Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-06-02
Baby Love
By ETHEL HOLMES

like the child that comes to them after
marriage 1t has its babyhood, its
childhood and its youth. AS baby is
delicate little thing, liable to be
snuffed out by the slightest adverse
happening, so Is the beginning Of love.
Young love has its measles, its whoop-
ing cough and its collie.
Charlie Edmonds was twenty-one
and Rosa Lee eighteen when they be-
came engaged. There was a cyclone of
ecstasy for twenty-four hours, then a
revulsion. Charlie wondered If he
hadn't done something dreadful. He
wanted to go right off and put himself
back where he was before; but, be-
ing a man of honor and not seeing
how he could honorably do so, he hest
tated. Besides, he shrank from going
back on the wild enthusiasm of the
initial transports and confessing that
he was so unstable. The truth is he
was staggered by the responsibilities
he had assumed.
Forty-eight hours absence from his
love was quite enough to cause him to
forget the responsibilities and to long
for another kiss. 1t was o'clock in
the afternoon when this new phase
came over him, and he resolved to go
to see her after dinner. That would
be s o'clock. How would he get
through those intervening three hours?
At half past 7 he could stand it no
longer and started for her home. Fortu-
nately it required fifteen minutes to
get there. He saw a figure at the
front window and on entering the
drawing room saw the girl sitting in
the cleaning. He advanced to en-
brace her. She waved him back.
II suppose it is all mistake" she
said.
"All a mistake" His heart sank
within him.
Eyes. 1t is impossible that you can
love me and remain away from me all
these long days"
"All these long days! Why, we have
been engaged only since the night be-
fore last
II sat here in this window waiting
for you till o'clock, then went to bed
and cried all night"
"Poor, dear little GIRL" he said, wind
ing his arms about her and smuggling
her face-or, rather, her hps-against
his.
The first spasm Of baby love had
passed and was succeeded by six hours
Of rapture.
He started to go at 2 a. M, got to
the drawing room door at 2:15, and the
last kiss was at 2:30 in the vestibule.
Baby love didn't have a spasm or
anything else for another two days.
Meanwhile Charlie was getting down
to engaged life quite rapidly. A man
moves from one position to another; a
woman, in certain respects, is apt to
remain where she finds herself. Baby
love had all the children's ills, but
with every one Charlie gained by ex-
perience and came to consider them a
matter of course. Three months after
his engagement he called on his fiance
one evening to find symptoms that
shortly before would have been alarm
ing.
Its perfectly evident" said Rosa,
withdrawing from him as he advanced
to give the usual lovers salute, that
this cannot go on any longer"
What can't go on any longerT
''Why, your Indifference to me when
we are in other company"
What have done nowY
"Do you think that your treatment of
me at Mrs. Randall's garden party was
such as have right to expect%
what did do?"
'You know very well what you did.
When asked you to get me an ice, in
stead of doing so at once you continued
your conversation with Mrs. Fitz Ger
aid, paying no attention to me what
ever"
Mrs. Fitz Gerald was telling me an
incident that happened to her. could
not break away from her In the mid.
die of her story, could II"
"You didn't wish to break away from
her. You were listening with rapt at
tention."
''Surely you're not
Jealous? Oh, dear, no. 1 wouldn't
think of being jealous of an old woman
like that. She's twenty-eight If she's q
day."
For the first time since his engage
ment woman's unreasOnableness began
to rub the wrong way. His brow low,
cred.
'YOu say that things can't go on any
longer in this way. Do you mean thai
our engagement must be brokenT
"Unless can be assured that you
are not to be caught by any married
! woman who chooses to throw a spell
over you"
II thought you said you were mo-
jealous of Mrs. Fitz Gerald"
; Pm not Mrs. Fitz Gerald is not the
only designing woman there is In the
world"
'What do you wish me to dor?
This was a poser. Rosa. not having
any reply to make, was silent. She haC
had her say and was ready to make Il
up. She stood looking down at the
floor, and as there was no antagonist
in her expression Charlie went to hel
and took her in his arms.
Charlie hoped that the end Of these
paroxysms would come with marriage