mint people and all. 'What's this year row about that
there babby?' at last says the Inspector, stepping hup. I thought my
wife was going to jump into his harms. 'Have you got him?' says she.

"'Was it a child in a blue cloak?' says he.

"'And blue eyse!' says my wife.

"'I put a label on him and sent him on to Bristol; he's there by this
time. The Guard of the Mail took him and put him into a letter-box,'
says he: 'he went 20 minutes ago. We found him on the broad gauge line,
and sent him on by it, in course,' says he. 'And it'll be a caution to
you, young woman, for the future, to label your children along with the
rest of your luggage.'

"If my piguniary means had been such as ONCE they was, you may emadgine
I'd have ad a speshle train and been hoff like smoak. As it was, we was
obliged to wait 4 mortial hours for the next train (4 ears they seemed
to us), and then away we went.

"'My boy! my little boy!' says poor choking Mary Hann, when we got
there. 'A parcel in a blue cloak?' says the man. 'No body claimed him
here, and so we sent him back by the mail. An Irish nurse here gave him
some supper, and he's at Paddington by this time. Yes,' says he, looking
at the clock, 'he's been there these ten minutes.'

"But seeing my poor wife's distracted histarricle state, this
good-naterd man says, 'I think, my dear, there's a way to ease your
mind. We'll know in five minutes how he is.'

"'Sir,' says she, 'don't make sport of me.'

"'No, my dear, we'll TELEGRAPH him.'

"And he began hopparating on that singlar and ingenus elecktricle
inwention, which aniliates time, and carries intellagence in the
twinkling of a peg-post.

"'I'll ask,' says he, 'for child marked G. W. 273.'

"Back comes the telegraph with the sign, 'All right.'

"'Ask what he's doing, sir,' says my wife, quite amazed. Back comes the
answer in a Jiffy--

"'C. R. Y. I. N. G.'

"This caused all the bystanders to laugh excep my pore Mary Hann, who
pull'd a very sad face.

"The good-naterd feller presently said, 'he'd have another trile;' and
what d'ye think was the answer? I'm blest if it wasn't--

"'P. A. P.'

"He was eating pap! There's for you--there's a rogue for you--there's a
March of Intaleck! Mary Hann smiled now for the fust time. 'He'll sleep
now,' says she. And she sat down with a full hart.

*****

"If hever that good-naterd Shooperintendent comes to London, HE need
never ask for his skore at the 'Wheel of Fortune Otel,' I pr