But ye nade have no fear about gittin' wan. There's sthacks of 'em
in the place. I'll jist run over to Mrs. Hogan's, wid ye. She's
got sixteen or siventeen, mostly small, for Hogan brought four or
five wid him when he married her, an' she'll be glad to rint wan uv
'em." So, throwing her apron over her head, she accompanied me to
Mrs. Hogan's.
That lady was washing, but she cheerfully stopped her work while
Mrs. Duffy took her to one side and explained my errand. Mrs.
Hogan did not appear to be able to understand why I wanted a baby-
especially for so limited a period,--but probably concluded that if
I would take good care of it and would pay well for it, the matter
was my own affair, for she soon came and said, that if I wanted a
baby, I'd come to the right place. Then she began to consider what
one she would let me have. I insisted on a young one--there was
already a little baby at our house, and the folks there would know
how to manage it.
"Oh, ye want it fer coompany for the ither one, is that it?" said
Mrs. Hogan, a new light breaking in upon her. "An' that's a good
plan, sure. It must be dridful lownly in a house wid ownly wan
baby. Now there's one--Polly--would she do?"
"Why, she can run," I said. "I don't want one that can run."
"Oh, dear!" said Mrs. Hogan, with a sigh, "they all begin to run,
very airly. Now Polly isn't owld, at all, at all."
"I can see that," said I, "but I want one that you can put in a
cradle--one that will have to stay there, when you put it in.
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