The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-02-05
gelert Mistellanp.
MRS. MERKINS.
BY LETTICE THORPE.

individual. Think OF 1t Miss Selma Blggs
that was-still young woman, compara'
lively, and the mother of ten children
There's the baby now, screaming as il five
hundred needles had been run into him.
l hear people talk about the con,tort Of a
baby. Strange ideas of comfort some per.
sons have; perhaps they'd think Purgutory
comfortable. Why, never have one mo-
ment's freedom from anxiety excepting
when the babys in my arms, or fast asleep;
and not often even then for if his checks
are little more flushed than usual, [ feel
sure that fever is coming on; and if his
breath is not perfectly regular, visions Of
the Group haunt me like nightmare.
Queer comfort, certainly If he is on
the floor, he makes a waste basket Of his
mouth and stuffs every abominabe thing he
can fud into it. just took large sized
carpet tack out of his mouth, and ycster-
day, found him sucking an old cigar stump
of his fathers, lie resisted manfully VIXEN
took possession of it. He is his fathers
own child, that's certain.
If there's pin on the floor, he stumb'es
over it. He manages to have his face rep
resent continually, the national colors ofred,
white and blue-especially the last; de,
gree of patriotism more painful than pleas
ing. lie tumbles and bumps his head So
often, that it would puzzle Professor Fowlcr
to distinguish the natural from the acciden.
tai developments and as for his uufOrtu
nate little nose, it has received as many
bruises as professional prize fighters; and
although nature evidently intended it for
Grecian, such series of vigorous thump-
Jugs will transform i. into the Roman, b.,
fore he is eight years old. He is always
putting his little mischiovious fingers in the
cracks of the door his left thumb has bcen
squeezed five times. 1t makes my flesh
creep to think of it-all the flesh | have
left, which is not much.
Wasn't La simpletou to got married
There's Sarah Jane S just my age, and
she looks ten years younger, plump, and
smooth aud fair yet she thinks she has
terrible trials. only wish she could change
places with me for awhile, and | rather
think she would hail her lonely spinster,
hood again haven of rest aud unparalleled
felicity
There's Charley coming, with big white
spots on his knees. l made those pau;s
just two weeks ago, out Of cloth an inch
thick, that iondly Aattercd myself would
last three months, at least. But every
anxious mother knows what those white
spots mean. He acW persist in playing
bear, and crawling on his knees. | hope
when bear fever subsidies, he will take up
something that won't be quite SO hard upon
his clothes.
hear Annie Eliza and Mary Adeliue
quarreling in the parlor. If those girls are
together two minutes they have battle. l
wonder where they get such terrible tenn.
pers- from the Merkins' side OF course
Ma always said her house was Ike doves
nest. am afraid she would compare mine
to- den of hyenas. The children all take
after their father, excepting Angeline, and
she is lovely. Every one says she is just
like me.
There's scream from Tommy. hope
he hasn't fallen into the hot water it
would be just like him. He has been
scaded three times-I believe he and Sam
my are just coming down with tie aicasels.
MIR. Merkins is going to bring a stranger
home to dinner with him. have just re-
ceived note to that effect. There isn't a
scrap of meat in the house, and we are all
out of bread. Mr., Merkins always selects
the most inconvenient time to bring home
company and if everything isn't done just
right, he sulks for week. | sometimes
think my noble lord is more of a child than
any of his boys; and he expects them to
be men before they are three years old.
Considerate creatures men are
Mr.. Merkins is always wanting me to in
vite Miss Wilmott here, so that be can enjoy
intellectual conversation. He says her mind
is like a beautifully cultivated garden
erich flowers of thought" etc. l rather
think that if Miss Wilmott had married at
sixteen, and had ten children, those "rch
flowers" would not have blossOmed quite so
luxuriantly. Cooking elaborate dinners,
and wiping irrepressible little noses, has
rather nipping influence upon flowers of