The Yates Pride

"To bring what up?" asked Abby, sharply. Her eyes looked as small and bright as needles.

Julia regarded her with intense satisfaction. "What do women generally bring up?" said she.

"I don't know of anything they bring up, whether they have it or not, except a baby," retorted Abby, sharply.

Julia wilted a little; but her sister, Mrs. Glynn, was not perturbed. She launched her thunderbolt of news at once, aware that the critical moment had come, when the quarry of suspicion had left the bushes.

"She has adopted a baby," said she, and paused like a woman who had fired a gun, half scared herself and shrinking from the report.

Ethel seconded her mother. "Yes," said she, "Miss Eudora has adopted a baby, and she has a baby-carriage, and she wheels it out any time she takes a notion." Ethel's speech was of the nature of an after-climax. The baby-carriage weakened the situation.

The other women seized upon the idea of the carriage to cover their surprise and prevent too much gloatin