Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-05-29
PEGGY'S BABY.
BY SARAH WILLIAMS.


D - it.-s .F-s. - T. .Flfslt. e
j twas terrible baby, Peggy's-al-
!, ways getting bigger and bigger, heavier
and heavier, till it could hardly walk
and suddenly growing backward, and
becoming the tiniest little bit of a baby
one that could not be expected even, to
feel its feet for months. Peggy was a
nurse girl, and had been one ever since
she was seven years old, and now she
was twelve.-Quite an experience little
woman was Peggy. She knew all about
babies,-when their crying ought TO be
as she would have said, minded and
when it was ouly kind Of oration on
baby's views on things in general when
to administer petting, and when to re-
prove with grave remonstrance. -
4 Like most wise people, Peggy was
tender hearted, not from her would the
most fractions of her charges ever re-
vive one of those terrible shakes which
seem enough to turn your brains into
fpulp-Once some one had suggested the
need OF whipping naughty young
manikin, but Peggy had opened her
soft eyes in astonishment, and said !;
"Whip babys Why I couldn't. y
Peggy didn't, and the naughty one
grew somehow into q good one, under
her management. -,
Wise and gentle, and in her own walk
successful, Peggy vas all these, and yet
she was sad, Poor little Peggy! No
wonder! She was all a lone in the
Eworld. 1t had not always been so,and
sometimes this seemed to make things
worse. 1t is not these who cannot re-
member sight that feel blinkness most.
Long ago when she was baby, her
father had died, but her mother had lived
to comfort her seven years,a gentle, sor-
rowfh woman, from whom Peggy had
probably gained her gift of patience.
But they hadbeen very happy these two,
so happy that even now something of
lthe glow of the old time would come,
over the motherless girl as she sat max
ing believe to: be mother, with her ba-
bies little and big.
Somewhere in the world she had an
Aunt Margaret, her mothers only sis
ter, who had married a wealthy trades
man, rather above her in position, while
Peggy's mother had somewhat decend-
ed in wedding an unskilledl mechanic;
and so they had grown up between
them "a tacits estrangement, bravely
struggled against for some time-the
prosperous sister standing as god-moth-
er to Peggy, and promising never to
forget hrr. But then came trouble ON
both sides ;mechanic- and tradesman did
not appreciate each other, ana the latter
was rather glad when an american
dgency offered an opportunity for tax
ing his wife, as he said, "right' away"
Peggy did not know all this; she on
ly remembered that near the end her
mother had said, 81 wish your Aunt
Margaret had kaown you; she must
have loved you Peggy.
And the lost sentence swallowed up
the preceding ones in the child's memo
ry. -, - ! -l.-,..-.. -
She was nobody's little Peggy now
only the girl .s-..l
Not, that her. mistress was unkind to
her. She was as kind as a woman could,
be who had such number of babies 3.
and noticing, what Peggy had never no-
ticed, that the constant nursing was
sending one shoulder out, she bestirred
herself to find an easier place for he lit
tie hand maiden. vi2 r-
One was soon found with a widow
who wanted some one to wheel the per-
ambulator of her only child, a little
boy. Hl-3 o.
'"He's cripple, poor little fellow"
said Peggy's mistress, but you will only
have to wheel him about, so that it will
be easier for You than here, though what
I am going to do without you | don't
know"
"Peggy going! what bother!" said
one of her grown up babies. g.
"I won't go,''' said Peggy sturdily.
eyes, child, you must. I've been wor-
rying over your looks ever so long. 1t
is better for me to be plagued little,
than that you would ruin your health. "
All, harassed mother, surely this lit
tie bit of self-sacriice was one of those
| t'cups of cold water that,yerily shall not
lose their reward iaH sa=r .a
Peggy's own heart was heavy; it was
said of her new charge that he could
not live to grow up and she felt kind
of awe of him on that account. Hither-
to what ever trouble her babies had CIV
en-, they all had lived; so that it was
with some fear, added to the special
of newness, that she went
one morning to her new situation.
| The widow met her very kindly, Say
ling; az should like to take you up to
baby at once" Then she added with
shadowy smile: s'He is a very old baby
but somehow, he never seems to have
grown up to his proper name, Aubrey"
aHobbery? what a queer name!"
thought Peggy. An illiterate little wo-
man was Peggy; she had been so busy
nursing babies all her life, that she had
never found time to 60 to school.
sYou will not mind if he is rather
] fractious ?" continued the widow.
"Dear no, ma'am," said the experien-
ced Peggy, and then suddenly remem-
tbering that exclamations were not good
manners she dropped o courtesy Of apo
logy. -'"
The child Aubrey was sitting prop
ned up among heap of broken toys.
He looked up swiftly at Peggy ,and said
''You are tired
"Noy' said she.
aYou are, round your eyes. won't
have tired nurse. Go away.
"Shall go and wash my face?:" said
Peggy.
.eYou can try that. don't think you
will be anything but tired,though; and
| won't have tired nurse" The young
i autocrat turned away dismissing her,
and Peggy wondered if she should ever
take the liberty of calling him baby the
puzzling Hobbery seemed easier.
Nothing of her panic showed, though
| as she came backipresently, with'a lit
tie soft color in her cheeks from the col
or in her cheeks from the cold water,
. and a nleasant laugh in her ewes.