The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-06-28
Utilization Of Babies.

Ike Topper, Tor tncr alnl no uOnSens
abont bin. His poetry Is ez easy {
read ez proze, and he never goes me
andrin Off out Nv the grasp Nv the int
leck nv the most humbie. You kin al
gest Upper ez easy ez you kin pnmki
pie. But I don't intend 10 stray of iut
the field Nv criticism.
Babies wuz allus nay espeshl aver
shuu. A baby is thing TO be take
care nv, not thing % take care u
anybody else. Babies are expensive
and be who has his quiyer full NV tina
kind Of arrers must exprck 10 devot
/ himself religiously to them. and by jis
50 much ueglect bis-1' Taking ear
NV others and neglectin myseif wu
never my best holt. / am we'll adapte,
20 bein taken care Nv.
It wuz, therefore, with feelins Nv pro
found disgust | saw the first Nv IhD
Nasbys impeudiu. i didn't like 20.
objected 10 it, not only ON akoGnt O
myself, but on Mariar's, the wife Nv ms
buzzum. That excellent woman wuZ
miiiiuer, aud / felt that 10 wuZ enufi fol
her TO take care NV me, without hevir
piled onto her the burden NV another
and, besi'ies, woodeut the cost of caring
for that addishuel one lesson my com
that woman with q child coOdeut care
for her customers and git thrO hel
hOuse-keepin ez we'll with a child "a
she Good without. Ez 10 wuz, she could
give her whole time to me aud the
shop-the tskin care NV me 20 / ought
TO be cared for. | murmured.
"AIy deer" said Mariar Go wuz the
flst, aud she wuZ still lovin) "NIy deer,
irs a fine 10y, aud can't you take some
comfort 10 the refleckshun that IN your
declinin years you will hev some one 10
leeu upon? Think Of that"
"Aiy deer" / replied, promptly, 81
aiu't disc0untin the fucher. Tue pres
ent is good enough for me, / thank you.
bird in the hand j. worth "A good
many in the bush, and / can't see the
pint NV takiu That boy thro scarlet fe-
yer, mumps, measles, collie aud other
diseases incident 10 childhood, NV payin
Tor books schoolin, close and et cetterv,
on tie hope Nv his takin care NV me in
my seer and yaller leef. ! hev 10 take
the chances Nv his bein a billiard
player, or NV studyin medicine, or uv
turntn reformer, or any NV them un-
profitable okkepashuus."
sed this 20 let Mariar know that
wuz displeased, so that she would be
more keeriul TO please me in everything
else
But what she sed sunk deep into NV
heart all the same. III john, wich Is
wat we named the boy, shOod grow NJ
aud shood inherit the disposishun NV
his sainted mother, he would support
me, aud possibly through his earnest
Efforts | could go thro the balance NV
The valley and shadder In comparative
comfort. ] wuz finally reconciIed.
Time rolled on, and there wuz another
added 10 the fold, wich wuz "a girl.
"Aiariar," wuz my remark, "this is
TOO much. The boy was an incubus.
but / have borne it, looking 20 the
.ucher. Bot wat kin girl do? She Is
iu expense from the time NV her birth
.ill she gifts oil your hands. / shudder
when | think wat that puuy girl will
cost US, aud wat We hev got 10 20 thro
ln its account"
And in a bitter mood ] sot down with
my head Ia my hands, like one whose
ucher Is gloomy. Up spoke Mariar
lnce more:
My dear, Imogene will grow up into
q hue woman, aud when she is twenty
our"
"Why not seventeen ?''
Seventeen be it, When she Is seven
een she will marry rich old man.
ZOO kin do better out Nv a s0u-iu-law
han 700 kin out Nv son, for the son
n-law will be in love with the girl, aud
b man in love kin be made to do any
hing. For your sake, deer, l hope an
our children will be girls.n
Agin / poudered. Ii wood not be q
bad thing 10 hev rich sOnin-law, 10
whom you Good 90 aud bOrrer ten dol
ars every time you needed it. Wat
in this Christin land wood
et his iather-in-law, the awthor Of his
Niie's being, 20 dry lor the lack of
ew paitry doilars2 And besides, il he
ildn't like % and saw any chance Nv
.he old mans drinkin' hisself TO death.
be wood hasten that cohclushen. Wat
glorious deth ! accepted the dawter,
iul pore Marlar's increest labuTs % per
vide Tor it with resignashun.
Need l narrate how one follered
.hoiher 90 rapid succession, how the
lumber increest till there wuz ten NV
hem, aud how eagerly / looked forred
o the time when shoOd rest from Ma
laFs labors aud sit down under their
ines and fig trees and enjoy life?
IL wuz terrible strain on Mariar.
ma l sympathized with her. The chill
Iren cost money ez well ez labor. Them
children cost me ez follows:
ioard uv lly mother-in-law three weeks.
Tor e.irl-.-.-.---...-.- ...............- -ls On
oothin' ~yrups, carminative balsams,
ctmloI and sich- -eacl.--..-.-............ - 20 90
if~i puiut Tor chi lu--.---.-. - 3 UO
trlng uV beads Tor child...-....-.-- b.
.o-e uN wile's services Tor three roeks i0 00 I
10. y '-chouln and medikle attendance
20 criery- tll they Good browse Tor
lullr-clFes, each ..-.-............... - 50n O1 /
or, say in round numbers, 5000 each. |
lultiply this 10y ten, and you hev the
omiortable sum Of 5000, wich these /
ldlsnuns Co the census subtracted frum
laflaTs earnings wich wuz lust that
mount taken frum me. But ez il wuz I
.oing on / never rebeiled or murmured I
n loopked ct John ! remarked To mva
ell - Zoo Will be a lawyer and will I
7in distinSsheu and fees. That dis-
inkshen / Will share aud the fees like
wise. Mariar, you shall marry well I
nd your husband will be my prom and /
tay." sammy destined for tie minis
~, Tom for baukin, and the Others.
own 90 the girl in the cradle, / had ar
auged iu my minds eye 50 ez to make
be an incum.
Ez I looked over them children felt
ich. I looked upon them ez an invest
leni, better than lie inshoorance or
sviugs banks. The luv Nv child forits
aren't is more certain than bank or life
They may break, but ma
her can't be wiped out nohow, aud is
artain TO endOor. And in most states
here is law cOmpellin children TO
AXE keer Nv their parents, whether they
amt 10 or not.
And so, communin with myself, / let
Iariar work for them children As much /
5 she chose 90. found myself lOokin
ith solissitood on them Off-prings, and