The Argosy, October 1906 — page 145: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

bly selfish, George,” _malce—‘“ mF didn't think you were so abomina- she said. ‘The child won't hurt you. One would think it was some. beast of prey- to hear you Jane into the histories and peculiarities — = talk. You will hardly see it at all, un- _less’’—and she smiled with a tinge of uniess you like to have it up in your study sometimes. You haven’t finished ? ” Mr. Scales, who had pushed fie plate — away with some violence, and risen hur- riedly, stood glooming darkly on his wife, as he. crushed the paper which he had been reading intoa hard ball. All right,” he said. own way. You. always do. you selemn warning x The awful possibilities of the coming fortnight, and the hopelessness of* ade- quate retribution for his sufferings, were too much for him, and he left the room abruptly. “Poor George!’’ said; Mrs. Scales, as the banging of the front door notified her of her husband’s departure for his - office. ‘‘ What a pity it is that he never had any brothers or sisters—or children of his own!” she added with a sigh. — She smiled as a vision of Mr. Scales wheeling a, baby carriage rose before here> “ Now I ponies what Jane will say?” To her great relief, Jane, a domestic of some six months’ service, received the news with an enthusiasm which Mr. Scales would have regarded as warrant- ing a committal for imsanity. ‘Tt will be nice to have a little baby in the house, ma’am,” she said. — “Tt will mean a little more work for you, fane,” hinted Mrs. Scales, thinking it advisable to have an understanding from the first. “¥ don’t mind, ma’am,” replied the servant cheerfully. “ And _ besides -it won't be so much among four of us.” “Four?” queried Mrs. Scales. “You, and me, and the mother, and Mr. Scales, ” was the confident reply. “Oh!” ‘said Mrs. Scales. “I don’t think we can count on Mr. Scales. He doesn’t like babies.” Jane tossed her head. “You mark my words, ma’am,” she said with the air of a phophetess. ~-#te mayn’t think so now, but he’ll be doing es share before the visit’s over.” But I give COUSIN “ALMIRA’S 1 BABY. => the two. fell to Le ways oat means, with occasional digressions by _ of babies she had known. Mr: town, fuund it impossible to rid himself — _ of the depression caused by his wife’ $s an- = nouncement. An extraordinarily. large number of | babies seemed to be taking a mornitg — constitutional, and every baby carriage he passed gave him a fresh shock. He scanned the occupants with a critical eye, “* Have it your and was surprised to find that they did - ~ = Several, whose noses —__ had been imperfectly attended to, ms “not all look alike. him shudder, and one lusty- lunged | -in- fant brought him to a halt. | ‘Do they all cry like that?’”’ he asked adously of the good-looking nursemaid. The girl, who evidently regarded the question as a transparent pretext for ad- dressing her, replied with a glance so- chilling that Mr. Scales retired abashed, and. with his curiosity unsatisfied. “Know anything about babies, Butter- worth?” he -inquired, with a fine as- sumption of carelessness, of, 2 bachelor friend, who dropped into his office dur- ing the morning. Mr. Butterworth, eho was investi-_ gating Mr. Scales’s box of cigars, laid it, down and stared. “ Can't say I do,’ he replied. His raised eyebrows voiced an un- spoken question. “No, no,” said Mr. Scales hurriedly. oN othing of that sort, thank—ahem. My Cousin Almira Trenter is coming to visit us. She arrives to-night, and she’s bringing a baby along. what I’ve got to expect.” “ How old is it?’’ Mr. Butterworth demanded, with a judicial air. “ About six months, I should say,” re-- plied the other, who had been notified of the birth by his wife, and had a good memory for dates of even the most un- interesting occurrences. “ Boy. or girl?’ continued his friend, “Blessed if -F know,” replied Mr, Scales. “I forgot to ask.” Mr. Butterworth shook his head. ““& good deal depends on that,” he : == “ Girl babies are not so said sagaciously. oO Scales, striding gloomily ae = I want to know