Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-12-19

possession as this! CozjHOro e would not tell
baby, nor BE- 30 baby 5untf1g on al imp.
All that, however, had no leisure to consider
and Quintus Ourtus did not show more nerve and
hardihoOd in riding inc that crack in the ground
oflbe Roman Forum, than | Gid in stOutly bending
me to tha task Of qnisang Sammy. may safely
sag. that in the vii aud and fearful struggle which
followed, all the resources Of an active miud, q
vigorous and healthy body, (masculine) and "a sx-
eslsnt disposition, we're nOby devoted to the work,
and if failed, it vas an attempt beyond the powers
Of any mere man.
I I picked Sammy up in the first place, and carried
him to the window, jumping him up and down as 1
went, and aiming to divert his mind both BY action
and BY speech.
''PoO iuy fellal Was ee tired slsepin' in his
table? Did es want turn and see old cOek-a-dOOIle-
! doc and sill se cid biddy hensi Da, see rml Urk,
u-r-r-k, a,cbsskle, ehackle. shsokisl Ducky go
! quaek, quaekl (Shriek continued; nurse tries
other class Of impressions aud jumps him vigorous
/ ly up and down, accompanied with noise similar
TO the following: "ha ii dsedls decide decide dunn
dun tiddy Widdlety widdieiy viddlsfy quee queS,
poor little fella Ia Ia hap
'.FuiI' ven Iiaughed SIN os,.a,sfsisa siee."
hoping that genial sympathy might create
smile upon the open eOuntenanee" Of Sammy.
Vain hope All my jumbliag only served to modify
that surprising and steady yell hy introducing
kind Of pulsaiion measured emphasis into it, Ny
words might as well have been uttered 70 Fourth
Warder il row at the polls; aud ny hollow merri,
meat, although its merits imitation did in fact
make the baby stop minute, catch breath, and
look up at me, did no more. Bis face eurled up
sgain and out cane the yell.
had observed upon lifting Sammy from The
cradle hat he scented 10 siiffen himself in q some>
what Vriihed attitude as if TO resist ny purpose.
He now began to squirln aud Eriggie in rather
alarming manner, 50 that fancied he might be
about to indulge in the pleasing diversion Of st.
All at once reflected that he must be buogry; and
that very possibly both seresching and squirming
might be referred 70 that cause accord ngly placed
the little one, s'il ndefa,igsbly hOwlirg in man
ner that would have exhausted Mohawk war chief
in three minutes, in bis cradle, raEsd some live
Goals out from the buried kitchen fire. warmed some
milk in an old tin cup, Watered it and sugared it
according to the regulations in such case provided
put it in the suek- botile-as believe 1t is called
took small precautionary pull st the preparation
myself, finding perfect nectar for lukewsrmnsss,
and proceeded to invite Master Sammy to partaks
50 to speak, Of the festive bowl
Lying yelling on his back With eyes close shut
aad mouth wide open, be needed not the seductive
Wand. half lifted him up, but be wouldn't 10 K
jerked some drops into his mouth, as "Job" pep
pared vinegar or tomato eaisup through q erust
cork at eating houses-but be appeared not to per-
a. - L..
mouth, until the tip Of the sucking thing EhateTer
they call it, fairly pOksd open his epigOttis. He
only gagged, writhed, and yelled on. Evidently ne
was not hungry; put away the bottle.
The business grew dreadful Sammy began to
turn purple and feel blue; but slill he continued
that ear toTturiDg cry. looked about me in for
lorn aud hopeless perple1iiy. There was a rattle
one Of those coral things with half dozen min
ute pewter sleigh bells on it-snd penny whistle.
shook the former and blew he latter, in indus
trious but rather imbecile way, near sammy's phiz.
1 might as well have used the same means to scare
lioness robbed Of Whelps or Mes York city Alder
msn nOsing out job. lifted the infant, who
stifened himself again at my touch, almost into q
stony arc, and sbivered as a dying fab will some
times do in the eaptor's hand and with feeble eff
fort to preserve further the benigniiy and universal
friendship which I had AOurished 50 largely, and
which felt growing thinner and thinner, sang TO
the child the inevitable 'by-lo-baby bunting" and
''noW lsy me-" also the affecting ballad Of ''The
Three Little Kittens" and as my stOcS of truly ju-
Venile literature gave out at this point, proceeded
with 'Riss my Soul, % and Que or two other hymns
These efforts were all in vain; felt as sheepish as
if had been caught trying to sing tornado to
sleep; and my voice died away tried to rass the
square built strains Of old Amsterdam Ike those Of
'the monk, her son. and her daughter, the nuu,"
around the coffin Of the wicked old woman Of Der
kelley, in a culver Of CONSERVATION.
II vas at this point that my long tried patience
utterly failed; and with sudden rsVulsion Of wrath,
felt myself, mentally speaking sluDg around into
q position Of absolute opposition to this terrific
child; Of positive snger aud Spite not entirely
mixed with fear. perfectly IecOllec that precise
ly as / was feeling myself carried away BY this i'm
pulse, Sammy, who lay in a stifish attitude, With
his head well back over ore arm, opened bis eyes a
moment. As am : living man, the pestient infant
Winked his le eye atmsl Never tell me there wasn't
4 devil in that baby!
Wen, it occurred to me in this new frame Of mind
that possibly might intmiiste the child, or simply
out yell and OverWhelm il BY sheer superiority Of
vOciferaiion So held him up BY both arms on ny
knee, looked right ds4n his little ugly throat, and
gave him
"A wet sheet and a flowing sea-"
in = style that would have electrified the whole
British navy. 1t didn't discourage him at sll. l
tried the Pirates Glee, containing some fearful
ehromatic whining, which made the nest Of, but
to no end. Then degsneraied, am afraid, into
mere mindless ignoble spiieiulness; and opening
my mouth again, spent some ten or fifteen min
utes in series OF the most hideOus complicated and
disgusting yells, that probably it entered INFO
the heart Of nan TO conceive until my throat fell
as if had peck of tessels pOkel into ny lungs
and pulled out ugain. Great Cesar's ghost! what
q baby! lie never finched, nor 'bat.d q jot Of
heart or bOps," He yelled away as peaosaby as if
nothing had happened.
But as for me, this finished me. faneed that,
under these frigbtful diseourngemeuts, my intellect
was beginning slightly to EaVer. King Herod
came into my mind. thought Of the great bed Of
live Goals in the old fashioned kitchen FIRE place
Not altogether free from uneasiness as to what
might be led to do, put Sammy into his cradle
and shut the kitchen door.
But L quickly grew ashamed Of this. Digni6sd
indifference l remembered, would suit me better.
Besides, / reoollectsd having heard that letting