Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-05-04
The Borrowed Baby.
please ma'am, I've come to borrow

the baby
The speaker was a rosy-cheeked girl
who liyed with the family across the
way. It was a regular nuisance, this
lending the baby all the time. She did
not seem to belong to us at all, any
mora. I suppose we were all little
Jealous, because she did love these new
people so much, and they took so much
pains with her, teaching her little cum
ming ways and pretty sayings and
must say they were most judicious,
meyer giving her sweet things to make
her sick, or lotting her take cold. So,
for the huadreth time, 1 rolled little
Dudu up and kissed her good-by, sent
her of to act her part as a borrowed
baby.
When John came home to dinner
and found the baby gone again he was
just a angry as could be.
Why can't they get a baby Of their
own, and not always be borrowing
ours!' he said Grossly. They could
go over TO the asylum and take their
pick Of babies
But not like ours, John,' 1 said
quickly.
We'll, no, Of course, but l don't pro-
pose to have strangers gong halves
with our baby. Besides l won't have
them teaching that child any more non
sense of the religious sort, and they
may as well know it; when they bring
her back this time You may as well
settle ii up once for allv
forgot to say Johd aud l were both
free thinkers, and did not 60 TO church
or subscribe to any of the religious be-
lefs 10 which we had been educated.
We had both graduated IN a brilliant
intellectual school, utterly devoid Of
Che foolish superstltions of any religi-
ons faith, and we intend to bring up our
children in the same severely moral
atmosphere. 1t did not once occur to
US that ours was the strength of youth
and presumption, or that our ignorance
could pull down in day what know
ledge had been a thousand years build
log. We felt we were sufficient to our
selves and to our child
The baby came home. She was
nearly three years old, but, after all.
only baby, and, as 1 took her fro m
the girl | said:
We won't be able to lend the baby
any more, Mary, her papa andI both
think 1t isn't good plan, and we can
not possibly do without her; the house
IS too lonely. Tell your mistress so,
with my compliments
Pm sorry, ma'am,' said the girl.
because we all loves little Dudu so
much. and she's real sweet. She can
sing Jesus Loves Me- all through, and
not miss a word
Superstitiouv exclaimed angrilY.
Tell your mistress for me that do not
wish my child to learn those senseless
hymns. 1 do not believe 10 them. nor
do | intend that she SHALL
Not b-e-l-i-e-v-e them!' gasped
the girl, why, you heathern, be
youY
1 dismissed her cur fly, and when
John came home told him the message
| had sent.
That is right, little woman I guess
we know enough to take cge Of this
little blossom. Hey, wee Willie VIM
kie, don'twe?'
Somehow Just then an old forgotten
text flashed into my mind, Ny grace is
sufficient for thee, aud it ran up and
down the garreL of my thought all that
evening. When l put Dudu to bed
notlced that her hands were hot, and
her eyes seemed heavy. There was
lots of diphtheria in the place, but she
had not been exposed to it in any posSl-
ble manner, our neighbors who Dor
lrosed the baby beng as afraid Of it as
we were, for that was why no baby
was in their, home.
Oh. that dreadful time! cannon
recall it uow-the dlys-hardlY more
than a day-of anguish; the awful
suffering and the end, the parched lips
and the fever.bright eyes-.he awful
realism of death, and not one hope, on
word of comfort, only the cruel, dreary
unllghted grave that yawned Tor our
darling!
Just at the last there was moments
neace. 1t was not on us that her ias'
look fell. We turned to see who o.
what she saw, and there stood ou
neighbor over the way, whom she a
least. sweet darling. had loved as her.
self and then she lifted the weary lit
} tie hands, aud glad look OF recognl-
ton was in the wan face, aud VIC al
heard the words as they fell in awfu
dslnctness from the baby lips:
'Desus loves me-dis know"
Yes, they sang it at her funerai' 10
we buried her with no heathern rites
and some good man preiaced Ie"
consolisg words with the text M
I Grace is sufficient for thee;' but, Oh
the tender melody OF the child voice
} that sang above her:
"Jesrs loves me this know
, For the Plble tells rue 50,
Little ones to him belong
We are weak but He is strong"
Aud when it was all over, and onl
= the memory remained of so much beau
.o., ond our hearts Wer