Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-03-27
I~SCELLANE0
CHILDREN.
BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.

One cold market morning | looked into a
Inilliner's shop. and there | saw a hale, hear
ty, well-browned young fellow from the coun-
try, with his long c~art-whip, and a lion-slag
coat, holding up some little matter, and turn
ing it about on his great fist. And what do
you suppose it was =! a baby's bonnet! A
little soft, blue, satin hood, with a swans
down border, white as the new-fallen snow,
with a frill of rich blonde around the edge.
BY his side stood a very pretty woman,
holding with no small pride the baby-for
evidently it was lie baby. Any one could
read that fact in every glance, as they looked
at each other, and the little hood, and then
at the large blue unconscious eyes, and fat
dimpled cheeks of the little one. 1t was evil
dent that neither of them had ever seen a ba-
by like hat before !!
But really, Mary" said the young man,
''isn't three dollars very high
Mary very prudently said nothing, but Ia
king the little bonnet, tied it on the little
head, and held up the baby. The man looked
and grinncd, and without another word down
went tho three dollars-all that the last weeks
butter came to; and as they walked out OF the
shop, it is hard TO say which looked the most
delighted with the bargain.
"Ah" thought |, "a little child shall
lead them!
Another day, as | was passing a carriage
factory along one Of our back streets, | saw
a young mechanic at work on a wheel. The
rough body of a carriage stood beside him
and there, wrapped Up snugly, all hooded and
cloaked, sat a little dark-eyed girl, about u
year old, playing with a great shaggy dog.
As | stopped, the man looked up from his
work and turned admiringly towards his lit
tie companion, as much as to say, " See whaI
| have got here !"
eyes :" thought |, and if the little lady
ever gets a glance from admiring SWANS as
sincere as that, she will be lucky"
All, these children ! little witches pretty
even in all their faults and absurdities |! win.
ming, even in their sins and iniquities! See
for example, yonder little fellow in a nauuh.
ty ft-he has shaken his long curls over his
deep blue eycs-the fair brow is bent in {
frown-the rose-leaf lip is pursed up in in
; fantile defiance--and the white shouldo
f thrust naughtily forward. Can any but {
child look so pretty even in their raughtiness.
; Then comes the instant change--hashine
l smiles and tears, as the good comes back al
in a rush, and you are overwhelmed with pro
testations, promises and kisses! They are
irresistible, too, these little ones. They pul
r away the scholars pen-tumble about his pa
pers-make somersets over his books, ant
7 what can he do? They tear up newspaper.
litter the earpets-break, pull and upset
, and then jabber unimaginable English in sci
defence, and what can you do for yourself?'
; "If / had a child" says the precise man
90 you should see."
lie does have a child, and his child tear
up his papers, tumbles over his things, an,
pulls his nose, like all other children, anC
! what has the precise man to say for himself
Nothing-he is like every body else;
5 little child shall lead him ="
Poor little children they bring and teacl
us, human beings, more good than they ge
in return How often does the infant will
its soft cheek and helpless hand, awaken
mother from worldliness and egotism, to
whole world of new and higher feeling How
often does the mother repay this, by doins
her best to wipe of, even before the time, thu
dew and fresh simplicity of childhood, anC
make her daughter too soon a woman of tn,
world, as she has been.
Tho hardened heart of this worldly man /.
unlocked by the gu~ileless tones and simple
c~aresses OF his SON but he repays it, in TIM
by lmpartlng to his boy all the crooked tricks
and hard ways, and callous maxims which
have undone himself.
TO to the jall-to the penitentiary, and fnt
there the wretch most sullen, brutal and har
dened. Then look at your infant son. Such
as he Is to you, such to some mother was
this man. That hard hand was soft and deli
cate-that rough voice was tender and lispino
fond eyes followed him as he played-and
lac was rocked and Graded as something no
ly. There was a time when his heart, soft
and unworn, might have opened to question.