Page 39 (1/1)

At noon, in the shallows of the reef, under the burning sun, the water would be quite warm They would carry the baby down here, and Emmeline would wash it with a bit of flannel After a few days it scarcely ever screa the process, striking valiantly out with its arht up at the sky Then when she turned it on its face, it would lay its head down and chuckle, and blow bubbles at the coral of the reef, exa, apparently, the pattern of the coral with deep and philosophic attention

Dick would sit by with his knees up to his chin, watching it all He felt hi--as, indeed, he was

The o they two had been alone, and suddenly from nowhere this new individual had appeared

It was so coer-nails, and hands that would grasp you It had a whole host of little ways of its own, and every day added to theliness of the newborn child had vanished Its face, which had seemed carved in the imitation of a monkey's face from half a brick, became the face of a happy and healthy baby It seeh and chuckle as though it had been told a good joke Its black hair all came off and was supplanted by a sort of down It had no teeth It would lie on its back and kick and crow, and double its fists up and try to s them alternately, and cross its feet and play with its toes In fact, it was exactly like any of the thousand-and-one babies that are born into the world at every tick of the clock

"What e call it?" said Dick one day, as he sat watching his son and heir crawling about on the grass under the shade of the breadfruit leaves

"Hannah," said Emmeline promptly

The recollection of another baby once heard about was in her ood a name as any other, perhaps, in that lonely place, notwithstanding the fact that Hannah was a boy

Koko took a vast interest in the new arrival He would hop round it and peer at it with his head on one side; and Hannah would crawl after the bird and try to grab it by the tail In a fewdid he beco behind hiht have seen the ether like three children, the bird soood spirit, so in the fun