The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1878-10-03
How Man Takes Care of His Baby.

In spite of all the statements to the
there are men who take care
of their children. They are the kindest
and best husbands in the world. They
do not wish to see their wives OveTbur-
dened with care and. worry, and they
intend to help them a great deal, and
actually do. Yet it cannot be denied,
that their opinion concerning the value
of their services and their wives Opln-
ion on the same subject do not exactly
coincide. One Of these good husbands
will help dress the children for break
fast, and speak Of it with a grandly
virtuous air, while the fact IS that he
only washed the face Of one while his
wife washed and dressed the other three.
He helps get the children ready for
church that is, he buttons up Dicks
boots, and helps Jenny put on her gloves
after he has leisuTely and comfortably
dressed himself while his wife ties
sashes, and hunts up odd gloves, and
nuts on collars, and cuTls one chlld'S
hair and washes anOther's hands, and IN
the intervals "does up" her own hair,
and saves the baby from the razor, and
Jenny's best bonnet from the baby. He
stands patiently (?) in the hall as the
bell begins to toll, and mildly calls, 1t
is getting late, Maria" Which fact
Maria knows as well as he does, for her
hands are trembling so with nervousness
and haste that she hardly put single
pin in its right place. Just as the last
strokes Of the bell are sounding, they
hurry off to church, losing entirely the
calming influence which comes from a
lcisurelv walk on @ fine Sunday morning.
He takes the opportunity to remark,
with but q shade of TeprOOf IN his gentle
tones, "I can't understand why 1t takes
YOU so long to get ready. 1t really does
Eeem as if, with as much as l do to help
YOU. we need not be obliged to hurry so
at the last minute. ] don't like to see
YOU 90 up the aisle with your face as red
as a lObster,"-whiCh, Of course, IS very
soothing to MaTia's iTTitated nerves.
The father cares for the baby at night
in very much the same fashion. The
mother has lifted the child into her own
bed, and back into its cradle again, IN
the vain hope that in one place or the
other he will 90 to sleep, has brought
"drinks of water" for him, rocked the
cradle and sung to its uneasy occupant
softly and sleepilv fol an hour, till fin
allv she thinks that If she Is to be IN
this Senj-dmpHibiOlS state, half out OF
bed and half in, the air from the open
window is too cool for her. She knows
| if she tries to shut it herself the little
tvrant will instantly miss her presence
and be ten times wider awake than
ever, and all the hours singing and rock,
| ing will be labor lost. So, with much
regret, she softly asks John to get VI
and close the window. He has lain re-
markably still and breathed rather heay'
! ilv. and is somewhat difficult to arouse
| for a man who afterWard declares be
was wide awake ali the time. But like
/ the GOOD husband that he is, he cheer
kflllv closes the window, and gets an eX'
! ira blanket for the baby, and pleasantly
! asks as he settles down into the pillows
-aoaiD. "What makes the baby so uneasy
t0-night?" He manifests a strange IN
! difference to his wife's reply, and II
! fact nothing more is heard from him til
morning, while his wife sleeplly anC
painfully works away for an hou
! longer. But at breakfast, with VIVA
calm complacency does he speak OF thu
trouble the baby made US last night
with an "us" fairly editorial IN It's com
prehensiveness. The next night he gOe
into a room by himself to sleep. Ht
Hcan't stand it to have his rest broker
so." but adds generously, "Pll take car
of him the next night" And so h
/ does till about twelve o'clock, when tn
baby wakes and cries. For ten minute
he tries faithfully to get him to sleel
again. and then ANONYMOUSLY retreat
and calls for mamma"