Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-07-08
BASCOMB'S BABY,
An AdmirinE Friend and an Enrap.
tured Mother

she brought it over to our house
Mrs, Bascomb did. 1t was their frs +
"a Wee little red faced, red headed.
pugnosed, bowling infant. 1t was one
OF tne hottest days in July, but she
had 10 wrapped up In three shawls and
oeuqullt, aud was in agony every
moment Tor fear 1t would sneeZe.
DO see his darling, darling little
lace u she said to me. as she unwound
hlm about forty times, and looked To
see Which end his feet were on,
looked. | have been the father of
eleven just such bowling little wopsies.
ana didn't see anything remarkable
about Bascomb's baby.
See those eyes-that hrmness of
mouth, that temper in his look 20 she
went on.
| saw them.
The little son of gun began to get
red in the face and beat the air. and
his mother shouted:
He's being murdered by pin ~
She turned him wrong end up. laid
him on his face, then on his back
loosened his hands, rubbed the soles of
his feet, and the tears stood in her ewes
as she solemnly remarked
Il know he wont live-he's too
smart!n
The child recovered, and as he Law
on his back across her knees and sur
veyed the ceiling, she went on
such head Why, every one
who sees him says that he is going to
be a Beecher, a Greeley or a Bis.
marck; do you notice that high fore
head ?"
l did. 1 thought he was all fore.
head, as his hair didn't commence TO
grow until the back of his neck was
reached, but she assured me that was
mistaken.
=" Wouldn't just heft him once ,"
/ hefted him.
[ told her | never saw a child of his
weight weigh so much, and she smiled
ike an angel she said that she was
afraid L didn't appreciate children, but
now she knew / did.
Wouldn't Just look at his darling
little feet-his little red fee { aud cum
ming toes?n
Yes | would.
She rolled him over on his face and
unwound his feet, and triumphantly
held them up to my gaze. / contem-
plated the hundreds of little wrinkles
running lengthwise and crosswise, the
big toes and the little toes, and agreed
with her that so far as | could Judge
from the feet and the toes and the
wrinkles, future of unexampled
brllliancy lay before that pug-nOsed
imp.
He began to kick and howl, and she
stood him on end, set him up, laid him
down and tretted him until she bounc-
ed the wind-colic into the middle of
Who did he look like ?n
bent over the scarlet. faced rascal,
pushed his nose one side, chucked him
under the chin, and didn't answer
without due elaboration. / told her
there was faint resemblance to
George Washington around the mouth. |
but the eyes reminded me of Daniel
Webster, while the general features
had made me think of the poet Milton |
ever since she entered the house.
That was just her view exactly. only |
she hadn't said anything about it be- |
fore
Did l think he was too smart to
live?"
felt of his ears, rubbed his head, |
put my finger down the back of his |
neck, and | told her that, in my hum
BILE opinion, he wasn't, though he had
mad narrow escape. If his nose had
been set little more to one side, or
ms ears had appeared in the place of
bis eyes, Bascomb could have pur-
chased weed for his hat without
delay. No; the child would live;
Lhere wasn't the least doubt about it
ana any man or woman who said he
wouldn't grow up to make the world
thunder with his fame would steal the