The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, December 26, 1907, Page 6

AN EXCHANGE OF BABIES with the rosy little creature cuddled close to her neck. But is was a veritable young tigress | who, ten minutes later, confronted the astonished Celt and shook her until! x es 2 se ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF APPRECIATION. | the nurse maid, and took French, deposited the fan in her hand and the leave; Silverman & Co, have failed to baby on her lap send the tan—such a beauty painted “Yes, indeed, you blessed bey,” re- in orchids—which I orde for a sponded the little woman, once more first prize: the baby has just cut a all smiles and dimples. “You have tooth and is—well—not quite so an- been a real friend in’ need and can gelic as usual; while now, to cap the now go and make yourself look as climax, here comes a note from Mrs, fascinating as possible.” Sherman saying she is down with an So it was with an approving con- attack of la grippe and cannot be science, a decided inclination to pat present this evening; so one table himself, metaphorically, on the back will be short, as it is nearly four that the young man withdrew to dress o'clock; altogether too late to invite for the evening, when he was to fill anyone else the position of host in place of the ab: And when she paused from sheer sent lord and m Want of breath, all Jack could ejacu- But he had se ely divested him- late was * love! self of his coat : Was still wrest He snec looking se sympa ing with a collar button, when His thetle, however, that it was like a Chamber door was burst unceremo- tenie to hi depressed sister, who Blously open and he too, like Nova, soon rallied Por you will help me Was swooped down upon by a pale out, won't you, Jack? vild-eyed woman, who in a stern voice Sure it [ can,” replied Jack temanded “I'l let you off if you go at once down Jack Vinton, is this a practical to Silverman's, see the manager or Joke you are ying to play on me? somebod demand that orchid fan Where is my Harold? How dare you or his life And oh, Jack, would it be an awful bore to take Harold with iin bis litle earria The poor » < suttering for a breath of fresh } a and it wonld be a positive char he ity to Ruth and me who have a hun x dred things to do." Ag Now, if Jack Vinton had not been & just the big, unselfish kindly chap he iy was he would certainly have refused this last request But as it was he t said: “All right; trot the kid out; : and said it with a smile, too. Nor ; would anyone have supposed him a victim on the altar of fraternal affec a tion, as he strode down the crowded ” avenue at the fashionable hour, push ing a pretty pink and white canopied perambulator, in which, under a soft white fur rn nestled that serap of humanity hé called his nephew, “Wonder if 1 have the true pater- familias air,” he thought, as he ob. ei ee & * served the sundry quizzical, girlish glances cast in his direction. “And e ‘88 my soul, what if I should meet 1 his mind reverting, as it had ¥ done very often of late, to a fair compagnon de voyage with whom he had crossed the ocean three months before, but whom he had not seen since they parted at the wharf, thet: With the Air of a Tragedy Queen. homes being in different cities. “Dear little pocket Ven She, too, had a bring me back somebody else's child?” married sister livi in B—, and saic “Somebody else's child?” and it was she frequently visited here. Wish now Jack's turn to stare in stupid But at this juncture his meditations were riidely by his coming into violent with another wicker equi; advancing from the opposite direction, One which might have been a twin to the one amazement. “Yes, sir (sob); a miserable, spind- ling, little thing that I never set eyes on before (sob), instead of my great, healthy, lovely boy,” and with some- broken contact he was thing betwixt a gasp and a scream, wheeling. Mrs. Henley sank limply - on the “Begorra, and can't ye be afther| lounge. lookin’ where you're again''” ex- Silverman & Co.'s store was closed for the night. The long line of em- ployes had filed out; the iron gates were tightly shut and locked. But for the second time that day two-per- ambulators nearly collided in front of its portal. Both came to an abrupt standstill, “Miss Alliso: “Mr. Vinton!” “This is a knock-down surprise!” “It is, indeed. What brings you here and with—with—" a questioning look at the little carriage. “You'll never guess, for—isn’t funny?