A Baby At The Theater

Sho bronght the darling witli her to see thoplay. Hor entire devotion to the active infant and total indifference to observation proclaimed her its mothfir. Hhe tickled the baby nDder the chili till it crowed again. Sho seizod its fot and shook it fill the.infant Ruffocated itself with delight. This hnd a bad effent, for when tho baby rocovered its wind it yelled with fright. Then, snch a kissing and dancing. It was tossed and playfully shaken and grinned at, and chirruped to, uutil it began another alarming langh. An artificial rose in tne maternal bonaet caught the infantile eye, and the delighted mamma suffered her offspring to bob weakly up and down on its limber legs, and jabber earnestly at the floral ornament. People in the vioinity grew nervous. Such a lively infant was sure to make things disagreeable before the evening was ovor. Several young men got up and changed their seats to the other side of the theater. Gentlemen contraoted their brows and unmarried la dies assumed fixed smiles of inmatura sweetness as they cast their fine eyes to ward the playful infant and its prouc and happy mother, fanoying that they thus advertised the well of maternal love which lay latent in their virgin bosoms The lights were turned up and bulgec out the inf ant's eyes with surprise. One feeble little hand, with all the tiny fin gers working, was stretched convulsivel; toward the glittering gas jets on the other side of the auditorium. The orchestra began with a orash. The baby feil npon its back in the maternal lap and set up shriek so loud that the oíd Germán doing a little solo on the cornet between crashes had bis sound quite drowned. It was noticed that when it came to the bass drum raan's turn to chime in, he did so with a thunderin vigor that woiïld have covered the screeches of af oundling hospital. Babygot usedto it. and when ttie cnrtain rang up sat in a stilte of stupefaction, sturing at the actors. An amiable old gentleman in eye-glasses and a white vest, sitting immediately in front of baby, wearied of the play, and in the most grandfatherly manner posaible, turned, and poking a fat foreflnger in the infant's ribs, jocosely clicked his tongne, The consequnce of this advance was that, ju.st as a young gentleman on the stage, who was on his knees bef ore a young lady with averted head, remarked in an impassioned manner, ' 'And, Edith, darling, should heaven bless our union and give us" - baby gave a howl of supernaturnal loudness. The conf used and mortified old gentleman blew his nose with prodigioas vigor and looked straight before him with a very red face. The young gentleman on the stage was startled out of bis speech, and the young lady, overeóme, with emotion, stuffed her hankerchief into her mouth. Every man in the house scowled at the mother, who seemed more oalmly delighted with her darling then ever, and made loving faces at it for full ftve minutes. She was really and truly unoonscious that she and her pet annoyed any one, and throughout the whole evening smiled serenely and looked upon the infant's screams and kicks as marks of a precocity which must exoite the admiiation of the public.