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I 1 i r. r r h e I f n e. e I Who 1 A B BADY DY r b s 1 I r IA A fill G T Y Y i t t fl flA A Mi L t r k Thomas tiller and his little ward By Dr MARIE MABIE COOL COOLIDGE DGE EASE RASK No Ao Vo one one to to love hive none to caress Lonely room through this wo worlds world's Ids Id's wU- wU JM dern esa U OW many ba bachelors have suns simp su ti HOW that song How many a are are liv- liv livIng living liv liv- 0 ing it now How many are arc s sighing because of 0 unrequited d Jove and groaning groan groan- i ing g in spirit phi ft at tho the t thought L of ol what ha I C might have been been To fo such such this story Is 1 dedicated For a precedent has bas be been m established fished A bravo y young oling bachelor elor with Initiative and andl tho rho courage of or his convictions convictions convictions con con- has tas come ome J to tho the rescue of or his men fellowmen shipwrecked on the rocks r of ot loneliness Henceforth tho tho name of ot Thomas Miller of PassaIc N iJ r will Win stand tand forth pre eminently i int in inthe the annals of ot parental history as the bachelor bachelor bachelor bach bach- elor who adopted a baby I INot Not every man has the tho x maternal at aswall as qS aswell I IW W well wall ll as the vat paternal r al instinct Yet I i why not I Women adopt babies why should t not men Women enter b business do do doa a a. mans man's work Rork and s successfully maintain homes and rear families s. s a at the same time 1 Is 13 It more remarkable for a man to Invade Inn the domestic relations do a womans woman's work fork and successfully attend attend at at- tend to b business and andreal rear real children at Ulo rho same Game tl time cl t So tE reasoned Thomas Miller flitter who i it in il t h his heart longed ro for h home bonne e. e and and fireside fireside fire fire- I side the tha sound oaf of ota a woman womans woman's s voice and and the met nertY merry rattle prattle of ot children 0 climbing about hIs is knep cL 1 But fate h had d d dealt lt unkindly with Thomas and and tho the little litHo hone homo of or ibis dreams had long tong since sinco o vanished like ke kethe 1 the baseless fabric of a Co vision I 1 J Jt t So he c as la a carpenter by byL I L VIA day and as a Go bachelor he at night watching tho the smoke rings float I upward as h he thought of ot what might have havo been iZ Sonic Some one it doesn't m matter ter who told cold him of ot the baby A tiny creature the they said It ft was as so ill m. m so h helpless and n J l V miserable it seemed hardly to bEt foo alive i j NobodY child thought Thomas Alone in the w world like me The Tho more ho he thought of ot the baby the tho more its pitiful pU plight ht touched bis heart Strange he ho mused how th the sight of at a suffering dumb animal will move ro most peo people lo to tears yet ret when achild a achild achild child is 15 forlorn and neglected they only shudder and pass it by i Thomas did not shudder r. r Pity prompted him to take the tho little his rooms lov love taught him to caro care for It nor carelessly but painstakingly J methodically t tenderly have havo as done done th the tho as a mother might as baby babygirl's girls girl's girls own own mother had novel never done Pl Placing her caret carefully llY upon the ithe bed the bachelor or turned and almost ran from the room th the b baby's bys by's low piteous f moaning so sounding in his his' oars ears Where arid and how bow he made his purchases s Thomas Thomas M Miller ler was as hardly cons conscious iou s. Ho only knew that when he returned to those f i small 1 pip pipe dream fin dream ed rooms he had with him every requisite requisite requisite site for for infantile comfort The first thing I bought was a little bath bathtub tub foe he Ie remarked later when reco recounting the he circumstance And jAnd A 4 there ther w. w were e soap and arid sponges and sweet smelling t powder powder and and those oso cute ute little puffs putts I J. guess they call them that go with the powder powder- and andall all ki kinds kinds I ds o of clothes and and and-and- and andOh Oh Oh I l' dont don't know what all but I got enough nought and after I I got them all unwrapped unwrapped unwrapped un un- wrapped and fix fixed ready for use I heated some wat water just not Tight not too hof hot nor too cc cold cold and and I J took that UtU little baby and placed her Iller Just as I Icar carefully car a as as I could in in the water and got pot down on my mJ knees and washed her tier d clean n. n Then I 1 put powder allover allover all aU over h her r so sho she smelt sweet an and dainty I got tho the nt now w clothes on her somehow but it St was a I hard rd Job She was wn so so little UW and weak weak just just like lIko a a tiny wounded kitten kitten but but but when Li I 1 got s of her all fixed up she smiled a then closed her cy eyes oyes and slept C h V y a at 0 ft t r t I 4 She Was No body's Child a Poor Sickly Little Mite Until Lonesome Lonesome I Thomas Miller Miller f 1 Took Her to His Rooms and Cared for Her Then a Wondrous Wondrous Wondrous Won Won- drous T Transformation Transformation I mation Took Place in the but in Thomas Thornas as Well WellAnd WellAnd WeIlAnd Well Well- And When I She Was Four Years Old Old Her Parents Turned Up t to th Claim Her Oh You wouldn't believe how th that t tf little f Ue b baby by slept just slept just because she shey y was was s comfortable for first lE first time in her life I l I am a hard sleeper myself he be cn continued reflectively Gosh but it takes akes a a. lot to wake me Put But do you know that night I kept waking up and nd putting out my hand every little while to see seo if It