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nit FLOORS COLLECTION
VOLUME XLIV NUMBER FIFTY-ONE.
!•■ #•»•#••• ••♦•••••*
^Borrowed
A Mix-Up of Tots and Telegrams and Its Happy Result
By CEORCE RANDOLPH CHESTER
AUTHOR OF “ESPECIALLY MEN,” ETC.
Copyrighted by the Bobbs-Merrill Comp at y
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"\Yo j mind lend
ing me . 4r baby for the
afternoon?" she asked,
pausing at the door of the
opposite flat.
"It would be no more
than fair,” laughed Mrs.
Bartlett. T borrowed tea
from you yesterday. If 1
lend you the infant
phenomenon, however, you
must be. more prompt
about bringing back than T am."
"Never mind the tea—we'll just keep
tile baby instead. Won't we. Tot?" This
last query was addressed to the baby it
self, a pink and white morsel that oblig.
ingly grinned as she picked it up and
pretended to spank it. "Really, Mrs.
Bartlett. I’m so lonesome that I'm afraid
I'll begin talking to myself," she went
on. as the little one passed a chubby
arm around her neck and laid its plump
cheek confidingly against her own.
"Papa and mama won't he home until a
late train. Brother Will is going stay
down town for dinner, and even the girt
has Iter afternoon out today, Otir fiat
is so dreadfully silent that you can
hear the dust settling down on the fur
niture.”
"Why don't you telephone for that tall
young man to come up?' 'Mrs. Bartlett
suggested, her eyes twinkling with fun.
"I'd rather have the baby,” retorted
Portia with pink cheeks. "T can make
toe baby behave,” and she ran out with
the little one. laughing.
“Wait a minute!” called Mrs. Bart
lett. Temptation was assailing iier. and
she wore a perplexed little frown as
Portia came ba-'k. "I'm afraid you
would lie getting more than you bar
gained for." she explained. "You see,
the intlienuY n hr*., crrit.vd m the Bart
lett household. Mr. Bartlett has actu
ally promised to go out shopping with
me this afternoon Baby and T are to
meet him at an old rendezvous of ours,
and after a perfect orgy of money spend
ing we are to take dinner at some cozy
cafe where there Is music. We may not
be home until seven or eight o'clock, and
I couldn't think of leaving the prodigy
with you until that time."
"Why not?” reassuringly demanded
Portia. "He won't be a bit of bother.
Just you run right on and have your
lark while baby and I roinp. I'll take
him over in the park for a while and
make the other nurse girls envious, and
before dusk we'll come in and get us
up a scrumptious dinner. I'll promise
not to feed him pickles or cheese, and
we'll have a perfectly hilarious time;
won't we. Pudge?”
She gave the baby an extra hug. and
Mrs. Bartlett's eyes glowed with the al
luring prospect that opened before her.
"Trot along with him, then, and your
woes Vie upon your own head,’’ she re
plied. "Frankly, I am more delighted
with your offer than I can say. It will
be. delicious to run off with Jack for a
whole afternoon alone and pretend we're
a newly married couple again. I do
hope the child will be good all the time,’’
she added doubtfully.
“If he isn’t I'll trade him off for a
second-hand bicycle,” Portia threatened,
and marched across the hall with him.
Within half an hour the mother of
the prodigy, having left behind her sun
dry hottips and minute instructions to
cover all possible and impossible emer
gencies, started gaily down town, while
Portia and tho baby dressed for a walk
in the park. Portia, in a neat brown
walking dress, and the baby with the
ribbons of a dainty white cap tied under
iiis double chin, were .lust at the door
when a messenger boy rang. She tore
open the yellow envelope and rend the
telegram with dismay.
"Aunt Martlmw ill. Come on next
train. GEORGE."
Aunt Martha ill! She must be In a
dangerous condition, too, or cousin
George would not have sent a mes
sage so urgent to her favorite niece.
Portia glared wildly at tiie messenger
boy as she shut him out, and rushed
to the telephone. The next train left
in half an hour, she discovered. For
tunately she was dressed quite well
eough for an emergency trip, and she
had money in the house. It would on
ly take five minutes to throw a few
necessities into a suit case, and then
—a sudden idea, one that had not yet
occurred to her, stopped her breath.
