St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-06-23
.lMisttIlanp.
TIMOTHY THURLOW'
FIR S Il 3 A B Y .
BY R0SALiE GRAY.

MIR. Thurlow was what might be
called an invcteratc baby hatcr. So
deep was his enmity against infants
that he could compete, in this respect.
with any old bachelor in existence.
He had been married five years, bu.
he had never been blessed with chill.
dren ; no baby face had ever bright
ened at his appearing, and no baby
voice had ever uttered cOntcntcd
oo-gos" at his approach no soft,
little face was ever pressed close to
his, dimpling in light at his words and
gestures of playfulness. He knew
not the feeling Of having little arms
clasped tightly around his neck, Will,
the cunning baby fingers played busily
in his hair, and the tiny rosebud lips
were puckercd up in the attempt to
lisp, for the first time, papa" No
little feet, just learning their power,
had ever pattered joyously through
the halls to meet him when he returned
to his home wearied with the cares
and tatigues of the day. No, he was
stranger to all these joys, and he
looked with supreme contempt upon
those who could be amused with the
playfulness of Infancy. If baby
presumed to cry in his presence, he
regarded it as a capital crime, and
wondered why people didn't leave
their screaming brats " at home, or
else throw them out of the window,
and then congratulate himself upon
having no such nuisance of his own.
Friends laughed at his oddities,
and told him to wait until he became
papa himself but he would always
reply that if ever such thing did
happen, he should have sense enough
to keep the young torments out of the
way until they were old enough to be
presentable but as to making such
a fuss with the child as many parents
did, and acting as though there never
had been such thing as baby in
the world before-he never would do
it and to see man carry an infant
in the strcet-catch him at that
The time came, however, when he
had an opportunity to put in practice
his rigid rules of discipline, and then
how much did he change When he
heard the first infantilc shrek in his
own dwelling, and thought that is
mine, she is my baby" how soon did
he forget his former antipathy to the
whole race of infants, and in the
place thereof be experienced a thrill
of love and joy. Could it be that he
was the proprietor of daughter who
would grow up to cheer and comfort
him with her affection? 1t was even
so, and with Il feeling of delight he
caught the child in his arms and
pressed her to his bosom, in his awk-
wardness turning her quite upside
down, much to the Indignation of the
nurse and the discontinue of the OBJ
ject of his joy.
Finding that his efforts to make
himself useful as baby-tendcr were
utterly unappreciated, he concluded
to tear himself away for awhile in or
der to attend to his business. His
uncommonly happy expression of coun-
tenance was noticed by all whom he
met on his way down town indeed,
his face was fairly radiant with joy
which must find vent in words, and
it was with sly, mischievous smile
that his friends received the intelli-
gence which he FASTENED to communi-
cate: and some ventured to ask
whether babies had risen in his esti-
nation? But he replied in the most
innocent way imaginable, evidently
ignoring his former disapprobation Of
the article, that he didn't see how any
one could help loving such sweet,
helpless little things.
When he arrived at his office, it
seemed very tame to him to sit down
as usual to his business, his thoughts
positively refused to lend him any as
sistance, and he resolved to vary the
general routine, and amuse himself
with writing notes to such of his
friends as were out of town, giving
them the wonderful intelligence that
he had become father All day he
was speculating upon how he would
have the child brought up, and how
earnestly he would strive after her
happiness and then he pictured to
himself the sensation she would make
when she grew into womanhood, and
he began to almost pity the gentle
men whose hearts would be broken on
her account.
At length, finding it impossible to
concentrate his thoughts upon bust
ness, he resolved to return to his
child. Upon entering his wife's apart
ment, he found that the baby was
asleep. His first impulse was tc
awaken her, but this proceeding was
resolutely opposed by the nurse, who
had entertained no very favorabl,