Show THE EVENING STORY TWO BABIES BA IES Copyright 1012 1912 by W. W Werner The rhe baby's haby's outfit that was spread In tho broad window of or the most moat exclusive outfitting hop for Cor or children in the city represented tho ho acme of or luxury There were vero petticoats oats and tiny liny dresses of oC lawn and as aM sheer almost almo l as cobwebs cobwebs cob ob webs silk embroidered shawls a small sinai coat whose whoso cost was In Inverse proportion proportion tion to Its size z n. n hood that would have fed a n. poor mans mana family for tor a month a padded satin lined basket almost hidden hid uk- uk den under immense bows of pale plc pink ribbon a Un tiny Jeweled comb a brush to 10 match powder der boX bov a pin lra tray a score of oC pretty costly articles whoso whose use only tile the rich could guess J 1 Mary a 1 Jansen who vho I scrubbed the halls an and stairs of oC the thio big building har- har the shop hop looked bitterly ever every I at the tho pink Ink anti and white array Outon Oulon Out Outon on tho the west sId sIGe In hi a R. miserable bR back backroom backroom k kroom room her own babY 6 6 months old rolled rolle on oh the tho ho haro baTo bare floor res only In a faded fade gingham garment that tho the charity na riad nad I L i i i I I I II Ii i Iu In a moment Mary was ashamed of or herself donated Her husband a a. gaunt aunt Un tin Unhappy n. n happy happ shadow of tho big healthy man manlie he lie had been a year before sat in a ramshackle ramshackle ramshackle ram ram- shackle chair and tried to coax a hurt hur spino spine back to wholeness A A. block of cement had hid dropped on him The lawyers lawyers law law- his carelessness care caro had decided that since own had been responsible he was waa not entitled to damages There were three other children wistful wide Ide eyed thin faced youngsters oun who took life stoically and tried to forget that they earned hungry For Marys Mary's hard were dollars did not quite quito stretch over over rent doctors doctor's a bilL and food clothes and doctor Ono One night Martha Patey whose niece that the clerked In Iii tho the shop told Mar Maty outfit was Wag sold old Mr Mrs l John Guild had bad bought It for Cor her rob baby and sn sue complained com corn petulantly that it was not line ine enough Marys Mary's eyes eyes' grew reW more bitter John Guild was the the owner o of tho the building where her husband had been Injured It had been John Guilds Guild's lawyers who ha had overruled thin the claim for Cor damages Sh She scrubbed d with vicious haute haHto f Rill anti nd th the j re resentment re- re in her heart flared from a 81 fire to flame I 1 hope It never nc lives to wear it- it she burst out It Taint fair fait that torn sonio folks have have- so 20 much and others nathIn nothIng noth noth- I In Ing rig No Xo It aint Martha Martha- agreed dully dull Martha was 1 0 60 61 and her great bonY bon knuckles had ached BO so many years that tha she had forgotten what whal ease meant riu dut I dunno duno what we wo can do to change mat mat- lers That night night morning morning rather forit for It wa was wasI I 1 o'clock o'clock when when Mary walked wall ed stifflY stiff home she she- was wa Irritable At breakfast sho ho slammed the thc bread bicad on the table un and poured d out th the weak coffee with Uh all au tin un- n usual sual show show- of fury tury Howards Howard's white whit whiteface face tace flushed d and his hand shook as 85 h he picked up th tho cracked cl cup Tired 1 h he asked I J Just st cant can't hardly hard hard- ly Iy stand It to have havo you working like hike R a horse and mo me sitting hero heroIn hero hero- In a J. J moment Mary was waa ashamed o of herself Sh Sho laid ald her head on the cloth cloth- less les table and began to cry Tho The children children chil chill dren stood around In hushed right fright Th The Tho baby on tho the floor walled wailed Sho She soon Boon recovered herself and nd assured Howard that she sho did not mind working that she really liked to scrub and that tha she knew he would soon h be he well But th the flush tay stayed d in his checks cheeks for Severn several days and the meager supply of or food wa was not much diminished by what he ate aio But Mary dary had bad got work for the afternoons afternoons afternoons after after- as QS well as the nights and was to bu busy y to notice Two months passed passed- dreary passed dreary hard months Winter came orf on on with a a. drizzly cold that cut to tho the bone bono and made mado a bushel of or coal cORl a a. miserable defense Howard's Howards Howards Howard's Howards Howard's How How- ards ard's spine spino did not Improve The