Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-01-28
That Unhappy Baby.
BY OLIVE THORN.

| saw it iu the cars aud | thought it would
be dead-o else should before the cars stop
ped and could change my seat. I've no doubi
it is safely sleeping somewhere under the dal-
sizes this very minute. I'm sure hope so.
1t had iussy mother, poor little soul and
the way it was pulled aud hauled and jerked
and twisted vas fearful to behold. 1t was a
good natured little thing, disposed 10 be a,nia-
BILE and contcnted, but no sooner did it get into
comfortable position than 1t had to be flop
ped around into some other position. That
fussy young mother just c0uidn keep her
hands off, 90 beileve
Baby sucks his humb-happy infant and
20 he lies back in an easy attitude, stuff, hi
bless ed little digit into his moua aud Is happy.
But mamma thinks he must be hungry, SO she
gathers him up In heap, pulls DOVE the loug
troublesome clothes, hxes his cloak, puts back
his silky hairs, and iuyites his attention to the
dinner bottle Baty Is agreed, and settles eas!-
ly TO the new comfort. Not so mamma. Just
as / he pink nd, begin to droop heavily over The
blue baby eyes. the winks grow logger anu lou
ger, aud a delicious drow>iness steals over him,
that sharp eye OF hers spies something amiss
with his nose, aud all the maternal fuss rises
within her She hunts up pin and her hand
kerchief, and proceeds to annoy aud torment
him with that weapon till the best-disposed
in di>gust-and I'm glad of it,.
Leaving his meal unfinished, she dandles
him few minutes till he stops crying, and
then hands him over to papa 10 the next seat.
Now papa is eating biscuit SO OF course the un-
happ, baby must have biscuit. Choking and
gasping, he screams again.
Who wouldn't, like to know?
Then mamma takes him till he is quiet, and
laws him down on shawl, on seat IN front OF
her. He consoles himself with his thumb
again, aud is happy once more.
He falls asleep. His thumb slips out of the
rosy mouth, and he has forgotten al bis troub
les Now surely she will let hin alone
But no, The incorrigole mamma fiads that
his head is the wrong way, and the shawl that
is under him must be over him. SO over he
goes. and of course wakes up and cries-poor
infant,
This time, to quiet him, she lays his face
against her shoulder, digging his poor little
uose and mouth into her woolen shawl Ol
course, he cant breathe, and he screams again
and she saps him on the back, as though
pounding was quietlng process
He cries harder, and she lays him on his face,
on her lap, aud pounds hm. He siiffeps bis
ueck and rebels loudly Then papa takes him
tosses him up, saying, 'Keeher! kecher!'
'iil bis sobs come again.
Then mamma hunts IN her basket Tor some
thing to divert him Ii proves to be cookey
which be sucks, and daubs all over his lace. o
course
He enjoys this, and would go to sleep in spite
of everything; but his mother is at him again
| This time she vets towel at the water cooler
and proceeds to wash off the little tender face
| with ice water He screams, aud she rubs, a:
| though she were scrubbing a f ,or, till at la>
\ no amaroes clean bnt red aud in a Deriec
| rage. :,
when will mother learn to wash a baby's
soft flesh and not hurt il? No wonder they
| mbibe such horror of water and towels y
Then the cars stopped, and took up ms
travelling satchel aid vent into another car
where the only baby was owned ty an olde
mamma, who has learned to let h,u alone wheI
he Is comfortable, though he stand on his head
| But could not forget the unhappy suff-rel
! had deserted, aud | wonder the first baby il
| not always worried into fe-long fretfulness.