—I am hunting a lost baby.” “You are? Why, so am I.” Then} peering under the dainty rose-lined| canopies, “it looks, too, as if we had) both found what we want. Suppose | we exchange perambulators.” ! And as they did so, they laughed in| joyful sympathy, while suddenly the heart of each commenced to beat to a new and sweet refrain, claimed the Celtic maid who was the propelling power ef the second tura- out, and as he appeased her wrath with an humble apology and of his winning smiles, he discovered that they were right abreast of Silver- man & Co.'s vast emporium, where everything is sold from a paper of tacks to a diamond necklace. Most , imposing it was, too, with its gayly dressed windows and deep, tiled ves- | tibule, This, likewise, appeared to be the objective point of the nurse-girl, who, as Jack cried out in disgust: “Cracky, have I got to tote the kid through all that crowd!” volunteered: “No, sir. He's sound aslape, so ye kin jist l'ave him right here in the restabull, as I'm | a-goin’ to do mine,” and she pointed to. a row of occupied and unoccupied | baby carriages lining the spacious en-j; trance. | “Hope the ‘restabull’ is a safe, place,” chuckled Jack, as he lo! cated his charge with the rest of the waiting infants. “Anyway, I won't be five minutes.” But he counted without his host, being sadly ignorant of the ways and 7 delays of retail merchants. The sales- j ’ lady referred him to the floor-walker, | the floor-walker to the packer, and the packer to the manager; all of which consumed so much time that five minutes lengthened to 59, and the electric lights were twinkling in the street when he at last emerged, the orchid fan buttoned up in his breast pocket, picked out the peram- bulator with the dainty pink-lined, lace-covered top, and started home one i ; it “Now, Bertha, I think I deserve ab solution,” pleaded the young man, | when Master Harold was once more, safe and very cross, in his mother's arms, “for I have not only found the heir of the house of Henley, but se- cured a substitute for Mrs. Sherman. Miss Allison, an old and dear friend of mine, and a good whist player, has promised to come to-night if I will go and fetch her. Isn't that returning good for all the evil you have been heaping upon me?” “Maybe I was a bit hard,” acknowl- edged his sister, as she, overwhelmed her offspring. with caresses. “Being @ man, I didn’t suppose you knew any ward. better than to follow that dangerous | Rurse-maid custom of leaving children “Why, Nora, what an age youhave| aione in the vestibules of shops. I nat been!” cried a fresh young voice, as feel, however, as though my hair must have turned white from fright, and all because of those dreadful mixed up perambulators.” But as Jack sprang upstairs, three steps at a time, he murmured: “Those blessed perambulators!” & slight, sunny haired girl ran down the steps of a handsome brown stone wouldn't , We had just begun to congratulate our- | 0us creditors, when it suddenly occurred 1; Miss New wed needs ac About the way to boil an egg—she never a cake; the church r is short— run a booth or serve w n “Ul night she moves about sion in her tread er mother sometimes faints and Sees Wern out to bed! Her days are marked are by } ed ills and putting things to right And close, at hist, with counsel wise and * at night Ah, mother rest of the pure, imselfish in thy love, May God reward and conifort thee with blessings from And may thy ministr on hearts that kno And praise the nof home u Was set below estern Cres s crown thee with the bays of everlasting rest! Occasionally a Joke. A woman paid a Kansas editor twelve dollars on back tion aud now he has come out flat against the Garden of Eden apple story A tactful girl will fill a serap-hbook with pictures of Christmas and June brides and dainty drawings of home life and keep it within easy reach of her young man when he calls, Much ean be accomplished in this way dur- ing the time the girl keeps him wait- ing in the parlor while she dre: receive him While a Missouri woman was bak ing a beautiful cranberry pie last week, a sack full of balloon ballast struck her chimney with a’ thud, knocked it dowy and ruined the pie, What Missonri needs is a speed limit for ballast—or stronger pie! A Wisconsin editor who evidently has had experience, says: “We like to live on bear meat taken on subscription if we had to de- pend upon the president supplying it.” ses to Prepare for a severe winter, The bark on pigs is said to be very thick this Fall! - A Maine editor has been looking up the origin of the word “monkey- wrench” and has discovered that this | kind of a wrench is not only not the | missing link, but has nothing what- ever to do with the genus monkey. | The monkey-wrench is the child of the brain of a man of the name of Monckey. The “e” in Monckey, un- doubtedly was dropped because Mr Monckey made his mouth go that way while trying to screw a nut onto his nutmeg grater, Watering a Horse, The editor of the Humboldt (Kan.) Union has gone for a visit at his mother-in-law's until the storm caused | by printing the following, blows over: Two Iola girls caused a lot of fun for the men around Green's livery stable Thursday afternoon. They wished to water their horse, but had not had much ; experience with horses or their harness, They drove to the watering trough, but the horse could not reach the water on account of the check rein. They did not know what was the matter and discussed | the situation, Finally they came to the | conclusion and one of the girls got cut and undid the crupper. Gun Play. The editor of the Van Buren (Mo.) Current Local had a bad scare yester- day and tells about it in this wise: | We were somewhat surprised when | Wm. Wakefield, one of our valued sub- scribers and a man whom we have al- ways