The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-10-25

| TdIUefS, IlaG S0fteneQ mamma eyes anu
smoothed away that ugly wrinkle over the
nose OF dear papa-my beautiful bright
little Malcolm. for of course | gave him
my family name. | thanked the good and
gracious God for him. | devoured him
with hungry love. | worked myself almost
| blind by the light of tallOW candle to
fashion his dear little long clothes, | got
back my voice singing to him, and lost all
fear of everything. He was my knight,
my hero, my souls darling! One day |
sat toasting his dear pink little feet by the
! fire, for the air was icy cold outside, and
| the wind blew hurricane, when suddenly
| heard a light footstep; the string was
! pulled gently, the latch went up. and there
| entered the most pitiable-looking bundle
of woe it was possible to conceive. Atfirst
] thought it was avery dirty blanket en-
| dowed with life, but presently | saw a
| long struggling mass of black hair, and d
| flat foot purple with cold, poorly protect
ed by ragged moccasin. When the dirty
blanket was thrown partly aside, found
| it was poor young Indian squaw with a
queer wee sick Indian baby.
Chickaminny, papoosey, shake" she
said, pointing to her child; and at that
minute it fell into convulsion, the poor,
swarthy, queer little body,
L
ing a wary eye on the handsome little
Apollo, and snatching the water from the
fire put it in a tub then taking the little
Indian, soused him head and ears and all.
The water became black instantly, for new
er was a poor little creature so burdened
with dirt.
He gasped, and openedhi eyes wildly.
| put little salt in his mouth, all the
while finding it impossible to believe | was
doctoring baby with soul and body like
my own beautiful little prince yonder.
Presently the poor little red-slin grew
better. his long black eyes resumed their
glitter, and he crouched down i'll the pouch
of his mothers blanket, watching me with
a relentless persistency that seemed to say,
6 If ever get to be warrior, and able to
stand paint and feathers, I'll adorn my belt
with some of the foolish little locks around
| that white woman's scalp! I'll teach her
| to souse me with water, and rob me of my
native dirt, nip in the bud NY conyulsion.
| and take all these liberties with the son OF
my father -
But think the iron really entered into
his soul when found it necessary to give
| him quinine. Every evening the gentle
young creature would come to my door,
and point to her baby, always with the
same plaintive cry. s'Chickaminny, pa
poosey, shaket" and then watch me with
reverential awe while | forcibly admins
tered the bitter dose to her young brave.
do not know that she ever expressed
any violent gratitude for the evident inn
provement of her terrible offspring. Her
face always wore stoieal, impassive look,
not at all unbecOming to her style of
beauty. 1t was of the archaeological type,
reminding me of one of those grand faces
seNhuaed from ancient ruins.
l grew to love the poor, sad, pretty
squaw. Quite a little throb of pleasure
would come to me when heard her soft,
familiar touch upon the latch. But [ never
did, must own, take to the baby. was
in manner afraid of him. If he had
screamed and kicked when ] gave him the
bitter dose, it would have been natural,
but the first slight grimace grew more and
more faint as he hardened himself to en-
durance, and always there remained that
implacable glare in his fierce, glittering
eyes. | was glad when he was strong
enough to do without doctoring, but |
missed sadly the presence of his mother.
For she disap peared, and heard her gentle
touch upon the latch no more.
In the mean time my own little Malcolm
became the most perfect type of physical
beauty that sculptor ever raved over.
| Where he got his transparent skin, his
magnificent eyes, his straight nose-from
| whence came those lines of beauty that
curved. into dimples, and roseate bloom,
| and artistic hadoWs-Heaven only knows,
but his papa and | looked upon him with
absolute wonder, as day after day he grew
more and more beautiful. And oh, so
good and so natural He had his fits OF
passion, and went off to sleep with that
/ Il in "a air hot a1-
every mother long to wake her baby up
and soothe it to sleep again. Then he'd
| lie kicking on the bed, playing with fairies
and sunbcams. and goodness only knows
all the mysterious and charming shapes
| that come whispering TO babies.
We loved him too much, OF course. It is
wrong to place every hope and yearning
and delight in the frail body of one dim
| pied baby, but let those help it who can.
Charley and Isimply worshiped him.
| 1t certainly made us better in every way.
1t entered into our daily lives, and smooth
ed away all the little angles and wrinkles.
| Charley caused two snug and coZy rooms
to be substantially put together, talking
gayly of the palatial residence that would
stand there, or, as he prudently added,
| thereabouts, when baby was old enough
to see and appreciate.
L Ndlhtu early anu Itlc III Il Ildlcu VI SOil
| he had spaded up for me, and which |
dignified with the name of garden. / had
the pleasure of eating my first radishes and
earliest peas. The latest of these and the
rest of the vegetables rotted in dire DESC
| lation. My garden became a dense thieket
of noxious weeds, my home neglected
kennel, and Lob, poor, poor Kitty NAL
colin how did you ever live to see this
day?
1t makes me tremble to think of that
bright balmy morning-tremble and grow
faint, though fifteen years have softened
the memory.
| Nature was in her best and tenderest
mood, the blue sky all fecked with filmy
clouds, the very grass trembling and
thrilling with happiness. had grown to
see beauty in the great glowing stretch
of color that widened out to the very hori-
zon; and running out to the wood-pile fol-
few chips to make baby's papa's dinner
boil, / stopped moment, shading my
eyes with my hand, and looked about me