What was she to do with the bany?
Another wild dash to the telephone.
Mr. Bartlett was not at his office. He
had gone out to meet his wife, and
would not be back that afternoon. They
had no idoa where to find him. She
made frantic attempts to catch her
brother by 'phone and failed. The min
utes were flying. Finally, in despera
tion. she threw a wrapper and some
linen Into her suit case, scribbled two
notes, left one on the dining room ta
ble and slipped the other under Mrs.
Bartlett's door, and started for the
train, baby and ail.
She alighted from a car at the de
pot with only four minutes to spare.
Her train was already steaming and
throbbing on the track. The baby and
the suit case weighed about a ’on each
now, and site found herself wondering,
with a catch in her breath that was
suspiciously like a sob. how women
with children ever made up their minds
to travel at all. At the door of the
waiting room she bumped square into
the arms of a tall young man who was
coming out. Site muttered a distracted
apology and was pushing frantically
past when the young man spoke to
her.
"Why, Miss Davis!” he exclaimed.
"Are you taking the train, too?”
"Ed!” she gasped, and before the as
tonished young man knew what was
happening to him she had thrust the
baby into his arms. “Dont break it.
It's bororwei.," she warned as she
dashed for tiie ticket window in relief.
Site felt that her burdens were lifted,
now that she had met this particular
tall young man. and site was even
able to smile as site turned from the
window, ticket in hand, and saw that
the two were getting on splendidly
without a forma! introduction. Tire
baby had the tall young man by the
ear. and was holding his head back by
that leverage to look square into his
eyes and say ,T Ah-h-h-h-h 1" in a tone
of friendly but firm command.
'Tie merely wants you to waltz with
him.” I’ortia explained, as she picked
up Iter suit case. “That’s his father's
chief sphere of usefulness when lie gets
home, an<l of course the baby expects
it of every man who hae the ability.”
“How clever of him.” said the young
man grimly, as the baby tried to gouge
a pink, inquisitive finger in his eye. but
lie follower, submissively to the train.
Tt was wonderful what a difference
t.h,» lady- made The ru- was fairly
well filled, and they paused for a mo
ment of reconnoissance. A fat man who
was occupying a double seat looked up.
saw the baby and promptly swept his
overcoat and hand bag from the cher
ished opposite cushion, then lie over
turned the back of the forward seat
and nodded with a friendly smile. The
action was a revelation. Without the
baby it would have taken stern meas
ures to have secured that seat, as she
knew from past experience.
With a comfortable sigh she settled
down next to the window, and glanced
up In sudden admiration at the tall
young man as he sat down beside'
her. The baby made a difference even in
him. They two had been splendid
friends heretofore, but she had never
seen him look quite so manly and ca
pable and. at the same time, so—so,
well, properly tamed, as he did with
that helpless mite of humanity in his
arms. She quite warmed to him. and
a certain question that she had long
been debating in regard to him began
to assume a new and a very attractive
light. If he had known what was pass
ing in her mind he might have con
tinued to look subdued and domesti
cated. As it was, he promptly dumped
the infant In her lap, and brushed his
sleeves as if part of It might have rub
bed off on him, whereat her eyes twin
kled. Why should a woman so delight
in a man’s awkwardness with a baby?
“Where did you get it?” he asked,
as she deftly straightened out the lit
tle white skirts while tbe train moved
out of the shed.
"From a woman who ran sway with
her own husband, she replied, and ex
plained her predicament. He laughed
with keen relish, and she laughed witli
him. Even the baby joined in the mirth
through pure happiness of disposition,
and she was flattering herself that, ex
cept for her worry about Aunt Mar
tha. the trip was to be delightfully
cozy and jolly, when her quick ear
caught a passing remark that plunges
her into fresh misery of an unbearable
sort. A man and a woman, passing
through the .aisle, were looking back
at them with kindly acutiny.
"No. it favors her. T think," the man
was saying. “Look at the hair and eyes.