heretofore considered quite peace- | able, stepped into our sanctum bearing in ands a long and murderous look- ing shotgun. Visions of “R-r-retraction!” fitted thru our mind, but being unable to recall any blunder we had made, the next alarming thought to enter our per- turbed cranium was that of robbery. self that we had turned over the $4.67 wo collected last week to one of our numer- to us that a kind subscriber had oniy that morning dropped in and advanced @ dollar on his subscription! We were Preparing to go down deep in our pocket and produce the solitary “buck,” but he ticipated the movement, pulled out and handed us a step-brother to the one we were about to deliver, asking us to advance his subscription accordingly. With a sudden revulsion of feeling we thankfully accepted it, the while he has- tened to explain that as his gun had been considerably out of repair for some time, he had trought it to town with him to get it fixed, tho, so tar, had been unable to do so. But it taught us @ valuable lesson, and we fancy we shell not again soon be surprised with so much money on our editorial person. Anticipation Unrewarded, An Iowa editor is mad because a friend came in all smiles and told him he had a cracking good story to relate. Then,#when the editor had got com: fortable and all worked up.to be ticklish, the absent-minded enthualast couldn’t remember the story! niles With * her teeth chattered and “the milk “UNCLE BY splashed over upon her apron. i ' ey “mn . aad " Blissed mother! w-w-whativer is a ‘ mia By AGNES CARR SAGE the mather, Miss Bessie?” stammered| Se: ty Byres Wiliams poor Nora. Mother. | . “Matter enough, you miserable Wheg Willie cuts his fingers with:a! sida sirl!” And, with the air of a tragedy| ——_case-knife in the shed, ate . athe andage 0} a puts “Oh, Jack, Jack! You are my one! queen, the young lady waved her ‘Tis reeayna on age on and pi ray of hope amid Egyptian darkness!”) hand toward the infant now wailing And when Priscilla dons her gown to And little Miss Henley precipitated lustily on the bed. “Look there! Is visit in the town herself headlong upon her brother's! that our Margery’s curly head? No, |The same de oa es mone lace 5 rn and smooth the ruffles do nianly breast, regardless of conse- Are those our Margery’s big nine When pa comes home most tired to quences to a stiff and immaculate eyes? No. Is this our Margery at all death and *takeé his easy chair, shirt-bosom. “It was so good of you No; it isn’t. Its—its—a—a strange ;'Tis mother brings v—e ippers out and - lik ci him on the hair to come early, for never was woman baby Nothing like our preceome, ~ & Be dl a <e ree nearer the verge of nervous prostra- beautiful pet—but a great, fat, ugly “Where is that book I bre o tion, You know the Whist club meets) boy “The hanger on my coat is off! here to-night, and that Charlie has —_—_ are those pens I bought been suddenly called out of town on The p sis, now will you be good? Now Willie cannot find his hat—He left important business. Then this morn- said Jack Vinton when he finally ap t the floor. | ing the cook had a flare up with Ruth, peared in the darkling gloaming, and indpa wants the liniment; the Against Parcels Post. To Our Patrons: We desire to express our deep appreci- |. ation for your liberal patronage during the }} © past year and solicit a continuance of the same, with the assurance that you will re- ceive the fair treatment that characterizes our business policy, and secure goods at the lowest possible margins. We are well sat- |} isfied with our year’s sales, but expect to |} - increase them many fold in 1908. We |] shall continue to look after your interests | and take you into our confidence when we || have something good to offer. | With best wishes for a prosperous and Happy New Year for you all, Springfield, Mo., Dee, 23.—The | Scuthweas Missourl Drummers As | sociation, the social organization of | traveling men in this part of the| state, has adopted resolutions pro- | | testing avaines the passage of the | parcels post billnow b fore congress, | which ts propoxed to become a part) Federal Post office system. Coptes of the resolutions have been sent to | Missourl congressmen and senatore at Washington Similar ) esolutions | have been adopted by the retafl Mer. | chants Association, and the United States Commercial Travelers’ organ: | ization here, BESSIE’ STORY Ss By ELLEN FRIZELL WYCOFF (Copyright.) The postman’s whistle sounded clear and sharp down the street. Miss Brent's heart gave a quick throb, and| that he returned it, begging her to! she saw her cheeks flush as she tied} lengthen it for him, and offering a her hat on before the little looking| price for it that amazed her, In the! glass. meantime he would buy her short Now the whistle was nearer. She| stories. went to the door and waited. Suppose Dolly wanted to scream with de; * she had won the prize! Again her| light. And then, settling down in her, heart throbbed and her cheeks] joy, she began to wonder what short flushed. story she could send. She held out her hand as the man stopped before her. caped her lips as he handed thick