Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-07-11
EVENING STAR.
OUR FIRST NURSE.

Sit down, and I'll tell you all about IL.
Charley and were engaged and as youth
comes but once, we got married, and left other
couples to grow gray, if they liked, on the
\ distant prospect Of damask curtains, and
hne furniture, and trains of servants. Charley
old know the meaning of a "club house ;"
and as to the diamonds and satins the shop-
keepers flashed in my eyes, did not give
them thought. We had some nice books
and some choice engravings. You might have
gone into many parlOr on which hundreds
had been lavished, and liked ours all the bet
ter when you came back. Still il wanted
something-that we both agreed for no house
can be sad to be properly furnished without
| oa6y. Well, Christmas day brought US one.
weighing the usual eight pounds, and as live
ly as cricket. Such lungs it had Charley
said 1T was intended for a minister.
Well, now it was all right at least il would
have been if the baby had not involved a
nurse We had, to be sure, a vague idea that
we must have one, asd as vague an idea of
what nurse was. We thought her a good
KIND OF creature who understood babydom,
| and never interfered with any little family
| arrangements Not bit of it.
VI course the first thing she did was to
make preparations to sleep in my room. Poor
Charley was sent off into a desolats snare
| chamber; Charley, whose shaving operations
had watched with such interest; whose cra-
VaIs nad tied 70 SUIT my fancy every morn
ing; whose hair had brushed up and
well, never mind the rest; the old maids and
old bachelors will deem all this perfectly ri
diculOus
1t was soon evident that this bran new baby
OF ours gave nurse an ascendancy over us
You might have seen this with half an eve, as
she folded her hands complacently over her
apron strings, and sat down in my little rock
ing chair by the fire opposite the bed. and
thnr vn1 In hN1, l.
ley left the room. Poor Charley he neither
drank, nor smoked, nor gambled; he was too
fond OF home for any of these things. So he
wandered up stairs and down sat in the oar
lor staring at the fire till he could bear it no
longer, and then stole up stairs to get COM
torted. But as often as he did so, would you
believe it that woman watched his every
movemeat, just as if he were infringing some
of her rights and immunities.
What if he did bring me sly piece of cake
in his pocket Who likes to live forever
upon Cruel! What if he did open the sun
blind and let little blessed sun light in,
when she tried to persuade US into a belief
that 't it would hurt baby's eyes ?'' What if
be did steal one of her knitting needles, when
she sat there, evening after evening, knitting
round, and round, and round that intermina-
BILE old gray stocking, till my nerves were
wound up to the screaming point? What if
did tell him that she always set her rocking
chair upon that loose board in the floor which
sent forth that ugly squeak, and that she al
ways said g Bless me! !'' and yet was sure to
get it on the very next time she sat down
What if did tell him that after dinner she
always wanted to take sly nap, and would
mut1e the baby up in so many blankets that
1t could not cry if it wanted to, and would
draw the curtains closely round my bed, and
tell me 1t was high time that L took a nap"
L, that could never, either by stratagem or
persuasion, be induced to sleep in the day
And what if did complain to him tn at she
wanted to put sticky pitch plaster upon my
neck for little ghost Of cough (occasioned
by her stirring the ashes in the CRATE too furi-
ously) and that when clapped it On the bed
post instead, she muttered spitefplly, that "
handsome neck would not keep me out Of my
coffin" What if did tell him that she
tried on my nice little lace collars when she
thought l was asleep at night; though L can
not bear to have anybody messing my things
about after have laid them so orderly in my
drawer? And what if L complained that she
kept pressing me SO constantly to drink detes-
table porter under the pretence that its second
hand influences Nigh '-make the baby sleep"
What if did do all this! Was he not nv
husband? Didn't L tell him everything?
laugh with him cry with him And didn't
he like it, too? OF course he did.
And poor Charley, he was forlorn, too. His
cravats were tied like fright all the time
was confined; his buttons were off his pretty
velvet vest; and he hadn't had the heart to
get his boots blacked Poor Charley,
Well, that nurse had the impudence to tell
us at last, that 60 we acted like two children -
Children! We! Us The parents of that
eight pound baby! That was the last drop
in our cup. Charley paid her off; and L was so
glad when she went that 1 laughed till cried.
Then we both drew long breath, and sat
down and looked at the new baby-OHr baby;
and Charley asked me about its little sleeping
habits, and l told him, with shake of the
head, that / could not speak definitely ON that
point. Then we discussed the respective mer-
its of cribs and cradles, and the propriety OF
teaching. at an early period, that impressive
line of Mrs. Heman's-
''Night is the time for sleepfn
and then Charley got up, put on a noiseless
pair Of slippers, arranged the fire irons, oiled |
the creaking hinges of the door, laid a chair |
over the squeaking board in the floor, that he |
might not tread on it, then gently shaded the |
night lamp, and looked at me with a sort of
cOngratulatory nod. So far well; but in hang
ing his vest over a chair, out ratified perfect !
tempest of forms, shillings and sixpences on |
the hearth. Of course, the bady woke, frigh- |
tened out of / know not how much growth |
and screamed until it was black in the face |
In vain its poor inexperienced papa kissed it, |
scratching Its little velvet face with his rough
whiskers the while. In vain we both walked |
the floor with it; the fire went out, the lamp |
went out; and just at daybreak it came to US !
like revelation, the sarcastic tone of the old |
nurse, as she said, "GOod by; L hope you III |
get along comfortably with the dear baby"
And so we did. Do you suppose one nights |
watching was going to quench our love, either |
for the baby or for each other? No, nor a |
thousand like it, for, as DR.. Somebody hath it, |
.'it was one Of the kind that was not bora to |
die,"