Anyway, they’re a mighty nice looking
little family."
Portia flashed a veiled glance at the
tall young man. No. he had not heard.
"Now, Mr. Hallam," she graciously
remarked, “1 know you always smoke
when you travel, and you musn’t put
yourself out at all. Just go right into
the smoker and meditate, and baby
and I will talk about scenery and
things. We are old chums, you know.”
"Why, I couldn't think of it.” he pro
tested, but she insisted so earnestly
that by and by he looked at her cu
riously and went, to her infinite relief-
The situation had suddenly become Im
possible.
Deft to themselves, she and the baby
got along magnificently for a time. The
moving panorama from the car win
dow, the transition from busy streets
to cozy suburbs and finally to open
country proved absorbing to the wide-
eyed mite, but presently it turned from
the window with a sigh and looked
appealing into her face.
Regardi ng Manuscripts
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cumulation of many years, more stories and articles than
it will be able to print before the consolidation occurs.
To accept others would, therefore, he not only holding
out impossible promises to writers, but doing an injustice
to those whose work has long been in this office waiting
publication .
Uncle Remus’s Magazine is on the lookout for crisp,
bright, short fiction, and for articles illustrative of inter
esting historical and industrial phases of Southern life—-
such as have often appeared in these columns. They must
be well written and such as to commend themselves to a
magazine of its high class
< j
Remember ihe address.
UNCLE REMUS’S MAGAZINE, Atlanta ,Ga.
This announcement applies to all departments save the
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partment will continue to forward their letters to Mrs.
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“Googh. googh, googh!" it said.
"Exactly,” Portia replied. "I think
just that way about it myself. '
The baby pondered this reply long
and earnestly and then frowned.
“Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!” it exclaimed in
a tone of mild remonstrance.
Evidently it had a definite idea about
something or other, and she studied it
in perplexity. It threw up its hands
and scratched her in the face with
sudden dexterity.
"All!" it sharply scolded, and then
grabbed for her hair. She untangled the
plump little list from her pompadour,
wondering at its strnegth, and tried to
repair the damage to her coiffure.
While she was doing that her nose
was grabbed, and a tiny piece of the
skin came away under a sharp finger
nail.
"Ah! Ah-h-h-h-h! Ah!” she was ad
monished in a burst of temper so un
mistakable that it astounded her-
'Wliy, you sauce-box!” site exclaim
ed. She had never seen tiie child act
like this, and tiie "grown upness” of
tiie apparent mental process and re
sultant action was. a marvelous thing.
The baby tried different tactics. It
gurgled at her and cooed and laughed
nervously, a cry so close behind the
laugh that it was pathetic, and coax
ed with all its pretty diplomacy. Sud
denly it returned to more emphatic
measures. Tiie little brows contracted
into a black line and the rosebud lips
squared off in determination, as it pro
ceeded to scold her aga.u with all its
baby might. Then it took a new tack
aiu. began to fret and whine. She
tried to cuddle it up in her ams, and
it stiffened out like a poker. She stood
it on Iter lap and she sat it on her
lap and she laid it on her lap;
pounded on the window pane, she sang
to it, she trotted it up and down; she
tried to play "knock at the door ant.
peep in" upon the angry countenance,
and "this little piggy went to market'
upon the stiffened fingers, but ali
no avail. The infant phenomenon mis
behaved worse and worse, and finally
began to cry outright.
Portia had never been more miser
able in her life. She felt that the eyes
of tiie car were upon tier, and she was
divided between whether to spank the
bably for his exhibition of senseless
temper, or to pity him and blame her
self for some possible pain of which
she wildly realized her ignorance. She
would have given her most prized pos
session at that moment to havfe laid
that borrowed baby in the arms of its
cool and capable mother.
In the very midst of heg attraction
she felt a light tap on. her shoulder,
and. turning, found the face of the
fat man apologetically confronting her.
