
What is your nsme?" asked the big
man in one Of the intervals Of shelling
and feeding.
Robert Walsingham Smith waited
until he had swallowed what Yas in
his mouth, as he had been carefully
taught to do. and then be replied
Clearly anu cOuclS0ly.
Name, Wobbawassinmiss."
Exactly" agreed the man. 81
thought 1t must be something like
that. If you don't mind. however. I'll
just call you Tyks 1t comes handler. /"
Il tired"
why, bless my soul so you must
bel" replied the man, becoming sud
denly aware that the small morsel
of humanity had been standing all
this time on two amazingly small feet.
He glanced down at the dust-grimed
little shoes and gathered the young
ster compassionately in his big arms.
Tyke rested his head contentedly
back in the comfortable angle he
found waiting for 1t.
The big man started to talk about
the birds and tn. squirrels and the
other things that he judged might in
terest tykes in general. glancing down
every now and then and watching for
the monosyllabled replies that came
more and more slowly. In one of
these glances he observed that the
blue eyes were glazing and that the
lids were dropping.
Here. Tyke," said he hastily, this
won't do! Somebody will be looking
for you"
But the sleep of Likelihood knows
no logic 1t comes when 1t Wills as
irresistible as doom it1elf, and the man
suddenly found himself the possessor
of a strange baby that was sound
asleep.
Here's a nice muddle," he specu-
lated. Now what asn l going to do
with this?"
1t was a puzzling question, and
quite naturally he looked down ct
the cause of the puzzle, as If to seek
an answer there. In all his life the
man had never before held a sleep
ing baby in his arms. He gazed In
awe upon the thin eyelids with their
delicate blue veinings. How large the
eyes beneath them were! What won
derful curving lashes were those that
spread down their delicate arcs,
What a marvellous complexion was
this upon the rounded cheeks! How
like fine-spun gold was that waving
hairl What beautiful thing, more
wondrously beautiful than any other
created object, was the curve of those
little lips! What a warm, chubby
| sturdy body was this that lay In his
arms and against his breastl
The Precipitation Of summer sleep
began to bead out upon the child's
forehead, and, moving as gently as II
he feared even breath might disturb
the harmony Of this exquisite picture
the man drew his handkerchief from
his pocket and gently wiped away
the moisture
The moment was a revelation tc
this man who had fought ell his life
Really. there seemed. after all. some
thing in the world besides business
and competitors, besides money and
stocks and bonds. besides the struggle
for place and fame and riches. He
was q man who, having attained bis
pinnacle, could look back upon the
course over which he had come and
view now. with a trace OF compassion
some of the rounds OF the ladder thai
he had broken In his ascent. These
things had never bothered him much
but just now they required to him
and made him feel Just little bit al
If he were almost unworthy to be the
bearer Of this beautiful little burden
that seemed suddenly a holy and g
sacred thing.
A sharp, clicking sound broke IN
upon his reverie. and then a RAPID
chugging. He looked around. Hii
chauffeur had succeeded at last in fix
ing his automobile. and there 1t stood
whirring and trembling. eager to dash
away. He arose and walked over te
the machine. The dog had beer
asleeD. hat 0aly IN that light slumbsl