the tho baby was all aU right and and she was She Sho slept right along peaceful and end happy all through the night That was the beginning As time passed the stalwart Polish carpenter with scarred hands skilled in the tho handling of ot nails and sledge hammers became equally adept in the tho manipulation manipulation tion of ot fine fino needles and dainty laces There were other babies bables in tho the neighborhood ne in which he lived and their mothers seemed to delight doUght in to arr arraying them In lace Jace and ribbon finery It would never do Miller th thought Ugh to have little littIe Albina appear loss well cared for tor Hi Hitherto herlo the tho b bachelors bachelor's efforts at sewing had been en limited to socks Bocks and buttons Now he pl plunged headlong into unexplored r realms alms F First it was a little cap ho he fashioned then some ribbon bow bows With each new now success he felt fell Inspired inspired in In- to attempt something more in in- in The result was marvellous In all aU Polish Passaic there was not nota a baby whoso whose fine raiment excelled d that of ot tho the bachelors bachelor's baby at Millers Miller's flat fiat Millers Miller's pet name for tor the baby was Albino Albina She Sho had been baptized Frances That she ahe thrived under masculine masculine mas mas- culine care was evident She would laugh and coo while the bachelor prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared her breakfast every overt morning before going to work wort and when lie he I would Id burn his fingers or spill the I milk she heated treated the tho whole matter an f I extravagant joke arranged for tor or her hex especial lal amusement The happy foster father r was delighted delighted de de- lighted at the success of his adventure adventure I ture turo in There was no time I for loneliness no now Instead of or dreaming dreaming dreaming dream dream- ing of ot what might have been bean he thought of years to come It was well weIl nigh unbelievable what a change had b be been n wrought in his life lire by such a tiny n cl of ot humanity as jolly little Albina Little by little the general aspect of bf t the bachelors bachelor's modest apartment became became became be be- came materially changed There was one cor corr r fenced off oU and made attractive at at- by the addition of ot a strip of velvet carpet a n. small piano books dolls doUs and toys dear to tho heart of ot a child From the chair of or s tote state installed installed installed in in- stalled therein she ruled her humble subject with almost tyrannical power Dower J I I Play bear was a command tiro the carpenter was never too tired to obey bor when he arrived home from work work at night And when whoa bed timo came camo it was wa no pipe dream but a a. blessed ble reality ca ity to hear bab baby lips Ups lisping a a. 1 prayer ray One night when Albina was four years old the prayer was Interrupted A man and ond a Woman appeared and and claimed the tho little ono no as their own I 1 will die before I I will give giro her het herup up 1 declared the bachlor embracing tho the little girl She Sho is all I halo bare inthe antho in an tho the world During the tho days and wd nights which followed anxiety lest he ho Should lose h his 5 darling lines linos of caro care in the tho bachelors bachelor's face Albina was n never out of or his sight Every morning mornin g when he lie went to work she skipped hap happily nr at hf his side All while day e plied his trade at the country house houseIn In course courso of ot construction played or slept amid the daisies and clover within sight of ot his watchful i eyes ces At night they thoy returned together together to to- to- to gether tanned and rosy with sun and nd health talking of ot what goo good things they would have for supper and what who t new toys they would buy Luy But Dut for tor all that tho the legal outlook for their happiness ss seemed very omin- omin oils ous until Thomas again inspired bethought bethought be be- thought him hini of or a a. woman lawyer awyer IA a woman will understand he ob oh- oh served what what it means to 10 a a. tt fellow who h has s cared for tor achild since babyhood babyhood babyhood baby baby- hood as s I t I have havo cared for tor Albina So to Mrs Mm Sadie the bachelor told his bis tal with talc tale with such ouch success that t at the final hearing the baby was told to choose the father lather sh she lo loved ed the tho be best t. t My papa she whispered entwining entwining entwining ing ing- ingher her arms arm around tho the bachelors bachelor's neck That night in Inthe tore the bachelors kitchen a wonderful t l feast w was prepared Spoon In hand the young foster father turned to address his guests I love Albina ho said not because because be h cause causo she Is Is' pretty not because she tine Is clever I do not say cay evea erea en that it she ehe has alee nico Ico hair or eyes eyes or 3 Neither can I Isay say that she is well born bola b bornor rn or robust I only know w that when I took up that little baby and laid laid her over my mr arm there was was' no one ono else elso who would touch her Now Now Now-do do 70 you understand t tHe He pau paused cd abruptly The little girl o ceased eating arid and looked up wonderIngly wonderingly wonder- wonder into his bis faco face Turning ho took up n A a. large laM framed framed famed picture tram from b be 0 hind a a. vase rose of ot flowers on the mantle mantre and extended it toward b big ht guests The Tho girt girl I 1 was Eon to to he lief remarked ed in low tones n S pre pre- eluded any further question She lives in Brooklyn I do not know whether slip hoe eb ia is married marred now DOW or sot not |
