The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-03-13
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BY MILDRED WHITE

| Here were the trees all crimson and
! gold. her long summer visit coming to
/ close, and this glorious afternoon
/ free, with no amusement in store.
/ Peggy'S wide eyes seeming not to
( find that for which they sought. she
( wandered aimlessly up the broad road.
/ Near its top stood great house be-
1 hind a stone garden wall. Peggy had
! always admired this wall. the trees
dropped over it so prOtectingly, and
{ there were glimpses of flOwerbOrdered
! paths within.
Today, on the walk before the house,
/ stood a baby carriage, and smiling en-
chantingly from beneath the carriage
hood was a dimpling love of baby.
"You darling" Peggy responded to
the smile, while the baby put forth a
/ chubby hand with an evident invitation
for its clasping.
"You friendly little thingw Peggy
exclaimed.
Goo" answered the baby.
/ No attendant was in sight; probably
( the child's mother had left it while
she stopped at the great house. Peggy
/ decided to visit with the baby until
her return.
! Gratefully the little one put forth
| efforts TO entertain. The girls laugh
I rang out at It's droll tricks-hide and
\ seek with the tiny skirt Of its dress.
| peek-a-boOS between chubby fingers.
But no mother was Forthcoming.
| Loath to leave the adorable little
/ thing, Peggy made trip OF investiga-
! tion up the flower bOrdered path.
The baby's lusty cry at her deser-
ton caused her to go farther and ring
the front-door bell. To all appear
ances. upon this glorious October day
/ the great house was vacated.
/ "SOmn careless nurse girl" Peggy
/ Indignantly reflected. had forsaken
/ the baby for her own pleasure. She
must already have been gone some
time. No wonder the tiny one had so
! gleefully welcomed her presence"
/ Peggy returned, 10 find babys smile
/ Of greeting baniShing the tears. She
! decided to push the carriage slowly
/ down the stone walk until the one in
/ charge should appear. But no one
/ came.
/ Baby. indeed, seemed the only object
! OF life I'm all the silent surroundings
/ Peggy continued TO push the carriage.
( "JuSt as well to give the neglectful
| one a scare" she considered. And
/ as she went on, new vistas of fall seen
! ery invited.
I She had never looked before from
! the hill to the valley. Baby cOOed de-
! lghtfully. while Peggy's thoughts went
! wool gathering.
This was the first day of her long
/ stay in which the nice man had not
/ passed her sisters home"
/ In her own thoughts-and strange to
/ say, he was often in her thoughts
/ Peggy referred TO him as the mice
( man"
There was something so wholesome
/ ly frank in the good-natured face, even
In the mans swinging carriage. Peg
| gy wondered dsmally how it was that
they had not become better aCquaint-
| ed. Her sister introduced them one
day. In passing.
"Oh, that is Tom Price" she care
| lessly remarked.
If the married sister had guessed at
the wild connection the chance encoun-
ter with this same Tom Price had
raised in Peggys usually adamantine
heart, she might have been more ex-
plicit in her description.
In some inexplicable way. in the
many places where Peggy had hap
pened TO be during the past changing
year, this mice man" had bobbed up,
| until recognition between the two be-
came an astonishing fact. Peggy fan
cied him eager for a meeting; yet, af-
ter her sisters Introduction, Tom Price
passed on his contented way-with but
a daily, distant bow. And now she
must go home!
Goo" reminded the baby.
Peggy glanced about in surprise !;
she had gone farther than she knew.
Then suddenly, apparently "out of the
nowhere into the here" mans figure
doomed up before her
:. How de do?" said Tom Price
Peggy stared, then she laughed.
81 might have known that it would
be you" she said This is about the
only corner where we had not met"
The nice mans grin expressed salts
faction.
Couldn't be too often to suit me-"
he remarked pleasantly. "Where did
you get the baby?"
oh" she murmured; 81 did not re-
alze 1t, but guess-Pve kidnapped
him"
Severe penalty for that" said Tom
Price. and his eyes twinkled
st IS really serious" Peggy protest
ed. Il have been most thoughtless.
Perhaps some distracted mother is now
wringing her hands over his absence.
He was so captivating you see, l just
kept pushing him On from before the
big stone house, where found him.
THE house is at the top of the hill
[ must get him back directly"
Breathlessly she swung the carriage
about. The nice man took hold of the
handle.
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