Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-14
The Cadets Baby.

Point was on my way home for tho first
time within three years. Early in the morn
ing l took my seat in the cars from New York
TO Boston, Iwore my uniform, and q may
own up now) was not so unconscious or IN
different as I seemed, to the many admiring
glances young ladies bestowed upon it and
the embryonic colonel or general within
Towards the middle ofthe forenoon an Irish
woman got into the cars. They were crowd
ed, and She, not having the respect for the
military which Others had, took what was
almost the only unoccupied seat, and by my
side. lam or tOas Democrat. The woman
was well clad and clean, so kept my place.
In her arms she held a child-a young babe
Of some six or eight months. ItSvas plump,
beautiful, happy little thing. l had very
unmsnly and uncadetish weakness for both
babies and children, and it was long time
since I had been so near to either that
petted and noticed this little creature not 8
little.
At noon the train stopped for fifteen min
utes, Most Of the passengers got out
m .ant TO have the novelty of a six o'clock
dinner in Boston, so l did not stir from my
SO IT, Seeing that did not, the woman beg
| &c to know if | would hold her baby for a
/ fe minutes while she got out. assented.-
! Sh jebut the child in my arms and vanished.
The minutes passed away one by one the
| passengers returned presently when the bell
rang al crowd came with rush to resume
their places the locomotive started; we were
I of, and where, oh, horror Of horrors sohere
was tAl,t woman2 My hair began to rise, and
/ the sweat started from every pore; still l
I waited hoping that the woman was trying to
/ get through the other cars, and would come
/ finally 10 assume her responsibility. A quar-
! ter of an hour elapsed everybody was quietly
! seated, and still / held that child. People
/ began 10 stue, young ladies to litter. The
| conductor passed through; l stopped him.
With a shaking finger pointed to the bur
/ den in my arms, and stammered out some
thing about the mother having been left be-
hind. .- .t..-.
"What the all" be exclaimed, as his eye
fell on the child. "Wen, you're in for it
and no mistake saw that woman after she
got ont, streaking it like mad away from the
depot, but thought she had her young one
with her. You're nicely took in and done
for, that's fac"
isBut what's to be done with this child2'
asked.
Don't know, I'm sure. How far are you
gOing|
/" To Boston tonight"
Then guess you'll have to carry it as
far as there. Then you can take it to one OF
the hospitals or asylums where they attend to
this business, and leave it. Perhaps some OF
these ladies will take care oft till We get to
Boston" and then the conductor passed on.
As he went forward, evidently he told the
story, for heads began to turn, and then men
and boys came ssuntering in from the other
cars to see the fellow who had the baby left
with him. Plenty Of jokes were cracked at
my expense, for every now and then heard
a regular guifaw, and some such phrase as
"precious green, eh?'' "Such go I" clocks
/ tatherly y etc, etc
1t was inarage- My blood boiled furious
( ly. One minute wanted to swear, and the
next to kick every person and thing IN the
car. suppose in my passion gave the poor
little thing in my arms a grip, for she uttered
a quick, little cry. She stopped in moment
and looked at her. She lay in my arms so
innocent, and helpless, and fair, and white,
and looked up at me with such complacent
/ placidity, that somehow | felt my anger
| dying out in spite Of me-my embarrassment
/ too.
az may as well be a man as such con-
] temptible sneak," thought. ~ was an in
effable greeny to get saddled in this way, to
be sure, but that's my fault, and not this poor
/ little pussy's, and may as well brave itthro'
! As for these confounded fools, just let them
laugh, that's all"
/ So settled myself coolly to the care OF my
baby. People after while grew accustomed
] - Of fna offs
noon she slept soundly. But oh, how heavy
/ shegrewl l seemed TO have leaden weight
tugging heavier and heavier upon me. How
on earth do women lug about children day
after day, in the way they do ? For me, I'm
] certain I'd rather NOW, though never tried
lit r-.
However, to my story. Toward night my
/ baby walked and walked fretful, and hungry,
I suppose. She began to cry; long, des-
/ pairing, entirely uncompromising cry
I People began to look again, curious to see
| what master nurse would DO. l tried every
possible means to pacify the child; my watch,
my eagle buttons, held it up to the window,
/ danded it, l nearly turned it upside down
no use. Baby properly despised my miserable
| efforts to make it forget its needed and right
f1l consolation, and cried louder and louder
till at last seemed 10 hold nothing in my
arms but an immense squall. A man could
stand it no longer, let alone cadet, and
rose desperately from my seat determined to
appeal to some lady OF woman for assistance.
i As / passed through the car, some OF the
young ladies broke into a senseless litter
/ again, the older ones looked out of the win
dOws, and the men eyed me with knowing
sort of leer, that had not my arms been oc-
cupied, there would have been hit straight
out from the shoulder. One mOtherly look
ing person whom l approached hopinglyr
transfxed me with stony, virtuous sort o.
glare, that made me shake in my shoes as i
| had committed the objectionable ofense.-
1 gave up in despair, and was about to return
s to my seat when gentleman at the extreme
end Of the car beckoned me forward. 1t was
little family party, the gentleman, his wife
and a colored girl with them, who held their
babe in her arms. The gentleman and his
wife were both young, and evidently South
erners.
g We heard about this baby from the con.
ductor," said the gentleman, as / came near
" Ny wife has been 6dgeting ever since it be
gan 10 cry. Can we do anything for you. :
!. The lady leaned past him. "Will you lei
me look at your baby, sir, moment ?" sh'
asked in, it seemed to me then, the sweetes
tones l had ever heard. She held out hel
arms and laid the baby in them.
Such young child-and so pretty, too
How it cries What is the matter with it P
"Idon' tknow, madam, unlessiti hungry,
answered. "Ithas had nothing to eat sine
that woman got in this morning l don
know what to do with it."
Poor little loveP exclaimed the lady
+" what q shamel no wOnderit cries !" Sht
I hesitated, glanced at her own baby in herser
wants arms, at her husband, then, blushinl
p like any rose, the sweet mother laid my baby
on her bosom beneath her shawl, and husheC
/ its cries as if it had been her own--of her
very flesh and blood.
Her husband smiled, and leaning forward
{ as if to protect her from the gaze of others
made room for me on the seat with her nurse
] explained the affair to him, told him mJ
name, and found that nay family was no
] ,,,tuovvn IN him Earva taTk.d I &C., tl,,