Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-18
BEGIN HERE TODAY

venture. waits for taxi in the Pad
dington Recreation Ground. L.ondQn.
He notices a girl who seems to be
waiting for the midnight omnibus
and offers TO give her lift In his
taxi and the girl accepts his offer.
She informs him that her sister IL
sick liz hospital and that she Is on
her way to fetch her sisters baby
The cab stops in a poor part OF
London and the girl disappears
through q doorway and returns car.
rytng baby. Arriving at q point
In Elgin Avenue. the girl leaves
the cab and as she alights her escort
notices an deliberately worked coat.
of-arms on the baby's coat.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
/ had altogether lost track Of her.
After a moment. a policeman who
was standing by a gate. considered
me with q suspicious air. had
raveled my hair. so that it stood on
end. The policeman was still watch.
ing me with interest. 1t was OBJ
vious that I could not stay in the
middle Of the road like this unless
I wanted him to think me drunk,
For a moment thought would
tell him about the coronet. But
what could q policeman say II q
hatless man. In the middle OF the
road. told him that a girl who wasn't
there had got hold Of baby with
a coronet on its clothes, baby that
wasn't there either? He'd be Ger.
tain to think me drunk. So. at.
tempting all the dignity a man can
achieve when he has lost his hat. l
walked away to Elg!n Avenue. pre-
tending to be busy.
! got home somehow. q little
later. unfortunately in another taxi.
so that l did not recover my hat.
! had a cold bath. as result of
which I felt much hotter, and more
confused when I got into bed. ]
found myself unable to sleep. All
the little incidents Of that night
crowded upon me: the girls con.
fused references to her father and
her stepmother. the fact that she
was living alone and yet took her
sisters baby to live with her when
she could leave 1t where she had
found 1t, the obvious commences
of her voice. and Its contrast with
the baby's beautiful clothing. her
nervous excitement. her state al
most Of palsy. as II she had been
frightened. or was hunted. when she
came back with the child. her rapid
flight, the blackness into which she
had taken me. the blackness into
which she had vanished. all
this combined. BY degrees 1t piled
up in.o q certainty that my wan
derer of the night had stolen
child. ard that l had assisted her.
Then my confused state Of mind be-
came complicated by the realization
that babies with coronets on their
clothes are not generally found in
houses on Guelf Street. 1 saw my.
self in the middle of a turlesGue
rather than a melodrama. But the
baby did have a coronet on its
clothes. Perhaps 1t had been stolen
that day. and Rhoda was the person
to afford it deeper conceainent.
Then remembered my hat. and
sheet. What was going to happen?
II that baby was important. a hunt
would take place. Probably the
taxi man would read in the papers
an account Of the stealing from
Guelf Street. He would remember
the girl, the baby and me.
And my hat. within the lining bore
my name and address. How was
l going to explain that was no
accessory to the crime? had
visions of a prosecution; Of myself.
II not going to Jail. at least socially
compromised.
There was no question Of sleep
now. turned about and about up
on my burning bed. at one moment
a criminal, at another an outcast.
/ even had beautiful serene mood
when / ssv s~sss going to the