COLONEL DUDLEY AND MRS. MAGUFFIN'S BABY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 288, 26 March 1877, Page 4

COLONEL DUDLEY AND MRS. MAGUFFIN'S BABY.

vously, this morninrj ; " keep Ver darn ■ hahy me, V I"II crsttek it out the windc." " Alsy, Cunrul; sk, now," said 3lr». MagnUm, *• i-t..:fy j>!a.yut f wid yer he's Mttlvv r." flavin* with inc. hay i Well, if yon don't irtjidtt hiu> from further proeeedin's you'd prob'ly get a hundred 4a; 3, for I ean'S keep my mind cowjirntwod on your defense witli hint a tliwtn' me." The Cornet wa.it not to blame. T!ic beautiful gates had never been ajar when that Maguffin youngster left heaven. He had climbed over the fenca or got out in sntwe way unknown to the authorities, els-.s ha cotifcl never have been intlicted on sutF ring mankind. He was only thirteen months old, but when brought into court his mother* trouble s<> affected him that fie yelled tilled the Court borrowed some cotton 60 stuff into his cars, and three drunks in the dock went ofF into the '• horrors " and made tilings lively. The human b»>y " was tinaily choked off, and he then began «>peration. He first tried to swallow the Colonel's library, that genj tlenian and 3TrH. ftfagufiin being intent on the vase. Ho was teething, and . the fcathji* taftel good. b>tt just aj tlie last td'ji-) of it was disappearing behind his tenuis. his fond mother yanked the book out to the disgust of her progeny. One of the Buy kinder 3 briefs nest attracted him, and .after sticking all the broken . Kngtrsh ofF he investigated an adjacent inkstand. The hand was dirty brown when it went in, but dripping black when it came out, as was the other hand and the face soon after, and then, murmuring *i;nr rtg gar" he atFeetioiiately reached over to the Colonel, giving hint a wipe across- the nose with his little inky paw. The cardinal red ground and the live black stripes produced an cfFeet as warlike as it was nniqw. This caused the exclamation, and to prevent further annoyance the man of briefs, with cotd-bh>oded cruelty, slid a paper of tine cut chewing out on the table. The tk little cuss " ceased operation on Ktiiholls cane, the paint bein:-; nearly all sucked o£i, and went for the tin foil. After a few moments' vigorous sticking he " struck oil.'* A second after lie had swallowed a mouthful of tobacco juice and Ered ©tF a howl ihat made the Court jump, and caused the anxious parent to hurry from the mom to find where the pin w»4. There was a quizzical smile on the Colonel's f»e© as slie went otti, and he heaved a sigh as he took a fresh chew and murmured, " Pore child ! pore little dairlinT I""