The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-06-18
BascOmb's Baby.

She brought it over to our house. Mrs.
Bascomb did. 1t was their first-a wee
little red-faced, red-headed, pug-nosed,
bowling infant. 1t was one of the hottest
days in July, but she had it wrapped up
i'm three shawls and bed-quilt, and was
in agony every moment for fear it would
sneeze.
"Do see his darling, darling little
facep she said to me asshe unwOund him
about forty times and looked to see which
end his feet were on.
l looked. Ihave been the father of
eleven Just such bowling little wopsies,
and l don't see anything remarkable
about Bascomb's baby.
"See those eyes; that firmness of
mouth that temper in his looks" she
went on.
/ saw them.
The little son of a gun began to get
red in the face and to 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
band, rubbed the soles of his feet, and the
tears stood in her eyes as she remarked !:
~ know he won't live-he is too
smart!"
The child recovered; and, as he lay on
his back across her knees and surveyed
the ceiling, she went on:
"Such head why, every one who
sees him says he is going to be a Beecher.
Do you see that high forehead p
did. thought he was all forehead,
as his hair didn't commence to grow UNI
til the back of his neck was reached but
she assured me that was mistaken.
"Wouldn't / just heft him onceT
Ihefted him.
I told her that l never saw child of
his weight weigh so much, and she
smiled like an angel. She said that she
was afraid that / didn't appreciate chill
dren, but now she knew I did.
Wouldn't l just look at his darling
little feet-his little red feet and cunning
tOes?
Yes, / would.
She rolled him over on his face and I'M
wound his feet, and triumphantly held
them up to my gaze. contemplated the
hundreds of little wrinkles running
lengthwise and crosswise, the big toes and
the little toes, and agreed with her that,
SO far as 1 could judge from the feet and
the toes and the wrinkles, future of un-
exampled brilliancy lay before the pug
nosed imp.
He began to kick and howl, and she
stood him OH end, set him up, laid him
down, and trotted him until she bounced
his wind-colic into the middle ofSeptem-
Der.
"Whom did he look like? %
bent over the scarlet-faced rascal
pushed his nose one side, chucked him
under the chin, and didn't answer with
out due deliberation. / told her that
there was a faint resemblance of George
Washington around the mouth, but the
eyes reminded me of Daniel Webster,
while the general feateres 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 before.
"Did think it was too smart to live W
Ifelt of his ears, rubbed his head, put
my finger down the back of his neck, and
1 told her that, in my humble opinion, he
wasn't though he had narrow escape.
If his nose had been set little more to
one side, or his ears had appeared in the
place of his eyes, Bascomb could have
purchased weed for his hat without de-
lay. No; the child would live. There
wasn't the least doubt of it; and any man
or woman who said he wouldn't grow up
to make the world thunder with his
fame would steal the wool off a lost lamb
in January.
She felt so happy that she rolled the imp
up in his forty-nine bandages, shook him
to straighten his legs and take the kinks
out of his neck, and then carried him
home under her arm, while my wife made
me go along with an umbrella, for fear
the sun would peal his little nose.