The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-07
A BABY,s RIGHTS.
A BABY's sroRY-BY A BABY.

II
| amt very old to write-I'm only one II was
| nay birthday yesterday. and don't have milk out
/ of q bottle any more; have bread and mix out
| of a bowl. Bridget ties my bib uader my chm
and feeds me very fast; she doesn't understand
| that ought to have to swallow. when shut my
| lips and splitter che says, I" There. now! take
| your supper good like a darlin." can't swallow
| whole bowl at a time; and cry. aud she gives
! me a shake. After that have the stomach s,he.
Lying awake with il one night began to think
| hal hadn't my rights; and want 'em. How to
| get 'em don't know. cry all | can; but that's
| DO use. kick, too; but what good comes OF 1t!
| They only give me drops 70 make me sleep; then
| feel hot and sick and stupid all the next day.
One OF nv rights is not to have crops but there,
now, how am not to have 'em! There 1t comes
again
The most comfortable thing ever had was an
India-rubber bottle. What are mothers made for
| II a baby isn't to have oney VINO invented nurs-
| ing bottles? hate him, whoever he was.
have q mother, you know-a LADY who says
she Is comes In sometimes and tells other ladies'
that abe is - not contsnted with Bridget" Nor
am ], for that matter; you see my mother Ia not
thinking OF my rights, but of hers. She wants to
vote. and even wanting to do it takes great deal
of time. She writes, too, for the newspapers.
When want to find out whether she really is my
mother. and begin to talk to her, she says :
Bridget, you must really take that darling child
away; he disturbs me dfeaduy!"
Bridget is big and coofse; her great knobs Of
kDuckies hurt me. She ties strings too tight and
joys me too hard.
My own mother is soft and fair, and her skin Ia
like silk. and ike 70 touch her. I'm lady's
baby, and one of my rights is that q lady should
handle and dandle me. No one sees 1t. I'm put
of on Bridget.
Mamma don't like to sit az the table with Bird
get, but she lets her feed me. Perhaps have
aristocratic notions, too; who cares for them,
One day Bridget had q big pewter breastpin,
with yellow stone in il, on her collar, and it
kept scratching my head; nobody knew il. One
Gay she took me out In my wagon and upset me
no one knew that, either.
She takes me on. to her cousins shanty, where
little Pat has the measles the small pox, and if
don't catch 'em both, it's because " There's q
sweet little cherub that sits up aloft," to keep
watch for poor, motherless babies.
Sometimes she leaves me alone in the room with
CRATE fire. always put my fingers into it, and
they always burn. Once mamma found il out
and had different Bridget. They are all alike;
they come IRON the intelligence office, and are
rough and coarse, and smell OF smoke, aud take
care Of me for money and not for love. Tue new
one Is sleepy, aud mods over and drops me some.
times. One got tpsy and lay on me. Some day
one VIII tumble down stairs with her big feet and
slIpsbod shoes. and break my neck. / dare say.
A father, too. have right to q father. Nine
Is u Wall street man; he goes out early and comes
home to dinner. should think he might be very
lice TO know, but I'm not acquainted with him; he
has nice black whskers and he laughs and says,
"Hello, old fellow" when we meet, aud | try to
power me and cry. and he says, take the little
rascal away, Bddy."
One dreadful thing do have; it's family doc.
tor be says I'm very fine child, and does dread.
full things to me. Once he lsnced my gums, once
he vaccinated me. After that had a sore arm
and Bridget's blue merino hurt it.
In summer there used to be some comfort In 90.
ing out il my persmhulator, and seeing that after
all was not worse of than other babies, all given
over to Bridgets whom met; but now it's winter,
and have 10 stay in my nursery. 10 a flannel
shawl, and do nothing but Think; and I've decided
that must have my righ's. A whole mother
ought to belong to every baby; and Bridget is
an imposition. lsdy's baby ought to lie some
times IN lady's arms and be talked to by lady.
When am able to speak shall say what Bridget
says. and with her accent, and then 1 shall be
scoded, as If 1t were my fault. That's the way
with my brother Tom.
Here l lie now. while Bridget talks to the milk.
man 10 the area. I'm hungry, aud damp, aud
wretched. Pm tired of being 10 the cradle, and
shall hurt myself if / roll out. want the big
orange on the mantel-piece, and 20 sit in some.
body's lap and have my feet toasted, and hear
4" Little pig goes to MARKET" but msmma is at
political meeting, and papa in Wall street, and
Bridget in the area, and who cares for what
want? Rights? | wonder where my rights are.
Nobody talks about them. No matter, III yell
until get 'em.
P. 81 have yelled aud Bridget has given me
drops. No matter, when Pm man, I'll go In for
the rights of babies. I'm going to sleep. Good.
by.