The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-03-29
Maj. Schottguhn's Baby's First
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Maj. Schottguhn's Baby's First
Tooth. rama
The baby has been teething and the
Major has had a varied and toughening
experience, with only one nighs of I'M
broken rest in four weeks. Some folks
think it's better to go to bed at regu-
lar hour, sleep right through the night,
and wake up in the morning in hum
drum sort of way day after day; but
these are people who have no children
of their own, and whose lives, therefore,
are only half unfolded. HAIL
The baby had been good for several
days, and then suddenly one night,
about a month ago, she became fidget-
ty and restless, and refused TO go to
sleep at the usual hour. The next night
she moaned and groaned in the most
eccentric fashion all night. The next
night she awoke at intervals of ten
minutes with startling cries that filed
the room. The next night, after faith
full but vain effort to read his newspa-
per, notwithstanding the baby's mani
fold Interruptions, the Major ventured
to inquire: II
"Dear, what's the matter with the
baby?"
"Why, she's teething!" said Mrs.
Schottguhn.
An hour later, at midnight, just as
Mrs. Schottguhn had, after forty fruit
less efforts, succeeded in getting the
baby to sleep, the Major sneezed. The
baby awoke with a bound and cry,
and Mrs. Schottguhn looked up with a
face whose meaning the Major very
clearly understood, though not word
was spoken; and thenceforward when
ever he wanted to sneeze the Major first
went into closet and shut the door;
he began to realize now what teething
meant, and he frightened his waist belt
and prepared for the, worst.
They were varied weeks-those weeks
of teething, filed with novel and excit-
ing events, with stern transitions from
warm bed to cold floor; with falling
over chairs On the way to turn up the
gas; jumping up at all hours to rock
the cradle; about three million gentle
pats on the baby's back, and nobody
will ever know how many songs sung
out of tune, or how many groupings af-
ter bottles, begun with careful quiet
ness and ending with a crash echoed by
the baby's shary cry, and then-well,
of the many weary night marches, look
for the record in the paths worn in the
carpet. $50
Yesterday morning the Major awoke
pleasantly dazed after a night of con-
tinuous and refreshing slumber. Mrs.
Schottghun was already up and pranc-
ing round the room like sunbeam in
a forest, only more noisy. ..
Cynthia" said the Major, warning
ly, "you'd better look out, or you'll
wake the baby" .r
ashes awake Already said Mrs.
Schottghun, and so she was. Leaning
over the cradle, the Major encountered
the baby's smiling eyes, and met with
his face the soft little cropping hand.
The wearied, fretful look had disap-
peared, and happy childish glesfulness
reigned, and in another instant she re-
sumed what the Major had for mo-
ment interrupted, an earnest effort to
swallow her own foot. .- .-..
ats come" said Cynthia.
"ComeP" said the Major, "comeP
what's Gomez" e 5000 TrT
"The Tooth!'' @ t sli
Breakfast over, the Major was per-
mitted to inspect the tooth, and after
searching for about fifteen seconds, at
last his finger alighted on it, scarcely
perceptible to other than mothers
delicate touch, the fairtest little thing.
just peeping through the gum, as sharp
as the point of a knife blade and right
in the center of the lower jaw.
"How funny" said the Major, 6 that
this first tooth should come right in the
middle of the lower jaw"
"Why, it isn't funny at ALL" said
Mrs. Schottguhn. "An babies first
two teeth almost always come in the
middle of the lower jaw"
"Is that SOP" said the Major, and
rallying quickly he added, And what
a wise provision of nature that makes
them so sharp, SO that they can come
through with the least possible pain for
the baby!"
"Philip, don't be goose!" said
Cynthia. "What sort of a provision
does nature make for the back. teeth
that are as blunt and dull as the tops
of lead pencils, and yet which come
through much easier than the front
ones"
"Er-Gur-r-r-r-r-"
1t was the baby that said that, and
while Mrs. Schottguhn was burying the
little eherub's face in her own the Ma
jor put on his hat and slipped out to
post his physiological books before ven
t,,rr;,c, ~, f,,r+har xu;oa taIk ahout tho