Middletown transcript., 1869-09-18

speaking acquaintance with their own chill
dren, and when fathers, coming home at
night, and asking to enjoy romp with
their darlings. will be sent to the general
playground to take their chances of the
lot. They may guess by this ones pug
nose, or that ones blue eyes, that some
relationship exists, but cloud of doubt
will hang over their fondness, for who
could squeeze Virgins child as if it were
his own? Who could overlook squint
eye, unless inherited from himself? Who
spank naughty cherub, unless certain of
the ties existing between the spanker and
spankee? L thank goodness, my boy,
that you were safely through your eye teeth
before these new-fangled notions had time
to prevail. Yes, am sincerely thankful
that never was tempted to bring you up
like founding. And, Fred, want YOU
to promise me that none of yours, if YOU
ever have any, shall be tawed out like
those poor little things in the charity hos
pitfalls. None of my grandchildren must
be reared in caravansery. No, Fred, if
you ever have baby, l trust its first tiny
ripple of smile will be called up by your
own fingers chucking it under the chin,
that its first crow of triumph will be when
it has pulled that handsome moustache of
yours until it made you vince, that its
first uttered word will be "papa" or
mamma" and that it will come and 90
by pet names, such as birdie, twecty, lum-
py-dumpy, sugarwagger, mothers darl-
ing, fathers precious, and the like, instead
OF being called by some number, as make
no doubt they will call them in that CO.
operative coop. just think of its being
tucked up in its crib as No u, instead Of
papa's pet It's enough to break grand
mas heart only to imagine it. How's
thatY Don't imagine it, then, until
there is, first, prospect of grandchild,
and, second, prospect of system such
as you speak Of" But l can't help nv
imagination. l was always Imaginative.
I've no doubt l might have easily per-
suaded myself that was an artist, for |
used to paint fower-pieces beautifully
when l was girl, and, if had, you
might have had pictures ON the walls, but
where would have been the long vista of
substantial happiness down which we now
look back :? Where the hot suppers, Fogy,
for which 1 am so famous, and to which the
relish, the crowning favor of the whole
affair, is added in the knowledge that your
own wife ordered and superintendcd it .?
\ GU would not be content with living at
restaurant not even if it were Delmonico's
own. You might have the same dishes,
or better, but the relish would be absent
your appetite would give way; you might
not, yourself, realize what was the matter
when it would be the absence of the home
spice. Now, Oliver, what are you hem
ming and hummng about, and looking
across at Fred for? Simply wish to call |
his attention to my happy choice of words,
such as ''homo spice" Anything ont of
the way in such a smile? ooh, not at
all, not Mt all. Was thinking how very
spicy some of our suppcrs had been, not to
say peppery."
Indeed | suppose l know to what
you refer. mustn't open my mouth ex-
eept to put food in it, | mustn't eat pic
kles, nor drink my ten too hot for fear |
shall say something smart. If l see you
promenading under another woman's win
dow, l must shut my eyes. If see her
coming into my own house, and taking
an inventory of my own goods for her fu-
ture use, must be silent But | prom
ised never to refer to that subject again,
Oliver, and I'm woman who intends to
keep her word. She's married, now, to
somebody else, and I'm all the better for
leaving off pickles on her account. sleep
better nj ights, and
Don't snore anything like what / used
to-"
There's a mans justice for you He
snores, and wakes himself up in time to
hear the echo, and accuses his wife of dis
turbing him, who has never breathed loud
er than three months old baby. Which
brings me back again to these blessed chill
dren doomed to be brought up in future
on the general instead of the single plan
by system instead of by maternal instinct
in platoons instead of single fle--in the
lump instead of the grain-by wholesale
instead of by sample.
Some of the whipped cream? No, thank
you. Thinking of these poor cooperative
babies has quite destroyed my appetite for
sweets. 1 have grown SO melancholy
thinking of them, that couldn't eat any
thing which has been whipped, not even
syliabub. You need not assure me there ,
is no danger of such things coming to {
pass. IteD you there is. [ feel it in my
bones. 1t is as irresistible as the frost {
which will creep on us next autumn. The
women themselves, poor fools, have willed
it, and what we will we always achieve
sooner or later. Fed in class, dressed in |
class, taught to say "goo-goo" in class, |
taught to walk in class-oh, the little dar- (
lings, how my heart bleeds for them ! I
Babies ought to 60 out about that time, I
and full-grown people come into the world t
all ready to take their own part in life. t
You read the articles, and did not see I
anything about common nursery in f
them" q
Oh, didn't you, though we'll, I did. I Q
saw it looking out of every crevice of those @