"Excuse me. madam," he -said in a
quite grandfatherly tone. “I’m a mar
ried naan myself, and I know you won t
take offense. I have three beautiful
children of my own. Three of them,
madam. I know just how you feel about
it. you being a young woman, you
know, but really you musn’t let the lit
tle one suffer from hunger, and he
complacently settled hack into his seat
and looked out of the window in os
tentatious modesty, quite satisfied with
his bit of wholesome advice.
Portia withered into her corner. For
one burning moment it had been on
the tip of her tongue to gasp out that
she bore no relationship, whatever, to
the baby, but a flash of her ready com
mon- sense showed her in time what an
awkwardness that would be. Moreover
she was conscience stricken. She had
forgotten to bring the baby's bottles
along! What, what should she do?
"What's the matter with the pre
cious lamb?” a familiar voicb wanted
to know Just then, and Hajlam sat
down besice her. She was as much re
lieved to see him come as she had been
to see him go. "Restful sort of an In
dian. isn't he? As peaceable and quiet
as an election jag. Come here, Mr.
Fourth of July,” and he took the
shrieking infant from her. "Now.
youngster, tell me all about it.” he
commanded in his big. hearty voice.
The baby stopped crying with as lit
tle effort as if the noise was controll
ed by a turn-cock, and looked up in
to his face with inquiring interest.
Seeing no promise of food there, how
ever, it threw back its head and sud
denly turned on tiie howl again, with
an especially ear-splitting yell by way
of notice that it was still doing busi
ness at tiie old stand, and would con
tinue patiently at work until it got
just what it wanted. Mr. Hallam
promptly dumped the treasure back
where he had found it.
"Great heavens!” he ejaculated.
"Where has he been hiding ail that
voice? No wonder it hurts him!”
“The poor little tiling is hungry,
Ed,” wailed Portia, who unconscious
ly ma-«e use of his given name in her
distress. “I never felt so miserably
wicked in my life. I forgot to bring his
bottles along, and he is starving, liter
ally starving!”
"Oh. he's good and fa*. He'll last
quite a long time yet," he observed by
wav of comfort. "I'll rustle up some
grub, though, if there's any on this
train. There's no dining car a'tached.
but I'll see what we can do. Er—what
does tiie cherub eat?”
"Oh, please do be quiet, just a little bit.
baby." she distractedly begged. “Milk,
Ed. nothing but fresh, sweet tnilk. and
Mrs. Bartlett thins it down with about
one-third of distilled water, and puts a
little sugar of milk in it, serving it Just
blood warm, you know."
•‘Garnished with anything?" he asked
with grim cheerfulness. "Look here, it
I can find a little plain, ordinary cow s
milk for that kid I’ll be tickled into
spasms, and won’t even stop to ask the
color or pet name of the cow," and ne
strode away before he could be re
proached. as he should have been.
Mr. Hallam was nothing if not prac
tical and thorough. lie went to every
person in the car, and asked them, one
by one, for milk. Then then went into
the car ahead, and even to the smoker
and to the baggage car with the same
request, but he was forced to come back
empty-handed, though he had aroused
the sympatrv of the entire train and hail
countless offers of whisky and fried
chicken. Just as he returned to Por
tia’s seat a young couple with a sleeping
baby go' on at a little way station and
came into their car. Hallam promptly
accosted them.
"Is that a bottle baby?" he bluntly In
quired.
Tiie man glared at him indignantly,
hut the woman cast one sympathetic
glance at Portia and knew nil about It.
"The poor child!'' she said with moth
erly pity, and made a swift mental eal.
culatlon. 'And you forgot your bottles?
I'm so glad that I brought three along.
We can't possible need more than two.
and you are quite welcome to one. For-
funately they are warm yet.
She opened a little handbag, and Hal
lam exulted as he saw three white bot
tles with black nipples reposing ir. ft
snug row. The woman handed him one
of them, and the moment Baby Bartlett
saw it he threw out botii his arms anil
screamed, then began to double up and
straighten out like a measuring worm
in a hurry. With almost Impolite haste
the tall young man thrust the nozzle
end toward the famished infant. Two
strong liitie hands clasped the neck of
the bottle, thei a was a grunt of satisfac
tion. two strong little arms drove the
nipple into the yawning red mouth, and
peace, sweet peace, settled down upon
the car.
