Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-06-20
ssrhe mans a fool. "

the OBSTRUCTION 1t could In lne way ol
further proceedings by alternately
Strengthening itself out into an alb
normal condition of such appalling
rgidity, that Thumbledirk was OBJ
liged to hold its head tightly in one
hand and its heels in the other, and
then suddenly doubling itself up into
SO small knot that the poor man
had to hold his two hands close to-
gether, like a bowl, and hold the
baby as he would hold pint of sand,
and thesG TRANSACTION from the one
extreme to the other were made with
such startling rapidity and appalling
silddenness, that Thumbledirk had to
be constantly on the alert, and his
arms ached so, and he exhibited such
signs of fatigue and distress that the
depot-policeman looked in to say to
hi N that if we was tired out, he would
send in a section-hand or the steam
shovel to give HIM spell.
1t seemed to Thumbledirk that he
never heard SO much noise come from
SO small baby in his life. The more
he turned it around and tossed it
about the more its cloak and dress,
and skirts and things became entang-
led around its neck, and now and
then the mass of drapery would get
over the baby's face and stife its
cries for a second, but the noise would
come out stronger thar ever when the
tossing little hands would tear away
the obstruction. And the louder the
baby screamed the faster the vigorous,
fat legs flew, kicking in every direc-
ton, like crazy tiy-wheels with the
rim Off. Sometimes T'humbledirk
made as high as hundred and eighty
grabs minute at those legs and never
one of them. He was ~
and blind as@wf1d with terror an(
confusion. Once he tried to sing tt
the baby, but when he quavered ou
n "Hootchy, pootchy, puddin' ano
pie, the women laughed, all but th'
gloomy woman who talked bass-sh,
snifiled, and he stopped. He gave
the baby his pcarl-handled knife, ant
the innocent threw it into the stove
lie gave it his gold watch and it dash
ed it on the floor. He gave it hi
emerald scart-pin, and the baby put i
into its mouth. ........
The pretty woman screamed.
The sad woman in the bombazin,
shrieked.
The Angular woman in the sun-bon
net yelled, "Oh, meIcy on us -
The fat woman with the market
basket called out wildly for a doe
tor.
The gloomy woman who talked bass
shouted hoarsely.
''He's killed it,
And Thnmbledirk hooked his finger
into The child's mouth Ind choked il
unul its face was purple and black
to find that pin. And Thublecirk
couldn't hear even the cLattering wo'
men. 1t beat the air with its clinch
ed fists, and thrashed and kicked
with its fat bare legs, and walled and
howled and choked and screamed and
doubled up and Strengthened out unit
'rhumbledirk, steeling his nerves tc
the awful effort, clasped the scream
ing baby in his arms and rose to his
feet.
He was going to go out and throw
himself and baby under the first train
that came along. ,....a
The baby's mother sprang il
through the door like an angel oI
mercy. ...... ., -s
she took the baby in her arms and
with one slig hit motion of one hand,
had its raiment Strengthened out sc
exquisitely soomth there wasn't a
wrinkle in it. ...s... ....,s .5...
The baby lay in her arms as placid
quiet. flexible, graceful and contented
as dream of Paradise.
The mother thanked Thumbledirl
for the agony and torture he had en-
dured so patiently for her. This was
the way she thanked him. She die
not look at him. She looked straigh
ont of the window with stony glare
and said. in tones that made the ther
mcmeter shiyer. r
s'Mr. Thumbiedirk isn't very
good nurse, is he, baby?'
All the women smiled, except thu
gloomy woman who talked bass. She
nodded approvingly. :
The baby looked up Into Tumble
dirk's face and laughed aloud. 4
What Thumbledirk said when h
dashed in at the sanctum last evenin,
was this:
sfBy the iavenging daughters Q
Night, the everlasting, snake-hairet
Erynnes, the terror-haunted shade
never knew the horrors that haunt tn
soul of sensible single man tina
tries to take care OF. some other fool
bowling, squalling, squirming baby!'
Soliloquy by three-year-old Fred
die: 81 don't want to be cherut
anyway. Cherubs are little boys with
out any bodies or legs to them-noth
ing but little wings right back Of thei
ears. They can't have mustard plas