Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-06-20

books.
Thumbledirk felt keenly that he
was an object of curiosity and lily
repressed mirth to the women around
him. Now, a digr fled man does not
enjoy being a laughirg-stock for any
Ibody, and it is especially humiliating
for him to feel that he appears ridicu-
Ilous in the eyes CT women. This
feeling is intensified when the man is
a bachelor, and knows he is little
awkward and i'll at ease in the pres
ence of women, anyhow. So, as he
gazed upon the face OF the quiet
sleeping infant, he made en insane
effort to appear perfectly easy, and,
to create the impression that he was
an old married nan and the father of
2G children, lie disengaged one arm
and chucked the baby under the chin.
About such chuck as you always
feel like giving boy with a ''putty-
blower" or ''pea-shooter." 1t
knocked the little rosebud of a mouth
shut so quick and close the baby
couldn't catch its breath for three
minutes, and Thumbledirk thought,
with strange, terrible sinking Of the
heart, that it was just possible he
might have overdOne the thing. A
short, young woman in kilt skirt
and pretty face, sitting directly OPP
posite him, said, "Oh!" in a mild
kind OF shrek, and then giggled; a
tall. thin woman in black bombazine
dress and gray shawl, and an an
pnlar woman in calico dress and Il
tgun bonnett gasped, "Why!" in a
startled duet, a fat woman with a
small herd of children and market
basket shouted "Wcll!" and immc-
diately clappcd her plump hands over
her mouth Is though fiIe
had been startled from her. and tall
+ raw -boned woman, who wore horl
: spectacles and talked bass, said eth
poor lamb" in sucE sepulchral tone
that eyerybo ly else laughed, and Mr.
rhumbledrk, who didn't just exact
c " know whether she meant him o
the baby, blushcd scarlet and felt hi
face grow so hot he could smell his
hair. And his soul was filled will
such gloomy forebodings that all th'
future looked dark to him.
The baby opened its blue eye
wider than any man who never own
= ed a baby would have believed it pos
slide, and stared at Thumbeldirk witt
= All expression Of alarm, aud genera
lack of confidence that BODIED dis
tressing want of harmony in all fur
ther proceedings. Mr.. Thumbledirk
viewing these sigds of restlessness
with inward alarm, con ,eivcd the hap
pv idea that the baby needed {
change of position. So he stood il
upon Its feet.
1t is unnecessary to tell any mother
Of q family that, by the execution oI
this apparently very simple movement
the unhappy man had every thread o.
that baby's clothes under its arms and
around its neck in an instant. 4
general but suppressed giggle went
around the room.
Thumbledirk blushed redder and
f hOster than ever, and the baby, after
one Mortified look at its strange guar
dian, whimpered uneasily. .... -
ThumbledirS, not daring to risl
the sound of his own VOICE, wOulC
have danced the baby up and down
} bat its little legs bent themselves in
; to such appalling crescents the frs
time he let the cherrb's weight upon
!, them. that the wretched man knew il
his heart of hearts that he had forever
and eternally most hopelessly show
ed" them, and felt that he could never
again look a bow-legged man in the
face without spasm of remorse. As
for meeting the father of this beauti-
ful boy, whose life he had
blighted with n pair of crooked
legs-never, he would face death it
self first. And in coming years when
ever helmet this boy waddling tC
school on a pair oflegs like ice-tongs
he would gaze upon them as his owl
guilty work, and would tremble les
the wrath of the ayenging gods shoult
fall upon him. .tt ,g.t
Alarmed at the gloomy shadow.
which these distressing thought
; cast over Tmmbledirk' face the ba
, by drew itself up into a knot ant
, walled. Thumbledirk balanced i
} carefully on his hands and dandleG
it., for all the world as he woulc
t "heft" watermelon. Instantly tn,
baby Strengthened itself out with sucl
, alarming celerity that the torture,
, dry nurse caught it by the heel just
t in time to save it from falling to the
E floor. gg
Hell kill that child yet,'' sal,
r the gloomy woman who talked bass
| and I'humbledirk felt the blood cur
die in cold waves in his veins. B.
this time the baby was SCREAMING
!, like a calliope, and the noise adde'
! inexpr'essibly to Thnmbledirk's con
a fusion and distress. lie would hav
: trotted the baby on his knee, but tn
, attempt occasioned too much com
ment. The fat woman with the market