Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-02-13
Babies Mixed.


party given in Nebraska. A great
many ladies-sixteen-wbo were young
mothers, attended the party, and their
babies were laid together on bed. AS
the party dispersed the mothers, with
out sufficient care, gathered up their
babies and went home. Then it was
discovered that mistakes had been made,
and though three weeks have passed,
the errors have not all been corrected,
and the town is full Of unrest. This is
very old story, and was much better
told in the early days of California. As
related then, stripped (the story, not
the babies) of all embellishments, il ran
as follows: The scene of the story was
laid in the neighborhood Of Shasta.
There was a grand ball given, and
ladies bsing scarce, all in the neighbOr-
hood, without regard to age or previous
or present condition, We're invited. a
good many brought babies, and the
babies were dressed, some in red, some
In blue, some in pink, some in crimson
and some in white, until, as they were
tumbled together upon bed, all kick
ing, the effect upon the eyes of the
miners gathered there was like sudden
vision of morning rainbow. The
dance went on, merry as marriage
bell, until nearly dawn, when the ladies
retired, put on their bonnets and shawls
and gathered up their babies TO go
home. Thea the gentlemen present
desired just one more dance, and when
the ladies objected because they had
their darliDgs in their arms, some short
card sports in attendance volunteered
to be dry nurses while the dance went
on. The music was pulsating through
the house; il would take only a few
minutes; and the result was that the
proposition OF the sports was accepted.
Now, these sports, in manipulating
cards, had become experts with their
fingers and in less than three minutes
the babies were undressed and re-
dressed. Blue dresses were exchanged
for pink and white dresses; red was
s'iipW anu VI iol
When the dance was completed the
mothers found the sports as demure as
Sisters of Charity, humming low tunes
to and gently trotting their darlings.
With grateful thanks the mothers re-
ceived their treasures, in their haste
each merely taking the right dress
without a close examination of the con-
tents, and all hurried home. Then the
difficulty began. Mothers found that
angels of girls had in night changed
to demons of boys, and under the
delightful Overdress of some, coarse gar
ments appeared, while to others under
the coarse dress there were scollops and
edgings and dainty embroidery. To say
that there was storm, that there wac
unrest and confusion, for many days,
gives no idea of the real situation. The
sports on the second day left town ard
never returned. We saw one of them
many years afterward in mining camp
always wore furtiye and frightened
look and seemed perpetually on watch
for something, One day wa gon came
to camp and a woman with baby Ia
her arms descended from it. The sport
instantly disappeared and was never
heard from again. The Shasta catas-
trophe happened about seventeen years
ago. Last week a lad seventeen years
of age killed his putatiye mother in
Oakland, Cal. We are curious 10 learn
whether that boy was born in the neigh
borhood of Shasts-