package. A low groan es- out a She went inside and laid it under some books on the hall table, Again she had failed. She. waited long enough to brush the hot tears from her eyes, and then hurried out of the house and down to the store where her long, tiresome days were dragged out. The lamp was burning in the hall when she came back. Snatching the thick package from its hiding place she went up to her room. “A letter, Dolly?” - Miss Brent kissed the paie face that turned so gladly toward her. “Nothing of importance, Bess. How have you been to-day?” “Pretty well. The sun has been so She drew her little desk to her and “Yes, Tom, it is I,” she said, very bright.” wove her one little dream into g ‘0ftly. Miss Brent looked around the cheerless little room. Each y ear had found her home poorer and poorer un- til now there was scarcely a left. She laid her hat on the side the letter; “nothing of comfort bed be- import- ance” she had called it, but how her face had beamed over those written pages! How she had and prayed that good might poor, patient Bess from that labor of love! and now here it was before her, neatly to there was no trembling of the. steady hand. Hope gave her new life. Peo, ple turned to look again at Sincerely yours, | HILL’S CASH STORE. ter on my toast. At 30 a woman! needs to take care af her good looks.” “I never imagined you cared for such things, Dolly. I am surprised,” Bess said with wide open ey “You pin one down so, Bess. I'm very much ashamed to show my weak ness to you, but I abhor pimples,” Dolly said with a shamefaced air, “Oh, I don't blame you, only it must | be so hard to not eat things you like.” Dolly's lips quivered, but she smiled bravely. “Pride knows no pain,” she, quoted merrily, and then chatted} brightly about the people she had seen in the store, entertaining Bess with | many scraps of conversation she had overheard. After awhile the child was asleep. Dolly covered the little aching limbs she had been rubbing, and turned away from the bed. | She sat down by the lamp, holding the thick, unwelcome letter in her hand. Mechanically she opened it, and instead of the printed slip she} had expécted, a letter fell out of the envelope. She laid the manuscript aa the table, and unfolded the letter. “Am I dreaming, or are the words really here?" she said aloud, a glad light in her eyes and her hands all a tremble. She read it again. There was no mistake. The editor had been so pleased with the plot of her story’ sob choked Dolly, and she hurried on. Stumbling up the steps she made her way to the room that held her one treasure, “Oh, Bessie, my darling, what {s the matter?” she cried, kneeling beside her sister's chair, “Nothing, Dolly, not the least thing. This is Mr. Darron, and he has been waiting for you. He is an editor.” Dolly stood up, her face flushed and her eyes wet with tears. “I was so afraid, sir, that you might be a doctor; I thought my sister—” “Yes, I see. I came because the story you sent—" and then he stopped short, and his face, grave and. earnest, ‘ looked as if the sun had broken With the editor's unexpected letter ; before her, her thoughts, somehow went back to her own little romance. Why not write that? Nobody would know it as hers, for who would SUS: | pect quiet, poxerty-stricken little Miss Brent of having a romance tucked away in her uneventful past? And, after all, it was not much of a story. She had made a very poor sort ' of a herojne. And Tom, well, there! never was anybody like Tom. He was; hero enough for any story, for hadn't: he wanted to take her and her mother and little puny, baby Bess to his home where there was scarcely enough for his own widowed mother and the fam. ily of helpless girls? She had said no, and the drifting apart began, and now they were for. ever lost to each other. i Hurried Down to the Store. through the rain clouds just to shine), i on it. Bessie had turned back to the win- dow, and was watching tle big rain drops pattering down. i bi Dolly’s brown eyes were shining. . “Dolly, I knew the story, and I krow you, dear.” “And so I have found you! I be- Neved whoever wrote the story must know you, but it ie better to know you did it yourself. I’ve been looking for you, Dolly.” “I am glad you have found me Tom,” she said simply. “Oh, Dolly, see—" and then Bessie’ eyes opened wide, and shé gave ut- terance to a very wondering and pro longed “Oh!” at which the edito: seemed greatly amused,, though Dolly . blushed to the roots of her soft bro’ hair, “Ah, Dolly, I know now why: yo kept from eating butter on your that you might be pretty!” Bessie | claimed. “Did she do that?” Tom asked. “Yes, and she is prettier, too, whoever thought Dolly had a 5 heart?” Tom laughed. “She has had him a long time, and now he has come to take you away. You'll gq with him, won't You see it will take us -both to sweet, homely story, and then unt!) late in the night she wrote, lengthen ing the returned story. At last, cold and tired and hungry she crept into bed with Bess, and fel! asleep to dream of her brave, bonny lover, her hero, Tom. Her eyes were bright now, ané the radiant Dolly of her vanity.”