The Washburn leader., 1916-08-04
Baby Love
b. ETHEL HOLMES


two young persons Of opposite sex Is
like the child that comes to them after
marriage It has its babyhood, Its
childhood and its youth. As baby Il
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 wh00p-
ing cough and its collie.
Charlie Edmonds was twenty-one
and Rosa Lee eighteen when they be-
came engaged. There was cyclone OF
ecstasy for twenty-four hours. then a
revulsion. Charlie wondered It he
hadn't done something dreadful. He
wanted to go right of 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 hesi-
tated. Besides, he shrank from going
kback 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. It was s 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 8 o'clock. How would he get
through those intervening three hours?
At half past he could stand 1t no
longer and started for her home. Fortu-
nately it required fifteen minutes to
get there. He saw a figure ut 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 mistaken His heart sank
within him.
Eyes. It 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
81 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 lips-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. NJ. got to
the drawing room door at 2:15, and the
last kiss was at 2:3O in the vestibule.
Baby love didn't have a spasm or
anything else for another two days.
Meanwhile Charlie. was getting dpvn
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.
"It's perfectly evident" said Rosa,
to give the usual lovers salute. that
this cannot go on any longer" Ii
"What can't go on any longerY
"Why, your Indifference to me when
we are in other company"
"What have done now?'
"Do you think that your treatment of
me at Mrs. Randall's garden party was
such as have right to expect?"
what did dog
a''You know very well what you did.
When 1 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 I?''
"You didn't wish to break away from
her. You were listening with rapt at
tenti0n." ....
"surely you're not
Jc0AOuSs Ous uc0Is AVs WV0AOA
think Of being Jealous Of an old woman
like that. She's twenty eight II she's q
day"
For the first time since his engage
ment woman's unreasonablenes began
to rub the wrong way. His brow low.
cred.
"You say that things can't 60 on any
longer In this way. Do you mean that
our engagement must be brokenY
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 not
Jealous of Mrs. Fitz Gerald"
"Tm not. Mrs. Fitz Gerald Is not the
only designing woman there Is in the
world"
what do you wish me to dol"
This was poser. Rosa. not having
any reply to make, was silent She had
had her say and was ready to make 1t
up. She stood looking down at the
floor, and as there was no antagonism
in her expression Charlie went to her
and took her In hfs arms. !.