Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-12-27
By PETER B. KYNE
Copyright by Bell Syndicate
WkU Service.

lied he had a brilliant idea and
broached 1t to Mrs. Gatlin.
Lets adopt a babyl' he urged.
Louise demurred. She had her
doubts as to the ACCESSIBILITY of taking
over somebody's else troublesome
never knew how an adopted baby was
going to turn our-there was no hurry,
anyhow-she must have time to con-
slider the idea-her health.
ITO hi with your health" Mr.. Cat.
lin roared, for the first time In his
married life becoming vulgar. Every
doctor you've had tells me you're or
ganically sound. You only think you're
sick"
My nerves." she protested, but he
silenced her.
"You think too much about yourself
and not at all about anybody else, par
ticularly me. What you need Is O baby
to fuss with. You'll learn TO love 1t in
a month as much as If 1t was your own
flesh and blood"
I'm afraid you'll not love It, Theo-
dore. You're so cranky and irritable"
she defended.
Listen ~ Mr.. Gatlin commanded.
I'm at the point where I'm seriously
considering suing you for divorce on
the grounds that you're a barren wom-
an. In other ways you don't measure
up to my Idea OF a wife and com
panlon. It's M fun for me to come
home night after night and have to
listen to your tales of woe"
"You are devoid of sympathy" his
wife charged. "You neglect me-"
Maybe I've failed" said Mr.. Gatlln,
"but by Jimmy, I've tried, and I'm will
Ing to keep on trying a little longer.
Only, from now on, we're going to try
my methods. and adopting a baby is
one Of them. If that fails I'll take the
baby over myself and we'll call In the
lawyers"
She knew she had gone as far as
she dared. Even the dullest of married
women know when that point Is
reached; that is, they know when 1t
mas been reached for that day.
well, If we can find q baby of good,
sound, intelligent, healthy parentage."
she assented grudgingly.
1--WE got one staked out" Mr.. Gatlln
cried joyfully, "and | know its par
ents. They're sound as grindstones. /
know the grandparents of the child on
both sides.
Il don't know them personally" he
went on, but I've had a doctor look
up their records. High class people.
No insanity and no crookedness in
them"
"I'll have to meet these grandparents
and parents. Theodore"
Unfortunately" he replied, they're
all dead"
what did they die off q
'"The grandparents on both sides, Of
old age; the father of the baby was
an army captain and he got killed In a
fight In the Sulu islands. The mother
died In childbirth and the baby is In
the infants shelter In San Francisco
"Boy or girl, T%heodore?"
boy"
Il could never stand a boy, Theo-
dore. ! must have a girl"
MIR. Gatlin grinned evilly. Il figured
you'd try to edge out of 1t that way.
1t isn't a boy. It's a girl"
Louise Gatlin was not very intel
ligent, but she was sufficiently so to
realize that for once in his life Mr..
Gatffn was due to have his own way.
That night as he lay abed, Mr.. Cat
lin suddenly gave himself a prodigious
poke In the ribs. what a jackass /
was not to consult that doctor before
| married Louise" he groaned. when
| thought ! could father a child of my
own | didn't pay any more attention
to its ancestry than | would to select
ing a necktie. Anything that looked
well would fill the bill. But when 1t
came to selecting some other mans
baby, | gave the Job all the attention |
would give to the purchase of a piece
Of property. | wouldn't think of buy
Ing a lot until | had run down the rec
ord of the title and satisfied myself
there were no flaws In 1t. II men
would only employ that much common
sense In selecting their wives-or
wives, In selecting their husbands
knew what a ervous, complaining,
selfish old shrew her mother was
what's that law the doctor spoke Of
All, yes. Mendel's law. The law that
like shall produce like. Simple Nat
urall Any fool should have thought OF
that-and yet 1t took an old monk-a
celibate-to promulgate the news
Whew-w-w-w |"
Theodore" said his wife. from the
other twin bed. Il should think you
might be more considerable of me thar
to whistle like that and wake me up
I'm so happy, darling, | couldn't
help 1t. Forgive me-"
"Have you thought OF a name for
the babyY'
II have. Penelope"
"A horrid name. Where under
heaven did you get that name?"
To her unspeakable amazement he
quoted a verse from Henry Herbert
Knibbs' poem, "Out There Somewhere
Wen dance a merry saraband from here
to drowsy Samarkand:
Along the sea. across the land. the
birds are flying south,
And you. my sweet Penelope, out there