Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-09-26
Joe Stanbury's Baby.


in good circumstances, having nc
children, and living in nice,
clean, tagged alleyway, called il
Philadelphia court. Mrs. Stan
bury was bit of a shrew, as al
most all smart and cleanly house
keepers usually are. She kept
her husbands clothing in the best
order, promptly sewed on all lost
o. missing buttons, and her house
was uniformly in apple. pie order,
Such excellent cooking as Mrs.
Stanbury's was not often tasted
in plain families of moderate
means. Her shrewdness, in fact,
served as a piquant sauce to their
happy aud contented life; and
Stanbury used to say that little
fretting, once in q while, was nec-
essary to the health of his excel
lent spouse. aB& ~ sLfis
At dusk, one evening, Mrs. STAN
bury went out to the hydrant in
the court to fetch a pail of water.
and returning, she found an old
basket suspended from the knob
of the door. Putting her hand
into the basket she felt something
alive and kicking, but SO wrapped
up in rags that no further discove-
ry could be made without unwrsp.
ping the object. A piece of pa.
per, folded like a letter, lay beside
the animated bundle. Mrs. Stan
bury Immediately returned into
the bousee ard t4the lighAot the
lamp examined the billet. 1t was
directed to her husband. She
broke the seal and read as follows:
"To JOE STANBURY-S Sir; ;5r /
spKd you the baby, which you
will please take good care of, and
bring up right, SO that it may
turn out a better man than is
daddy. Oh, Joseph! I've just
found you cut; and what sly
old rake you prove to be. Who
would think that such sober old
spindle shanks could be such a
tearing down sinner ? The child
is yours-you may swear to that.
Look at Tits Stanbury all over.
You deceived me shamefulIy, Joe,
in saying you was a widOwer; bat
do a fathers duty by the young
one, and I'll forgive you.
"Taur once loved. but now bro.
ken-hearted acd neglected a
NANCY
"P. S.-Don't let that shrewish,
sharp nosed wife of yours see. this
note. Cannon her some kind OF
a story about the baby or she'll
tear its eyes out"
Stanbury was in the basement
kitchen, quietly eating his sup
per, and little imagined such a
storm was b ewing over his head.
The door of the kitchen was vio-
lently thrown open, aud his Wife's
voice yelled out:
"Stanbury! come up here, you
old villain heres a mess for
you"
The astonisbed husband hastily
obeyed the summons.
Don't you want to see your
Nancy?" cried Mrs. Stanbury, as
the meek partner of her bosom
hobbled up into the court.
Nancy! what Nancy is that 2"
says the husband, in fearful as
constituent, trembling in antici-
patton of matrimonial tempest.
"Why, Nancy, the mother of
this baby that's been put up at
our door, Mr.. Stanbury! Oh,
you look very innocent, but just
read this note, and look into that,
basket. Don't be afraid; it won't
bite; it's got no teeth, poor thing.
You'll know it; for, as the hussy
says, it's just like you all over.
Please goodness, I'll have my re-
venge-I'll expose you before ev-i
erybOdy."
In less than five minutes the
Stanbury front door was surround
ed by all the gossips of the court
attracted to the spot by the loud
voice of the injured wife--to wit
ness the process of unwrappingI
the baby. Anxious expectation
sat on every cOuntenance, as the
jealous woman unpinned rag af-,
ter rag from the body of the found
ling, the vigorous movements OF !
which astonished everybody.
cit is full of the devil already i
that shows it is genuine chip of
the old block. You'll see that it
is like him in everything--ins short
a Stanbury all over"
Atlast, all the swaddling clothes
being removed, out darted the
baby in the shape of large gray
cat, sewed up in a strait jacket |!
The sudden charging of Madame
Stanbury, together with the wall
ing and ludicrous struggles of puss