The baby—it is a beautiful baby—though it does have much redness of face from coming such a long way in the cold last night. Maybe it was the coldness of the night that did cause the angels to make the mistake. They stopped at the wrong house. I’m quite sure this is the very baby I have been praying for the angels to bring to the new young folks that do live by the mill by the far woods. Dear Love, her young husband does call her. And they are so happy. But they have been married seven whole months and have n’t got a baby yet. Twice every day for a time long I have been praying prayers for the angels to bring them one real soon. And most all day to-day I did feel I better tell Elsie as how this baby is n’t her baby, before she does get too fond of it. She so likes to cuddle it now. Both morning and afternoon I did put off going to tell her about it. I did wait most until eventime. Then I could n’t keep still any longer. I felt I would just have to speak to her about it at once.
I did have knowings that Mrs. Limberger, that was staying with Elsie until the other woman was come back, would n’t let me come in the door to see the baby again because she has opinions that nineteen times is fully enough to be a-coming to see a baby on the first day of its life on earth. So I went and got a wood-box off the back porch, and I did go around to the bedroom window. I did get on top the wood-box and I made tappings on the window-pane. Elsie did have hearings. She did turn her head on the pillow. And she gave nods for me to come in. I pushed the window a push enough so I could squeeze in. Then I sidled over to the bed.
Elsie did look so happy with the baby. I did swallow a lump in my throat. She looked kind smiles at me. I did not like to bring disturbs to her calm. I just stood there making pleats in my blue calico apron. I did have thinks of Dear Love and the house without a baby by the mill by the far woods. Then I felt I could n’t wait any longer. I just said, “I know you are going to have a disappoint, Elsie, but I have got to tell you—this baby is n’t yours. It’s a mistake. It really belongs to Dear Love in that most new, most little house by the mill by the far woods. It’s the one I’ve been praying the Angels to bring to her.”
Just when I was all out of breath from telling her, there did come the heavy step of Mrs. Limberger’s approaches. Elsie did say in a gentle way, “Come to me early in the morning and we will talk the matter over.” Then I did go out the window.
From the house of Elsie I did go to talk with Michael Angelo Sanzio Raphael. He does so understand. All troubles that do trouble me, I do talk them over with him. While I was telling him all about how the angels did make a mistake and did bring Dear Love’s baby to the house of Elsie, I did hear a little voice. It was a baby voice. It did come from the barn. I went in to see. It was n’t in the haystack. It seemed to come from a way below. I slid down to the manger of the gentle Jersey cow. I thought she was in the pasture, but there she was in the barn. And with her was a dear new baby calf. When I did ask the ranch folks when it was brought, they did say it was brought in the night last night. I have thinks the same angel that did bring the new baby to the house of Elsie did bring also in her other arm that baby calf to the gentle Jersey cow. To-night I will pick it out a name from the books Angel Mother and Angel Father did write in. Early in the morning I will go again to the house of Elsie.
Early on the morning of to-day I did go in the way that does lead to the house of Elsie. I did rap gentle raps on the door, and the young husband of Elsie did come to raise the latch. When the door did come open, I did have seeing that his black pumpadoor did seem to shine more than most times, and all the vaseline was gone from the jar that sets on the kitchen shelf. I did tell him how Elsie did say for me to come early in this morning. And before he did have time for answers, Elsie did have hearing in the other room. She did call. She did call me to come in.
In I went. The baby it was beside her. It was all wrapped in a blanket so it could n’t even have seeings out the window how the raindrops was coming down so fast. The young husband of Elsie did look fond looks at that blanket. I did begin to have fears he did have thinks it was his baby. Elsie did unwrap the blanket from its red face. It’s just as red as it was yesterday, though the rain coming makes the weather more warm. Elsie did say, “See its long hair.” And I did have seeing. It was n’t long though, not more than an inch. It was most black. And its eyes—they were dark. It did have prefers to keep them shut. When I did see them, Elsie did say, “Now about what we were talking about yesterday—next time you go to the house of Dear Love, have seeing of the color of her eyes and hair and also of her husband’s. I hardly think this baby’s hair and eyes are like theirs. And maybe it is where it does belong.” “I feel sure about that,” said her young husband. But I had not feels so.
Just then the mamma did holler for me to come home to bring wood in. I so come. Now she does have me mind the baby. I do print.
When sleeps was come upon the mamma’s baby, I straightway did go in a hurry to the house of Dear Love by the mill by the far woods. All the way along the raindrops were coming in a hurry down. Many of them did say, “Petite Françoise too. I wonder, I wonder.” When I was come to the house of Dear Love, she was there and he was there. Her eyes were light blue, and her hair, it was very light. Most cream hair she has got. And her husband that does call her Dear Love—his eyes they are blue, and he has red hair. I saw. And I was going right back because I did feel sad feels. Dear Love, she did lead me back into her house and did have me to sit on a chair. I sat on its corner. And I felt lumps come up in my throat. She did take off my fascinator, and she did take off my shoes so my feet would get dry.
Then she did take me on her lap and she did ask me what was the matter. And I just did tell her all about it—all about how I had been praying for the angels to bring a baby real soon to them—and how sad feels I did feel because they did n’t have a baby yet. Her husband did smile a quiet smile at her, and roses did come on her cheeks. And I did have thinks that they did have thinks that this baby the angels did bring to the house of Elsie was their baby. Then I did give them careful explanations as how I too did have thinks it was their baby the angels did bring to the house of Elsie, that I did pray for them to have real soon. And as how I did have thinks so yesterday and last night and right up until now, when I did come to their house and have seeings of their blue eyes and his having red hair. I did tell them as how this baby could n’t be theirs, because it has most dark hair and dark eyes—like the eyes and the hair of the young husband of Elsie.