The Boy Grew Older

rived at the hospital alone the next morning. "You

y n

ever hel

"Not such a little

d. "See, take him like this. I

ing now," pro

them. Any time a small baby doesn't cry a certain number of hours a day there's something wrong. You see he isn't big enough to

to be done about it?

crying. His skin is very sensitive. There might be a pin sticking in him. It might be th

r, "Oh, you'll have to learn thi

It was Peter Neale who proved years later that there were definite exceptions to the accepted theory that lefthanded batters do badly against southpaws. He was able to show that through one entire campaign Ty Cobb batted 11.692 points better against lefthanders than he did against righthanders. In much the same spirit Peter used a stop watch on himself while he was engaged in the task of changing the child. In twelve months time he was pleased to observe that his record

ss. He screamed as Peter, at that time, had never heard him scream, and kicked prodigiously. Many months later when Peter had begun to perfect himself in the technique of the task he felt that perhaps he would not do at all badly in any competition limited to participants who were also parent

al which Peter subsequently estimated to have been three minutes and

left," advised Miss Haine. "Remember he isn't str

intained: "There are one hundred and fifty-two distinctly different ways of holding a baby-and all are right! At least all will do." He based this contention on the fact that the body of a small baby is soft and p

you've got there," said t

y the fact that a suggestion of pride crept into

ll," said the driver. "I've g

e journey and possibly the sight of the trees and the river and the ships seemed to hav

partment, Peter knocked at the door briskly. Somehow or other the baby had begun to slip through his fingers and he found it impossible to reach the pocket in his vest where he kept his keys. There was no answer. Peter kn

ubtful of his ability to do anything else which might be necessary. Even in the taxicab, Peter had not felt wholly alone. After all the driver had said that he was the father of five. This was reassuring to Peter.

went to sleep. Peter sat in a chair close by and watched. Suddenly something happened which startled him. Without waking the child rolled over a

waited. Presently the child woke and began to cry petulantly. A search

throat. "Rockabye, baby, on the tree top," he began but to no avail. He wasn't very sure of the tune. There was only one song of which he was confident. "O

sleep again and remained that way while Peter disentangled it. A few minutes later Kate came in. "I was thinking, Mr. Neale," she said, "that there was no clothes for the

ou got everything you need? I'm going to leave you some money for milk and

an t

e. I won't be back tonight. Maybe I won't be back tomorrow

as if he had pitched a nine inning game with the score nothing to nothing all the way. He just had to get out of the