Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-09-02
A WEE WAIF.
Mrs. PIncuH' One Pound BABY.

cdIpeI0u pine stairway 10 tne bnlru /
story of No. $50 North Fourth
street, a visitor was yesterday |
into the room where dwell !
Mrs. Pincus and her wonderful lit |
tie baby. The room contains a
small cook-stove, and serves as
kitchen, bedroom and parlor for the |
family, which consists Of Mr.. Pin
Gus, his wife, a healthy, robust boy
of eighteen months, and the little
mite of humanity whose fame, al
though only fourteen days have
passed since its tiny wall first quiV
cred on the air of this world, has
spread even beyond the limits of
the great city in which it was born.
The room was decently furnished,
but the family are evidently very
poor. Several persons besides the
mother and child were present.
They all seemed in excellent spirits.
Mrs. Pincus, a pleasant-faced,
healthy-lOoking young German
American, apparently twenty years
old, stepped smiling to the bed, and,
removing a small, hem-stitched
handkerchief which served as a
counterpane, proudly displayed the
small specimen.
cit weighs just sixteen ounces,
and is perfect" she said, carefully
brushing away a fly which seemed
disposed to settle on the little nose.
"Sixteen ouncesl 1t cannot be
so much" said the visitor, doubt
ingly. Then, after a pause, a
thought struck him, and he said F:
"Ah, yes; sixteen ounces; that's
only pound. / see." The infant
was asleep. Occasionally it smiled
the smallest kind ola smile.
"Just look at its hand," said the
mother; "and its little nails, and
its little feet, and you ought to see
its eyes-such great, beautiful blue
eyes. And see these" she said,
bustling to a table and holding up
some doll's things-a pair of socks
of crochet work, about an inch
long, and little lace cap, trimmed
with blue ribbons, too small to fit q
good.sized ridge-pippin.
The visitor raised the tiny red
hand on the tip of his little finger
carefully, so as not to break it OF
disturb the midget's dreams. tt
palm is no bigger than a dry good,
clerks thumb nail, and its fingers
are about half an inch long, and
scarcely larger than the graphite in
a reporters pencil. To show the
size of the arm the mother took of
her wedding ring and slipped it
over the child's hand and up to the
elbow.
"Does this-this baby eat, and
how ?" said the visitor, blushing.
"Eatl hal ha! hal" laughed Mrs
Pincus, slapping her knees in glee
as she sat on the side of the bed,
81 guess she does eat. She hangs
on me like leech, and never lets g
as long as there is a drop left"
81 am de grandfather" said 9
slim, mercurial German, who had
sat, with his black eyes glittering
with pleasure, while his daughter
was exhibiting her prize. He could
not restrain himself any longer, and
he skipped about the room gesti.
culating and expatiating delight.
edly in broken English upon the
wonderfully small points Of little
Estelle.
"What is your namep said the
visitor.
The old Germans manner
changed suddenly. He became
grave and cautious. "I don't van
fmy name in de bapar," he said
seriously, "Not dat | am ashamed
Of de baby, for l am broud of it
but haf udder reasons, my friend
"And are you proud of it, too 2
said the visitor turning to tht
father, a decent looking young man
who up to this time had said moth
ing.
eyes" he replied, with sort
of sheepish smile. Then, suddenly
raising his head with a different ex
preston on his face, he said in
manly voice eyes, / am proud
of it, and / love it, too."
"Dere has been more dan twenty
eight doctors here to see it," brokt
in the grandfather, "and dey al
say dat It iSh de greatest wonder o.
de world, and dat ish do sehmaIles
schild dat vas ever porn and lived
and more than a dousand peoples
haf been here to look at it. More
dan tree hunnered men, winner
and shildren had been down dere il
the street Of vop time Waiting to ge
a chance"
"We haven't let any stranger ii
since Saturday," said the mother
"Fhey filed the room so that it wa.
too close and hot for the baby
They keep coming now all the time
but we don't let them come "
stairs"
The maternal grandmother,
middle-aged, substantial-looking
well-dressed woman, was also pres
A-sll-