The girl stopped short. For a second she could not move. The complete
relief from suspense was so great that she had to choke back her tears.
For there they were, just where she hard hardly dared to think of them
as being, Mrs. Langley wrapped in a gay old-fashioned paisley shawl
with her head uncovered, sitting on the ground with Joe, Junior, in
her lap. The baby was fondling the little marble image and murmuring
baa-baa, the while Mrs. Langley looked on as if she were in Paradise.
As she stole towards the little group and stood before them, Anna was
unaware that tears were streaming down her cheeks. The baby saw her
first and smiled. “Baa-baa” he cried out stretching out his hands, and
Mrs. Langley looked up quickly. Her expression changed instantly from
beatitude to deep guilt.
“You said you would give him to me for a Christmas present, anyhow,
Anna,” she declared, half defiantly, half-entreatingly.
“Yes, but you didn’t--take him,” gasped Anna dropping down beside them.
She was hugging Joe, Junior, but she did not take him into her arms.
“I’m sorry I didn’t. I’ve been sorry ever since. But you took me so by
surprise. Of course I really wanted him when I could straighten out my
thoughts.”
“We have all been frightened nearly to death thinking the little fellow
was lost,” Anna remarked reproachfully.
“I didn’t think of that,” Mrs. Langley returned meekly, stroking the
baby’s little hand. “I saw him go by and I wanted to see him so badly
that I got my shawl and followed as far as the post office. He was all
alone and so near the road that a horse might have run over him if it
shied. Really, Anna, I was just meaning to stand by him until your
brothers came out; but he reached out his little hands and I had to
take him--he knew me, you see. For he said Baa-baa, and it seemed as if
he was asking me to bring him to see this little lamb; and as I wanted
to see it myself, I brought him up here.”
“Brought him up here!” exclaimed Anna suddenly realizing the magnitude
of the action. “How in this world did you ever do it?”
“I don’t know, I’m sure, but he didn’t seem heavy. He’s so still, I
suppose. I didn’t mean to stay at all, but it is so warm and pleasant;
and baby has been so happy that I forgot everything else.”
* * * * *