The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-03-28

bn Whatever fallfuad NOn ltaNeii on
: whatever steamboat you find yourself,
you iind there also the Public Baby. II
sou change your car to rid yourselfofthc
Public Daby, you will dud is duplicate
in the next
Your Journey ] al an end; you have
secured your room At The hotel. from the
adjoining apartment a squal arises; the
Public Baby has preceded YOU; II, he, she
/, there Go at night to the theater, an
other ,quall arises: the Public Baby is
there also.
TIE parents Of the Public Baby deem
all this how ling harmonious; they would
not have a single note wasted in private.
That Is why il must go OF in public, that
/ Is why it /, taken to all manner Of public
plaees. II Is taken to the thcater that II
may insert iis >creech into the finest or
chestul strains, OF shiyer all effects aud
sentiment 70 pieces by utlering its da dal
in thc eliminating moment Of The acto,'s
performance.
The father Of the Public Baby wears a
black suit, creased by being long folded
in his trunk at home; a paper collar sew
cral days old, a green silk neck tie; a
gaily figured vest, and trowsers of some
color as widely contrsted as possible
with the rest of his garments. AS TO col
or, he is dressed in compartments. lie
chews largely oftobacco, gets out at every
station for drink--puts his ticket in
the least known and explored recesses of
his clothing, so as to involve long search
for It every time the conductor comes
round. At home, lie keeps tied up in
his back yard bowling aud barking pup
"a pup which crowds the debit column
Of the Recording Angels ledger with the
neighbor's curses. When this pup grows
out of the bowling and barking stage, he
sells him and gets another old enough to
howl. "Iisn't the pup he wants it's his
howl, That howl is a part of the Public
Baby's diet.
The mother of the Public Baby wears a
black velvet bonnet, more or less faded
it has been hung up where she has raised
a dust with broom. Her hair slung in
dusty, reckless coils, there is washing
day look about her-her skirts are careless
in their disposition hath general
dusty air, and bears many traces of am
algamation with the Public Baby. She
married because she had a chance-be-
cause man came along-because it is a
part of life to marry. The union has re-
suited in one, perhaps several Public Ba-
bies. Society shudders, without exactly
knowing why, on the appearance Of each.
She doesn't. She would regard without
alarm the prospect of producing three
score and ten. Should il be limited at
that Nautilus didn't approve of an excess
in infants, she would probably intimate
that Nautilus might mind his own bust
ness, while she would mind hers that of
producing Public Babies.
In disposition The Public Baby is ugler
than a convention of rattlesnakes, more
venomous than caucus of cenhpeds,
meaner than band Of coyotes. II does
not intend to be suited or pacihed--it is
madder than ever when il wakes up to
4 discover that il has been trotted into
brief slumber, and has thereby been cheat
/ ed for few moments out Of making
somebody uncomfortable.
There was a Public Baby on the cars,
the other day. On starting from the de-
4 pot felt a strange sense Of missing
presence. ! wondered at lhis. Soon all
was explained. The Public Baby was not
on board. But it came at the next station.
i The little fend never misses train or
pays a cent. This Public Baby at first
cried and howIed on general principles.
4 1t had not as yet discovered any special
cause for grieyance-becaus Of this It
cried. Its little hands were sticky with
some manner Of saccharne stickiness, its
4 little face was sticky with the same, es-
pecially its little, but noisy mouth-it rub
bed It's little sticky face with its little
sticky hauds--the general sickness of its
hands, and vice versa When it had pre-
pared this mixture, It wanted 10 rub il
/ over all who sat near 1t clutched al
/ lady's bonnet ribbons, and succeeded IN
transferring a spot Of molasses colored
brown TO the bright blue Of the silk. The
lady turned. She noticed the Public Ba-
/ by, she looked as If She wished King
llerod were alive and doing lively bust.
ness 10 that particular car Tie parents
withdrew their sticky offspring from the
front. Then il howled with renewed an
guish because ii couldn't have the lady to
paw They gave il more colofed candy
aud iiule cake With such material Tie
little 'well spring of pleasure" worked
itself into an itLeasy hump of sacehafine
aud mucilagiBon. matter II studded IL
couuteuauce with cake crumbs. Soon the
receplical for candy within that baby was
iall il cried because il could hold 10
more e wanted 60 60 to lis lalher, Il
went, theu j. ciied to 20 back 20 Ii.
mother, L went, Then Il howied 10 20
back 10 father agaiu lle went Into tie
smoking ear, men ltnye some rights w hicli
cannot be Invaded The Public Bats
then demanded IN il expressive way that
Il should repaw the ladys blue bonnet
strings. ils mother tossed il aiofi, ii cried,
che held i lower, sin i cried, she held Il
sideways, 4 cried sideways. sie held il
topside down L cried Il becsme red IL
the face, people around hoped il might
burst some moved away. Jnfoftnnstrl,