doctor docto who was free freo with service and chary char with bills looked worried and slipped ou out before beCore Mary fary 1 could talk long to tg him Th The Tho baby's thin hands were with cold The rho older children whimpered with th the pains that gripped their puny Ill nourIshed nourished nour flour lobed bodies Mary had the grip riP bu bushe but she sho did ld not tell any anyone one Its Ite ls l's to bo be an awful hard winter win win- ter said Id Martha I 1 guess Ill I'll give ivo u up and go to the poorhouse Im I'm bout tired of ot living Jiving Taint worth the struggle Mary rubbed the tho brush In silence Sh She hadn't much sympathy to spare True Martha was old but then she sho had only herself to cato caro for tor If she had a a. a Bobbin sobbing sobbing sob Bob bin bing baby two hungry lIttle boys bos and anda a A. frail trail little girl not nOl to mention th the sick husband sh she might r reasonably a complain complain com corn plain that life s wes hard Say said Martha you remember that baby's outfit that was In tho tim window window win win- dow so 80 long It didn't do the poor lit littIe littie little lit lit- tie tle mite much good Ellen Ellon was telling me mo Mrs Guild was was in tho the store day to get some some things and she looked like a dead woman Seems the baby's nurse nurs let Iet him fall over a bannister and ad his spine Is broken Hell He'll always be a cripple cried Mary her brush suspended sus SUR- In the air Why Why how how can such sue a thin thing happen to a rich baby Cant Can't the doctor do anything any thin I 1 guess said sald Martha philosophically that things happen to rich folks bout boutas as often as they do to poor Anyway this happened and all the smart doctors doc tors In the tho city cant can't help him Its It's their only child too It wan waa after midnight and they had almost finished Marys Mary's back ached Her hands bands were red from that tho scouring powder pow pow- der But suddenly she felt buoyant even ir T I 4 r it I h how Why Why how can such uch a a. thins thing happen to a a. rich baby while her heart henrt contracted with pity fo fo- fo or orthe the he maimed child She had always thought bought of it as u well cared for or attended b by y nurses Its ever even want supplied and he the contrast with her tier own childs child's neglect flog neg- bet lect had halt created a festering sore in her t mind She had come como to t. t that hate hat th this i she had even ven turned against Howard Howar unconsciously un consciously y blaming bh him for tor his r 4 c carelessness r le Now ow her attitude chin n. n 4 v It came to her that trouble was an l ini partial p caller and she he realI realized ld with t throb of or thankfulness that thal her baby body was a sound d. She straightened her achin achin- back gU lr at the tho end of or the tho hour Thor Thoy lad had town paid that evening She decided d for forone one to relax the rigid economy which w w her rule and buy omo orno extras t IJ on h r way war home In th the thA morning she ohe he would have Mv havea a breakfast like tho old on ones and If It th the tbt money didn't last tOt till next I pay py y day why th thy hey v would get et along an as best they gouid To her surprise was ns' ns W u when f hn pot Jot home 4 I What the matter she asked tnT tar bushy Cant you ou sleep Does Doe our bt ba hurt you f I Not any moro more than usual ha he answered an sn Ini carelessly Ills His eyes were flittering tilt flit bu but the b baby by cried sleepily Iron to li lithe the bed tied and ho eho ho hurried over to Sooth it with unaccustomed gentleness she blie tenderly tucked the covers over ov p th the three thice huddled forms In the other otherS bed j te foro she abe T ack to him 1 Ive got Jot lIon to ill i'll you tan Mary Iy h ho tip began he-an with fl fi r g I Ye i dont don't havo hava to scrub any more T Te Tenee nee nt And then to her hel al alarm be b. began to sob Bob Howard sho- sho cried th mat matter ter V Q told jou OU I. I I dont don't mind the wOr Im I'm glad to do Io it She flung an n arm tria about his neck You mustn't worry wory He raised rained his hr head head ad an and wiped the tho tears away jm not w worryIng worry Ing Mary ho he said said- But I Itch tell YO you JOU jou t dont don't n need ed to do it any more John Guild GulU was was was' here re toJa today Ho He didn't know anY agy thing about what t the lawyers 30 decided d ha lis didn't know anything about my bIag hurt And nd hos ho's going to give me and ull till T I get well Oh Ohl Ohl said u Mary weakly Theft Th n lb abt Into the tho nearest chair chain Oh dOh O U Howard she cried if you jou ou kne knew bow how I hated to scrub |