The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-11-23
BABY FRANKLY.
BY CARL CLINTON.
TChristian Union.I

josie IOunS was uIteeH years Olu. 1el
father was dead and her mother poor, and
the times very hard. "What can l dc
to help mother?" she said to herself; and
"What can 1 do to help your she said
to her mother. There were three other
children besides Josie: Kitty, and
Tommy, and "baby Frankly" Her
mother was a seamstress, and she said:
off / had little lady about fifteen
years old to look after the children, and
keep them out of mischief, and take care
of them, and wash and dress them, why
1 could get more time great deal to sew,
and could earn more money. Could you
do that, JosieF'
off it would help you very much, /
can try" said Josie, and try she did.
That very night the little helper COM
menced her new duties. and put the
children to bed. Kitty and Tommy she
quickly disposed of. Ittook Tommy just
about 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 feath-
ers, and nothing was seen or heard of
him again till morning. Pretty soon there
was no Kitty to be seen and then baby
Frankly was made ready; but not 80
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 trot-
ting him to sleep, just as she bad seen
her mother do. She trotted and trotted,
but baby didn't 60 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 be-
gan 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 carried, till she
could do it no longer. She began to
think he would never 60 to sleep. She
wondered what kind of 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
him posted up on show cards as the Sleep
less baby. But mamma said Barnum
should never have her baby to carry
over the country. So Josie and her
mother talked and 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 affection
ate he was, and how he loved them all,
and used to work hard all day, 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 for
t~n hah hxy hod haa,, nd
how tired she had grown trying to put
him to sleep, and she bent over to give
the little creature kiss, and sure enough
the little bit of a baby was sound asleep;
his eyes shut tight, and his little breast
rising and falling with his gentle breath
ing. 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 30 pleasant. Sometimes baby
was cross and fretful, and nothing would
please him. He was very queer baby
and wanted hisown way. He wanted to
paddle in the water after he was dressed
for afternoon. He liked to handle over
the pieces of coal in the coal hod, and
then when bis hands were very black he
always put them up to his face, and that
made the other children laugh. From
the coal hod he would go to hismamma's
work basket, if he could. He would put
the thimble in his mouth the first thing;
then he would get the scissors; then
throw the spools Of cotton about, and
then, if he was not stopped, he would tip
the whole thing over. Once he tipped all
there was in the work-basket into pail
of water. Sometimes if josie took the
things from him he would get angry;
and then he would scream and kick. Oh !
how those little feet would fly; and
those little hands would strike, and how
that little throat would scream!
Well, then she had Tommy and Kitty
to please. Tommy was always in trouble.
One day his top was broken and sister
must mend il. Another day a big boy
in the street struck him and sister must
see to that another day he cut his finger,
and another day he tore bis jacket, and
another day lost his clean new collar.
Well. what about Kitty? She had
troubles by the bushel-basket full. Her
doll fell out of the chair and broke its
nose; her kitten scratched her on her
own nose; she tumbled down stairs, and
she fell into the cistern, and oh dear J
nobody knows what didn't happen to her.
Twenty times day she must run to sis
ter Josie, or sister Josie must run to her.
What times tkey did have some days
Tommy crying with burnt finger, and
Kitty sobbing with a scratched face, and
baby Frankly screaming louder than all,
and his feet and hands kicking and
swinging in every direction, and poor
Josie trying 10 comfort them all. But
all this time the good mother was sewing
away for dear life, and her sewing ma
Chi No uaa nlickinn AWAY a. haId az ever