Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-06

sIsll cure you,' said Susan, stol.
idly.
They always send them to aims
houses. Susan. You must run right
ont and find one of the seIectmen.'
sS'leci men are all abed this time
Of night, Miss. You'll have to keep
it any way till morning or we'll be
took up for murder. Aud if you
keep it till morning you may as
well keep it always-the dear little
creetur.'
Susan cried her mistress, Il do
believe you're crazy
No more'n you be. Not bit of ill'
cried Susan, with sudden vehe
mence, her little black eyes swapping
like Prince Rupert drops. I'm q
healthy, hard working woman. I've
never married; but I've always
thought I'd Ike to marry q widow
or with baby for tho sake Of the
baby. aia't no opinion of men;
bnt could a-stood him for the sake OF
the baby. And now here's the baby
without the widowerl I call it =
leadin' o. Providence. If You take
it is's all the same to me. as l shan'.
never leave you. But if you won't
Miss, swhy ] can earn enough for its
little bite and sup with my two
hands, and I'll keep it in the kitch-
en-.
i couldn't think of such q thing =
gasped Mise Sophia. Sick, aud old,
and all alone, and the worry and
work and trouble for somebody
else's-'
You just hold it q minute, Miss,
said Susan rolling up some of the
wrappings round it again, 'while /
get q sip Of milk
The top of the milk, Susan, said
Miss Sophia, lifting the tiny weight
to her shoulder like pieco of egg
shell china.
"Yes'm, | know. Ooe-third cream
and two-thirds water. I've had em
on my hands before this"
And When Susan came back, hav i.
ing been gone an ioterminable PEI
Rod, preparing food also for the
night, she found Miss Sophia nod
ding in the big chair, with the bit of
face snugglsd up under her chin.
as if she had always been used to it.
81 gness I'll have it sleep with me
to night, Snsan," said Miss So hia,
after some hesitation.
"All right, NAM"
"Yon don't suppose I'd be likely to
smother it?
"Pooh ! Just wait till blow up
the fire in your stove. This ia what
l call watching the New Year IN to
come purpose. LIS the little New
Year himself!"
And when Miss Sophia went to
sleep. that warm atom on her heart
aud tho velvet cheek against her
own. and woke up in the middle of
night. with the glow of the Ere on
the ceiling, it seemed as if tho room
were full of angels. and that this was
what shs had been waiting for all
her lite.
81 guess, Susan" said MISS S ophia,
as abe came down, with her wiae-
awake little bundle 10 the early New
Years morning. "that we won't do
anything about seeing the selectmen
to-day. It's Nsw Yaar's. you know"
Susan had Just come 10 with pair
of knit shirts in her hand, for which
she had run down TO Miss Thread :
needles. while Dor fires were kind
ling. Jess you say" she replied.
readily. "And, perhaps. when it's
gone to sleep, you'll cut out some it,
tie things for mo to run up ON the
machine. 1t ongh. to have its bath
pretty soon." Aud the scene of that
bath, with therm ometer and hot
blankets, and the two women, swell.
ing with Importance, in mortal ter
ror of pulling the little limbs out of
joint and in ecstacies of admiration
over the perfection Of the miniature
body, the convolutions of the ears,
the transparency of the tiny toes,
the roar of the victim, and the hush
ing between whiles, as the wettipg
and wiping and powdering aud pol.
ishing proceeded by piecemeal, is
som ething that defies description.
Breakfast being over and Miss So
phia sitting by the fire again, with the
dreaming infant on her knees, watch
ing intently certain premoni.ory symp-
toms, she suddenly set up a cry that
made Susan jump. sOh! Susan! Susan!
Oh I! do look here /! she cried. sWhat
can it be p And she threw up her
hands and dropped her knees, as if
the thing squirming on her lap were
a spider and she wished to shake it off.
sLor', man, you'll have it in the
fire nextp cried the learned Susan
SITS wind. They often has it. Here,
this is the way to do and, turning
the small object dcxterously, as if It
were griddle-cake, she had 1t, face
down, on Miss Sophia's knee, with
Miss Sophia vigorously patting its
back.
Il didn't know / had so much
strength, Susan, said Miss Sophia.
Il said 'twould do you good, Miss.
The colic! To think of it! Pain
and trouble the minute it's in the
world-thcre now, there now, the
precious thing-and nobody to love
1.-THE darling, dearest one ? cries
Miss Sophia. ITO think-oh, Susan
oh, Susan it's having a convulsion.
It's black in the face! What shall we
do? What shall we do p
"a CONFUSION A fiddlestick It's
got the hiccups. I'll get it drop oil
sugar and water. There, there, there !.
And presently there was silence, and
then there was rest--rest with the lit.
tie head dropping on one side, and q
sweet sort OF wisdom on the little face.
How they make you love them
when they are going to sleep!' cried
Miss Sophia. IF we don't send this
baby off to the selectmen tomorrow
we never cant
All day long the two women went
and came abo1t that mite. As for
Susan, she could not bear to leave j,
long enough merely to slight hel
work. She stole back twenty times
to take another peep at it, wrapped
to suffocation in its fannels and
every time she found Miss Sophia do.
ing the same thing. There isn't moth.