The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-12-30

4 "a
Miltta, with an air of establishment
that srved to make her one degree
prettier than everl
My hst instinct was to turn and
nee lgnoniniously; my second was to
drop my1ephew aud his milk into
the CUTIE and resolutely deny all
connection with them; my third
prompted %, resolutely to stand my
ground. ~, it is /, Miss Milton
Very fne."
Kate eyed m, obviously, and no
wonder. One so& curling and twist
ing as If serpentwere inside of it
instead of baby sfoot, appeared be-
meath my coat skirts fianked by about
quarter of a yard OF Swiss embroid-
cry and tucks, wofuly crumpled by
the fiery ordeal througA which we had
both passed - the milk, confound il.
had dropped down the flll length of
my pearl-colored pantaloo7s. and nv
hat bent and bruised, WIS thrust
rakishly on the side of by head.
was gloveless. flushed and
disheveled, and take me for all in All.
must have appeared considerably like
a pocket, or an old-clothes man
out for a walk.
| passed on. followed by the sound
of faint, subdued laughter sound
that stung me to the quick.
So Kate and her companion were
laughing at me; this was indeed the
unkindest cut of all. resolved never
to dance the German with Kate Mil
ton againl
The house was quiet and deserted
as l returned and inserted my night
key in the little circular of Bertha.
The cold dew oozed out upon my
brow as L, for one instant, contem-
plated the horrid possibility of my
being left, a sort of modern Robson
Crusoe, with the diabolical little man
Friday on my hands. Nonsensel there
was no probability of that. / sat
down on Bertha's low rocking chair,
and planting the baby firmly on my
knee, applied the pitcher to its mouth.
Would you believe it? he wouldn't
drink one drop. He screwed his
mouth as tightly shut as if he never
intended to open itagain, and doubled
himselfover backward with a strength
of will that would have been remark
able IN a full grown man, but was
simply marvellous ina en-months' old
baby. persevered, and he persevered.
| poured the milk over his neck, his
embroidered dress-wais and his coral
amulets; he would have been drowned
sooner than open his mouth half
quarter of an inch. Probably OF such
stuff were our Revolutionary fathers
composed; and this baby had, thro'
III n
Nature, come into the world just a
century too late.
put him back into a cradle, fat
on his spinal column, aud looked at
him more in sorrow than in anger.
My youngster," | addressed him,
cry away, cry your lungs out, break
a blood vessel or two if agreeable to
you, fracture your trachea if you wish,
[ cant be held legally responsible for
it, thank Providence"
| took up book and sat down by
the cradle, rocking it recklessly back
ward and forward, Regardless of the
screams that still rent the air
wasn't going to waste any more time
In trying to quiet him, let him cry,
this is free country.
Why, Joe, whatever is the mat
ter?'' A's'
It was Bertha's voice. [ jumped
up as if a cannon ball had smitten me,
and dashed my book upon the floor.
Matter a'am? matter? the mat
ter is I'm going mad. | shall be fit
subject for the lunatic asylum In just
fifteen minutes more"
But / might as well have wasted
my desperation on the blank wall.
she was loading the little wretch with
caresses and pity. I couldn't. have
credited the sudden turn of affairs if
| hadn't witnessed it with my own
eyes; the baby absolutely laughed up
in her face. as if to say, I've given
my uncle pretty time of it."
Yes, laughed and crowed and held
up his hands. and behaved exactly as
1t he had never in his life known
what it was to shed tear. The hyp-
ocrites are not all dead yet"
Has he been good. Uncle Joe?"
L looked volumes at my sister.
s" Bertha, if ever you leave me again
in charge of that-that little atrocity,
I'll commit suicide"
You needn't speak so loud" said
my sister in an injured tone; / in
tenQeu TO nave O0en nome before, out
the train was delayed, and-bless its
little heart, did it want to come to its
mama's arms--and was Uncle Joseph
crosser than an old bear, and WASH t
it the sweetest little rose bud that
| ever -"
/ waited to hear no more, but
rushed preeipitately out of the room,
convinced that of all fools, a young
mother is the most hopeless specimen.
That is the last time have had the
heir of the family coufded to my
guardianship. l think Bertha's a
little afraid to leave me alone in the
room with him.
Some one sent me a comic valen-
tine last February, a picture of a
hooked-nosed old bachelor, In blue
coat and red trowsers, dangling 8
baby upside down. / solemnly be.
lieve it was Kate Milton.
detest comic valentines, l sbhoI
babies, and | believe in a life of old
bachelorheodl That's my platform
Do you wonder at it?
]