"Poor baby," murmured Portia with
infinite pity, as she nestled it more
comfortably to her and tilted the bottom
of the bottle to a. bet:er working
angle Even Hallam felt a thrill ot
strange yearning as he watched the
pretty little mite so sturdily tugging
way. Portia, too. was a revelation. He
had never s«en that softened glow upon
her. It set hint to thinking.
"Tiie tike!” said he. with affectionate
gruffness by and by. and Portia looked
up at him and smiled appreciatively.
The crowd in the car had thinned out
somewhat by this time, nnd there were
plenty of seats. The couple with the
other baby seemed to be experienced
travelers, for tbe man handed his wife
the sleeping little one and preempted ft
double seat just across tbe aisle from
Hallam and Portia. He went out of the
car and presentlv returned with a one-
legged board, such as railroad porters fix
between the seats for card tables Bend
ing the leg out of tbe wav he fitted the
board firmly down between tbe cushions
of the. two seats, thus joining them inio
a broad, fiat couch. On one of the seats
the woman t T_ »en laid her baby, secure
in the knowledge thu* if it turned over
or was jolted it could n~f roll to the
floor, and the couple sat down contented
ly In the seat just ahpad.
Tt was but a few minutes until tbe Bart
lett baby let the bottle fall, empty, from
its relaxed hands, nnd with a sweet
"coo" of comfort looked up at Portia
anrl smiled adorably. She snuggled him
to her and began a so e t. crooning song
in which the baby, after a while, joined
her with a sleepy note. Hallam was spell
bound. He had seen this sort of thing be
fore. but it bad never bit him with such
force. The motherly side of Portia was
tbe most entrancing thing he had ever
witnessed in this world, and she had be Q n
attractive enough before to keep him
awake of nights. He drew a deep sigh,
nnd found that he was holding the bottle
with sentimental tenderness.
Portia was looking out of the window,
far. far away, with a soft ligh; in her
eyes that nothing but the elasp of a
helpless baby in her arms eould have
put there. Tiie baby’s eyes blinked, closed,
came open slowly, blinked, closed, and
then the little fist, that had been rest
ing against the side of its head in pro
test against drowsiness, fell limberly to
its side. The borrowed baby was asleep.
Hallam gently arose. He supported
Portia's arm as she quietly got up. and
steadied her as she stepped over and
laid the baby down on the seat across
from the other one. The young married
couple looked back and smiled cordially.
The conductor came through and paused
to scowl gondly down at the slumbering
Innocents. It was easy to tell that he
had one or two of his own at home. The
fat man tiptoed across the aisle and
gloated over them. He told the young
married couple, and Portia and Hallam.
and the conductor, and the woman in
tbe red hat and purple talcum powder,
and the workman in the gingham shirt,
and the big-boned country boy, and the
icy gentleman in the silk tie. each one
separately anil individually, that lie was
the father of three beautiful children
himself. His eyes were watery with ten
derness as lie sat down, and he mopped
his brow without intermission for the
next ten miles, smiling wit-fa irrepressible
good intention all the while.
Portia nnd Hallam, in the meantime,
had slipped back to their seat, each one
nursing a secret thrill of pride, as If they
were responsible for 'something or other
immensely creditable, and talked about
nothing but the weather and the new
books.
They stopped for a moment at another
way station by and by. and their view of
two corn-cribs an! a haystack was sud
denly cut off by a passenger train that
stood puffing on tiie sidetrack. Portia
found herself idly staring at a lady who
sat in the other train just opposite to
iter own window, and the lady found
herself as idly staring back. Alt at once
Portia sa.t up and stiffened.
"Aunt Martha!" she cried.
“Portia!” screamed the other lady.
The two made frantic efforts to raise
their respective windows, and just then
both trains began to move. Portia was
still tugging at her window when green
fields occupied the sp>aoe where the fleet
ing vision of Aunt Martha had been
framed.
"I'll help you at it if you think you
can make her hear," calmly suggested
Hallam.
Portia sank hank in a despairing at
tempt to understand.
