Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-03-06
Hsv Nan Takes Care OF his Baby.


In spite Of all the statements to the
contrary. there arc men who help take
care of their children. They are the
kindest and best husbands in the world.
They do not wish to see their wives
oyerburdened with care and worry.
and they intend to help them great
deal. and actually do. Yet 1t cannot
be denied, that their opinion concerning
the value of their services and their
wlves' opinion on the same subject do
not exactly coincide. One OF these
good husbands will help dress the child
rem for breakfast, and speak of it with
grandly vIrtuous air, while the fact
is that he only washed the face OF one
while his wife washed and dressed the
other three. He helps get the children
ready for church; that is, he buttons up
Dicks boots, and helps Jenny put on
her gloves after he has leisurely and
comfortably dressed himself, while his
wife ties sashes, and hunts up odd
gloves. and puts on collars, and curls
one child's hair and washes another's
hands, and in the intervals 'does up"
her own hair, and saves the baby from
the razor, and Jenny's best bonnet
from the baby. He stands patientlyQ)
in the hall as the bells begin to toll,
and mildly calls, 1T is getting late
Maria" Which fact Maria knows as
we'll as he does, for her hands are trem'
bling so with nervousness and haste
that she can hardly put a single pin in
| its right place. Just as the last strokes
of the bell are sounding. they hurry of
to church, losing entirely the calming
influence which comes from lelsurely
walk on fine Sunday morning. He
takes the opportunity to remark with
just shade Of reproof in his gentl-
tones, II can't understand why it takes
you so long to get ready. 1t really
does seem as ifwith as much as 1 do to
help you. we need not be obliged to
hurry so at the last minute. | don't
like to see you 90 up the aisle with your
face as red as a lobster (Which OF
course, is very soothing to Mara's irrI
tated nerves.
The father cares for the baby at night
in very much the same fashion. Th
mother has lifted the child into her OWL
bed. aud back into its cradle again, III
the vain hope that in one place or the
other he will go TO sleep, has brought
drinks of water" tor him, rocked tho
cradle and sung to lis uneasy occupant
softly and slrepily for an hour, till
finally she thinks that if she is to be IL
this scmi.amphibious state. half out OF
bed and half in. the air from the open
window is too cool for her She knows
if she tries to SHIT it herself the little
tyrant will instantly miss her presence
and be ten times wider awake than
ever, and all the hours singing and
rocking will be labor lost. So, with
much regret, she softly asks John to
get up and close the window. He has
lair remarkably still and breathed rath-
er heavily, and is somewhat difficult to
arouse for a man who afterward declar-
es he was wide awake all the time.
But like the good husband he is, he
cheerfIlly closes the window, and gets
An extra blanket for the baby, and
pleasantly asks, as he settles down into
the pillows again, what makes the
baby SO uneasy to-night" He maui
tests strange indifference TO his wile's
reply, and in fact nothing more is heard
from him till morning, while his wife
sleepily and painfully works away for
an hour longer. But at breakfast. with
what calm cOmplacency does he speak
Of the trouble the baby made US last
night, with an ''us" fairly editorial in
its comprehcnsiveness. The next night
he goes into room by himselfto sleep.
He cant stand it to have his rest
broken So" but adds generously, "I'll
take care of him the next night" And
So he does till about twelve O'Clock,
when the baby wakes and cries. For
ten minutes he tries faithfully to get
him to sleep again, and then ignomin-
iously retreats and calls for mamma.