The small cause of all the excitement went on her sunny-faced merry-hearted way, unknowing what turmoil she had stirred up.
“Middy lub Patty,” she would say, toddling to Patty’s side as she sat at her everlasting telephone conversations. “Middy fink Patty booful!”
“Yes, and Patty finks Middy is booful,” catching the baby up in her arms, “but you are a terrible responsibility!”
“Well, it’s what you are. I don’t know what to do with you!”
“Lub me,” suggested Milly, twining her chubby arms around Patty’s neck till she nearly choked her. “Tell me I’s your pressus baby-kins.”
“Yes, you’re all of that; and, as a matter of fact, I’m getting too fond of you, you little fat rascal!”
“I must beg of you, Miss Fairfield, not to caress the child so much,” said the cold voice of Nurse Swift. “It is conceded by all authorities that kissing is most harmful——”
“Fudge!” said Patty; “I’m only kissing the back of her neck. Microbes don’t hurt back there. Do they, Doodlums?” and she cuddled the baby again, while Miss Swift looked on in high dudgeon.
“Of course,” she said, primly, “if my advice, based on experience and knowledge, is not to be considered at all, it might be well if you employed some other——”
“There, there, Nurse,” interrupted Patty, “we’re not going to employ anybody else. Take the kiddy-wid, and put her in a glass case. Then she won’t get kissed and cuddled by bad, naughty, ignorant Pattys. By-by, Curly-head!”
“No, no! Middy ’tay wiv Patty. Middy not go wiv bad Nursie!”
“Listen, Dearie Girl. Go away with Nursie now, and get nice bread and milk, and come back to see Patty some ’nother time.”
This reasoning worked well and the baby went off smiling and throwing kisses back to Patty.
“Oh, me, oh, my,” sighed Patty, “what can I do, what _can_ I do?”
That evening Chick Channing called. To him Patty narrated her difficulties.
“Don’t you know of anybody who wants a perfectly angel child?” she said. “Truly there never was such a little ray of sunshine, such a sweet disposition and intelligent mind.”
But Channing didn’t know of a single applicant for such a treasure.
“But I’ll tell you what,” he said; “let’s peddle her. Tomorrow I’ll come for you in my runabout, and you have the kiddy all dolled up fine, and we’ll take her round from house to house and offer her to the highest bidder.”