"I -wonder if I'm really crazy, or just
a victim of harmless hallucinations." she
plaintively inquired. "Aunt Martha is
in that other train, perfectly well and
going to visit us! What is the answer?
"I never was good at it, and I give it
up." replied Hallam. bet's see that tele
gram. if you have it with you.
She searched in her reticule and found
i* for him. He studied it for a moment,
and then he whistled an involuntary
note and began to laugh.
"Did you take time to notice thru this
was a peculiar way in which to spell
'Martha?' ” he asked, handing it back to
her.
Her eyes contracted in perplexity as
she studied it. “Martha" was spelled
"M-a-r-t-li-a-w."
"That *w belongs to the next word.”
Hallman explained. "Instead of
Mart haw 111 Come on next train.'
message was intended ro read,
Martha will come on next ‘train.’
simple, after all."
"Simple!’’ she exclaimed "It's
fectly silly. Also, it's tragic.
Martha is rich and eccentric. Slm'll get
to onr flat, find it deserted, become an-
g.y and go right back to t! • depot to
wait for the next train. She lias always
said that I r\-as the only one in the fam
ily wdio wasn't an irredeemable fool, and
now she’ll make no exceptions. The only
thing for us to do is to get off at toe
very next stop, and take Iho first tra.n
right back. If we're lucky enough to
catch her at the depot we can show
her this imbecile telegram and may be
take her back to the flat.”
Mr. Hallman winced slightly. T'ncon-
seiously she h*7! included him in the
program. He had a business engage
ment for that day. but a telegram would
hold it over Tor twenty-four hours. Any
how. what was a mere business engage
ment as compared wi’h having Portia to
consider him indispensable. It wapiti
opportunity that It would he sinful to
overlook, and he only hoped that she
would not think of how -she was altering
his plans, anil so send him packing about
his business.
He need not have worried. Portia's
min'd was so full of distressed conjecture
about what Aunt Martha would do. that
she forgot everything else. When the
train slowed down at tiie next stop she
was half way to the door before she re
membered a forgotten item. Hallman
was close nefilnc! her with the two suit
cases.
"The baby!” “he exclaimed, turning to
him wi?li white lips and ’taking the grips
from hint.
"Gemmy!” lie gasped, and dashed back
to get the missing bundle.
Tiie station was a tiny country affair
where the train had mer#!y stopped for
telegraphic ~far<1iF». As Portia and Hal
lam alighted the conductor and engineer
were already- racing back to their places
with their sheets of yellow tissue paper.
“Your *ickets read on through," ob
served the conductor sharply, as ha
swung on the moving step.
"Mistake. Got to go back.” explained
Hallam briefly, and the train pulled on.
He stood looking after it with a mo
mentary sigh of regret for the spoiled
business engagement, when Portia re
called him
"Let’s hurry inside and sit down,” she
suggested. "I’m scared limn. Tf we
had left that blessed baby cn the train
I don't think any convent could have
hidden me from the vengeance of Mrs.
Bartlett.”
She came close and stood on tiptoe to
look at it. Suddenly she gave a scream
that nearly made him drop it.
"Stop the train! Stop the train!" she
shriekizl, plunging out into the center of
the track and frantically waving her
handkerchief. "You've got the wrong
baby!”
He gasped in hor Or as he looked down.
Tiie stir had awakened the tot. and two
big brown eyes were looking up at him
In sleepy wonder.
"1 say. They are pretty nearly alike
after all.” lie ventured hopefully. "Do
you—do you suppose it would make so
very much difference?”
He wan lucky that Portia did not hear
hint.
"Slotp it! Stop it!" she wa? still cry
ing in desperation, jumping up and down
to render tb ' waving of her handkerchief
more effective. Tiie insensate train paid
no attention It swept on i ..ientlcssly.
and the rea: coach dwindled down into •
the size »' a toy as it receded into the
perspective, llaS'.un was stricken dumb,
lie was afraid to say anything, for fear
she would notice him and remember his
share in tiie contretemps-
The station agent, a young fellow with
Cotil iauscl on Third Page.
. l '