The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-02-02
B A B US RICH rs
A BABY's STORY.
BY A BABY.

"A BABH'S STOR
BY A BABY.
1 amt very old to write-I'm only one
It was my bEth-day yesterday, and /
don't have milk out Of bottle any more
Il have bread and milk out Of bowl.
Bridget ties my bib under my chin, and
feeds me very fast-she don't understand
that ought to have time to sNnllow.--
When shut my lips and spdtssf,, she
says, "There now take your supper Sood,
like darlin!" / can't swallow 4 whole
bowl at time and ] cry, and she gives
me shake. After that have the sto,t.
ache cache. 1G
Lying awake with it, one night, 1 be-
gan to think that i shadn't my rights /;
and 1 want 'em. How to get 'em don't
know. 1 cry oil / can-but that's no
use. 1 kick, too--but what good comes
of it? They only give me drops to
make me sleep, then feel hot, and stu
pid all next day. One of my rights is
not to have drops; but there now, how
am I not to have 'em? There it comes
again!
know baby, who lives down street,
who has one of his rights. It's kind
of breakfast never had-a nice, cosy,
comfortable breakfast, that isn't choketl
down you by spoon and Bridget. You
put your check against it, and play with
it, and talk to it, and feel warm and hap
py-all the while being softly rocked
and sung to, not by Bridget! ss-
The most comfortable thing I ever
had was IN india-rubber bottle. What
are mothers made for, if a baby isn't to
have one? Who invented nursing bot
ties? hate him, whoever he was.
have mother, you know lady,
who says she is, comes in sometimes and
tells other ladies that she's ''not conten-
ted with Bridget Neither am L, for
that matter; but you see my mother is
not thinking of my rights, but of hers.
She wants to vote ? and even ,eanting to
do it takes a great deal of time She
writes, too, for the newspaper. When l
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
dreadfully. u ''i 0.
Bridget is big and coarse, her great
knobs of knuckles hurt me-. She ties
strings too tight and jogs me too hard
My own mother is soft and fair, and
her skin is1ike silk, and I like to touch
her. I'm lady's baby, and one OF my
rights is that lady should handle and
dandle me. No enc sees it., Pm pn,
off on Bridget, .,..s.,.
Mamma don't like to sit at table with
Bridget but she lets her feed me. Per.
haps / have aristocratic notions, too
who cares for them2 u. g-. s1Jaa il.g
One day Bridget had pewter breast
pin, with a yellow stone in it, on her col
lar, and it kept scratching my head; nc
body knew it, One day, she took mt
out in my wagon and upset me; no one
knew that either. gfea .saF
She takes h,e tht to her cousins
shanty, WHeM ltttls Pat has measles, ol
the small -pox, and if l don't catch en-
both, it's because, There's sweet little
cherub that sits up sioft" to keep Watcf
| for poor, mothcrless babies. 5ss5 r..
Sometimes she leaves me alone in tn,
room with CRATE fire. I always wan
to put my fingers in it, and they always
burn. Once mamma o md it out, ant
1 had different Bridget, They are al
alike; they come from the Intelligence
Office, and are rough and coarse, ant
take care of me for money and not fol-
love. This new one is sleepy, and nod
over and drops me sometimes. One got
ltipsy and lay on me. Some day one vii
tumble down stairs with her big feet ant
slip -shod shoes, and break my neck,
dare say. r e. 5ni
| A father, too. have right to fa
thel. Mine is Wall street man; h
goes out early and comes home to din
ner. / should think he might be vcr,
nice to know, but I'm not acquainted
with him, he has nice black whiskers ant
he laughs and says, "hallo, old fellow,
when we meet, and / try to tell hin
about Bridget; and my feelings over
power me, and l cry, and he says, "tak'
the little rascal away, Biddy."
One dreadful thing ! do have; it's
family doctor, he says I'm very fin
child, and does dreadful things to me-
Once he lanced my gums, and once III
vaccinated me. After that l had sor
arm and Bridget's blue merino hurt it
In summer there used to tc SOM
comfort in going out in my perambula
tor, and seeing that, after all, l was no
worse off than other babies, all giveI
. over to Bridgets, whom l met; but nov
it's winter, and / have to stay in my nur
sery, in a flannel shawl, and do nothin:
but think and I've decided that | mus
have my rights. A whole mother ough
to belong to every baby; and Bridge
is an imposition. A lady's baby ough
to lie sometimes in a lady arms, and b
talked to by lady. When am able t.
speak shall say what Bridget says; an
- WIFI utl dCCCuls oliu tueh Diah W
scolded as if it wers my fault. That
the way with MY brother Tom.
Here l lie now while Bridget talks T.
the milkman in the area. I'm hungry
and damp; and wretched. I'm tired o
being in the cradle, and shall hurt my
self if / roll out. want the big erang
on the mantle-piece, and to sit in some
body's lap and have my feet toasted
and hear Little pig goes to market !;
but mamma lis at political meeting
and pappa in Wall street, and Bridget il
the area, and who cars what / want ?
Rights! wonder where my rights are
Nobody talks about them. No matte
i I'll yell until l get 'em. t7#
4 p. S.-I have yelled and Bridget ha
given me drops. No matter, when III
man, I'll go in for the rights of babies
I'm going to sleep. Good. bye.
4 A Western editor has married z gil