The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-12-01
BABY FRANKLY.
BY CARL CLINTON.

Josie Young was fifteen years old
Her father was dead and her mother
poor, and the times very hard. ''W hat
can do to help mother 2" she said to
herself and ''What can [ do to help
you 90 she said to mother. There We're
three other children besides Josie
Kitty, and Tommy land "baby Frankly
Her mother was a seamStress, and she
said:
''If I had little lady to look after
the children, and keep them out of
mischief, and take care of them. and
wash and dress them, why could get
a great deal more time to sew, and
could earn more money. Could you dc
that, Josie p
eff it would help you very much. !
can try said Josie, and try she did.
That very night the little helper
commenced her new duties, and put
the children to bed. Kitty and Tommy
she quickly disposed of. 1t took
Tommy just minute and half to get
out Of his clothes, and into his
mighty One good plunge into his
bed and down he sank, down, down,
down, into the feathers, and nothing
was seen Or heard of him again until
morning. Pretty soon there was no
Kitty to be seen; and then baby
Frankly was made ready but not so
easily as the others. After he was
ready for bed he must be put to sleep.
So Josie took the big rocking-chair
and took Frankly in her lap, and began
trotting him to sleep, just as she had
seen her mother do. She trotted and
trotted, but baby didn't go to sleep.
Then she trotted more gently; but
that didn't put him to sleep. Then she
carried him about the room in her
arms; and then she began to sing to
him ; and finally to trot him up and
down in her lap again, and to rock
him in the chair. She rocked and
trotted, and trotted and rocked and
she carried and sung. and sung and
carried, till she could do it no longer.
She began to think he would never,
never go sleep. She wondered what
KIND of a baby he would be If he
should conclude never to shut up his
eyes and sleep again, but always be
wide awake. She said to her mother
perhaps Barnum would take him. and
carry him round the country, and have
1919 POoeSu UP Oil SliON CdIuS DIS the
sleepless baby. But mamma said Bar.
mum should never have her baby to
carry over the country. So Josie and
her mother talked about the baby and
Tommy and Kitty, and about her
own father, who had died but a few
months ago, and how kind and affec-
tionate he was, and how he loved them
all, and used to work hard all dav. and
then hold little Frankly at night in his
arms. Then the tears came into poor
Josie's eyes as she remembered it all.
She forgot how troublesome baby had
been, and how tired she had grown
trying to put him to sleep, and she
bent over to give the little creature a
kiss, and sure enough the little bit of
baby was sound asleep ; his eyes shut
tight, and his little breast rising and
falling with his gentle breathing.
Thus ended Josie's first attempt at
helping mother, and she retired feeling
very proud of her success.
So she worked away day after day
and day after day her mother worked.
Some days it was real fun to care for
the baby and the other children. Other
DAYS it was not SO pleasant. Some
times baby was cross and fretful, and
nothing wonld please him. He was a