“Borrowed it, at least not exactly, and it’s a him not an it. You see Mrs. Clary, who lives back of us, had to go out on an important errand and was at her wit’s ends to know what to do with Master Guy, sweet name, Guy, so I offered to take care of him. I thought it would be fun to bring him here and we could all take turns in looking after him. It would enliven the party, you perceive, and give us all a chance of putting in some good Scout work. He is a friendly young person and not given to howling more than the law allows.”
The girls all made a rush to divest Master Guy of his bundlings up, and questions came thick and fast with exclamations and compliments thrown in. “Isn’t he a darling? How old is he? Can he walk? Can he talk? What a dear little head! What lovely long lashes! Um! Um! wouldn’t I love to have such a complexion! Come to me, ducky darling. No, I’m going to take him first,” and so on.
The youngster appeared to be quite undisturbed by all this fuss, but scanned each face in turn and finally put out his arms to Winnie, who snatched him up and hugged him, dancing him up and down in her strong young arms till he gurgled with delight.
“You mustn’t hold him all the time; you will spoil him,” cautioned Virgie.
“Then what shall I do with him? Put him on the floor?” questioned Winnie.
“Oh, he might take cold,” Claudia spoke up.
“I’ll get a quilt or something,” said Winnie, dumping the baby upon Claudia’s lap and rushing off up-stairs. Presently she reappeared with a comfortable which she spread out on the floor. “There!” she exclaimed, “he will be all right. Put him down, Claudia.”
But no sooner was young master deposited than he set up a howl which rent the skies, and began hitching himself toward Virgie who perforce must pick him up in order to pacify him. “Now what’s to be done?” she said looking around. “We shall spoil him if we hold him all the time and if we don’t he yells like fury.”
“Maybe he’s hungry,” suggested Winnie.
“No,” Virgie shook her head, “he mustn’t be fed out of hours, and even if he consents to stay on the floor he will hitch himself all over the place; that’s his way of getting around. At home he has one of those pens that his mother can put him in.”