The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-08-31
Only a Baby.

"A Cdl IIllS August OIC VI GuOSC
events occurred which every man of sense
would pronounce trivial and meaningless.
No reporter, however hungry for news,
would iot it down as having any present
bearing on the history of the time, nor
could any novelist bring into his book
point so insignificant and common. It
was only the birth of a baby, girl baby;
the child of young Flaxman and his wife,
who are certainly as commonplace pair
OF human beings as can be found in New
York. The Flaxman family in fact have
but one noteworthy point-money. The
baby was born into a chilly nest. Any
body could see that her coming was mis-
take of Nature. Her father married a
girl without fortune, and brought her
home just when the business of the firm
(Flaxman Il SOM was at its lowest ebb at
the beginning of the panic. 1t was hard
enough to fit out the young couple with
carriage, horses, servants, etc.; to main
tain, in short, two establishments under
one roof; all of which was done, and
handsomely done, for the Flaxmans know
to the last 1.-THE what society demands,
and overpay it.
But to bring child at such time, not
only as source of present expense, but to
cripple all business projects for the fu-
ture, was, to say the least, inconsiderate.
Her grandfather, when told of her birth,
remarked that 1.-THE annuity paid to the
widow of his son John had been heavy
lien upon the estate, but this was worse"
The Flaxmans are little troubled with
those affections which daily bring Joy or
torture into households not so aNell bred.
The old people and the young were court
eous and entertaining to each other when
they met at table, just as they would be to
any guest. Old Flaxman's real affections
were given to his books his wife and the
baby's mother were probably fonder of
kago ware and old lacquer than anything
else in the world, and Phillip himself
thought oftener of his bay trotter than he
did of his pretty bride These people
heard eloquent divines preach OF humani-
ty and love, and admired them, just as
they did Wachtel as Manrico, or Salvini
as Othello. They were no more persuaded
to become faithful and loving human be-
ings than to initiate the tenor of the Moor.
What sermon this little helpless bit of
flesh, in its roll Of flannel, preached
how can we tell? 1t was preached in
some SPECIFICS fashion. Everybody has
t1uence in a household. Something of
'ilC uAF1IlC HCdlluS poWcI WHICH, 1lOIll Gllc
manager in Bethlehem drew peasants and
linger in every cradle. The baby In the
other baby. But within it was a miracle,
wonder The trivial mother sobered
into a quiet gentlewoman; the grand
mother and she held hourly councils over
the blue bassonette, and talked of collie
and Group, instead of NIinton ware and
ole Etruscan. The old lady suddenly dis
covered Philips wife to be most SEN
sible, lovable person. and Philips wife
began to call her 'mother," and so
brought tears to the sharp eyes behind the
spectacles. Philip this spring sold lris
trotter for "a family horse fit to take our
little lady out airing;' and as for his
father, he was an abject slave from the
day she held out her chubby arms to come
to him. After that she tugged at his white
mustache or spectacles as she pleased;
old Flaxman and young FlaxmaE, who
never pulled together since the latter was
a boy, sat by the nursery fire, good fell
lows together, many a night, forget
full of club, of public dinner. When
the child was ill, they waited
night after night till morning, silent and
anxious, while the doctor and the women
were busy overhead Last week the baby
died. The death rate of July sets down
thousands of such little lives as burned
out in this city by the savage heats. The
political economist would take no note of
these weightless atoms of humanity, or
secretly deem them MISUNDERSTANDING
&C. the myriad germs which Nature shapes
and Skaters. All that is left to tell that
/ this baby. was once in the world is little
I heap of-earth in Greenwood with fresh
ly planted rose upon it, and silence that
has fallen upon one household. No
something more; a strange loyalty and
kindliness which have sprung up in cer-
tain hackneyed,3 worldly hearts toward
each other, and toward that Power which
gave the baby to them and took it home
again; a store of tiny garments and toys
of which they do not speak to each other,
| but which bring back to each thoughts
beyond all others tender and near to
God.
When men and women die, they al
ways leave behind them certain amount
of evil influence as we'll as good at work
in the world. But when we remember
that each Of these thousands of little ones
left in its forsaken home only this sacred
memory, forever softening and holy, we
find, not one of Natures mistakes, but, a
gift beyond all others direct from the Di-
vine hand, lying beneath the little hillocks
in Gods acre.-N. =. Tribune. q
The Kentucky meat shower has been
rendered thoroughly insignificant by D
shower In Duchess County, N. Y, where
it rained wild geese for several minutes.
One man-name, unhappily not given
picked up on his farm all the geese that a
horse could haul, and is going into the
feather bed business. The fall was not
quito as mysterious as the Kentucky at.
fair, for the geese were seen when the
storm struck them but it was much more