The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-11
The Baby's First Smile.

As soon as Mr.. Giddings turned the
corner, the other evening, on his way
home, he saw that something unusual
had occurred. Mrs. G. was watching
for him at an upper window, and the
moment he came in sight she bounded
downstairs and out into the street to
meet him, on dead run. The servant
girl was also on the lookout in good
position near the house-top and behaved
IN such a strange and unusual manner
that Mr.. Giddings held his breath and
verify believed she was about to seek de-
struction by diving headlong to the
pavement below, and then he feared
from the peculiar manner with which
she nodded and twisted her head around
that she had changed her mind and
concluded to wiring her own neck. By
this time Mrs. G.. had come up breath
less and white with excitement, and
tumbled tluttering and painting into his
arms.
"Mercy on u.s. Linda, what dreadful
thing has happened? Tell me quick,
I'm in torture" exclaimed the husband,
with his heart creeping up into his
throat.
Mrs. G. could only choke, and gasp,
and cough, and turn whittier and then
red, and finally get the use of sufficient
breath to murmur:
uh-ah-minute.r
Heavens! Linda! Do talk, and be
quick-tell me all-anything-every-
thing-let it come-the very worst
I'll be calm and try to stand it, if you'll
only hurry. Out with it, womanr'
-but-O-Tom!" and the
agitated female looked wild and super
natural about the eyes.
MIR. Giddings felt that his reason was
about to leave without warning, and
beseeched his wife to put her tongue in
motion at once-the first time, by the
way, he ever felt called upon to make a
similar request
"Tell me at once, dear-is Buddy
sick?' Buddy was the baby who
came like foretaste of Paradise to the
happy pair few months ago.
Mrs. G. could only shake her head,
and then fall into an hysterical fit of
laughter.
"Why, no-you silly boy-but, oh,
dear me! l shall die with joy know
l shall. o Tom-Tom-Tom YOU
could only been therer' and she clapped
her hands, and Mr.. G. never knew be-
fore what those bright eyes were capa-
BILE of in the sparkling line.
"Linda-do 60 on-think of the
agony I'm inn' pleaded the trembling
husband
Eyes, yes. Well, as I was going to
say, Tom-but would you believe it,
though? Bless his precious little heart!
Tom, he did as sure as you live, he did
this very day-and Ellen says he's as
much as a month ahead of Mrs Grim
lay's-who never even noticed any
thing till it was over four months old,
and y"
Linda! Do you want to kill me
Tell me this minute, what ails Buddy,
and what in the name of all the proph-
cts has the child been doing?''
"Why, Tom! Didn't | tell you when
1 first came up? He did-and oh, SC
sweet! How 1 do wish you'd seen
him
"What?''
"Smiler'
Lllud-ulu ne!
Eyes, and he actually laughed out
loud, and Ellen run right over and got
Mrs. Jarvis to come over and see him,
and she. hollered to Mrs Tiffany, and
Sophie Branson she come over on dead
run, too, and so did Granny Morrison, as
old as she is-and they coaxed and
kissed, and leased, and chirped, and
jumped him for nearly an hour, but he
only doubled up his fists and poked 'em
in his mouth, and wouldn't again nc
way at all, and, o dear! Tom, you don't
know how sweet it was of him, and SC
cute, too-and Granny Morrison she said
she never in all the days of her life, anC
Mrs. Jarvis said she wouldn't a. be-
lieved it no way at all, and then the
way Sophie kissed him and took or
over it-and Mrs. Branson says if she
was me she wouldn't wait another
month-not at all-she'd have him il
short dresses right away-and Ellen
bless her life!-why, Tom, the girl criet
and took on as happy as l was myself
she actually dido Tom, tell you
he's going to be heavenly child wher
he gets to laughing every day-and
Tom, Mrs. Jarvis says he's every bi
big enough to have a tinger-ring, anC
she offers to go down town with me tt
pick it out-and, Tom, tell you VIZ
really must go out to mothers mex
Sunday-only think of it, Tom; wha
,OiN she say? She'll eat him up
know she willard she wouldn't dream
of it know she wouldn't-for month
yet-and father, won't he go wild
though-and my! how he will jump
and make fuss-and as for Kate
Tom, Pm just certain there'll be nj
keeping her away minute if she finds
it out before we get out there
In this manner the happy woman!
tongue ratified on at lightning speed
until they reached the house and wert
met at the. door by Ellen with the mar
velous babe in her arms, who wouldn'
no, not to save their lives-com,
within q thousand miles of another
smile till it got ready, and, though Mr.
Giddings took it in his arms and nearl,
broke it in two trying to get a repeti
ton of the afternoons performance, h,
was obliged to give up disappointed
1t is not surprising, perhaps, that HI
dreamed the night long of rompin.
among the rainbows, chasing a blue
eyed streak of lightning decked witt
roses, to the music of cooling cherubs.-
BREAKFAST Table.