The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-03-17


"Please, ma'am, I've come to borrow
the babyW
The speaker was a rosy.cheeked girl
who.lived with the family across the way
1t was a regular nuisance, this lending the
baby all the time, She did not seen
to belong to us, at all, any more. sup
pose we were all little Jealous, because
she really did love these new people &C
much, and they took so much pains with
her, teaching her little cunning ways and
pretty sayings; and l must say they were
most judicious, never giving her swee
things TO make her sick, or letting hel
take cold, So, for the hundreth time,
rolled little Dudu up, and kissing hel
goodbye, sent her of TO act her part as q
borrowed baby.
When John came home to dinner and
found the baby gone again he was Just aa
angry as could be.
"Why can't they get baby OF Their
own, and not always be borrowing ours?'
be said, Grossly. "They could 20 over 10
tho Asylum and take their pick Of ba'
bies."
"But not like ours, John" said quick.
"well, no, OF courpe not; but don't
propose to have strangers going halves
with our baby. Besides l won't have
them theachlng that child any more non.
sense OF the religious sort, and they mpy
as well know 1t; when they bring her back
this time you may as well settle itup once
for ALL"
forgot to say that John and were
both iree.thinkers and did not 90 TO church
or subscribe to any Of the religious beliefs
IN which we had been educated. We had
both graduated in o brilliant intellectual
school, utterly devoid OF the foolish SUI.
perstitions Of any religious faith, and we
intended to bring up our child in the same
severely moral atmosphere. It did not
once occur to usthat ours was the strength
Of youth and presumption, or that our ig'
noranCe could pull down In q day what
knowledge had been thousand years
building. We felt that we were sufficient
to ourselves, and our child.
The baby came home. She was nearly
three years old, but, alter all, only baby,
and as took her from the girl l said:
1--WE won't be able 10 lend the baby
any more, Mary; her papa and l both
think II isn't good plan, and we can.
not possibly do without herr the house Is
too lonely. Tell your mistress 80 with my
compliments"
"l'm sorry, ma'am," said the girl, "be.
cause we all loves little Dudu 90 much,
and she's real sweet. She can sing Jesus
Loves Me- oil through, and not miss q
word"
"superstitionl" / exclaimed, angrily,
''tell your mistress for me that l do not
wish my child to learn those senseIeSs
hymns. do not believe them, nor do l
intend that she shall"
"N.o.t believe Them" gasped the girl.
"Why, you amt heather, be your"
l dismissed her CURLY, and when John
came home told him Of the message l had
sent.
"That 10 right, little woman! guess
we know enough to take care Of this little
blossom, hey wee Willie Winkie, don't
we2"
"Somehow just then an old forgotten
text flashed through my mind, my grace
Ia sufficient for thee" and It ran up and
down the garrett OF my thought, all the
evening. When put Dudu to bed no.
ticed that her hands were hot and her
eyes seemed heavy. There was lots oil
dlphtheria In the place, but she had not
been exposed 10 Il In any possible man.
ner, our neighbors who borrowed the
baby being as afraid OF IL as we were, for
that was why no baby was In their home.
Oh, that dreadful time. ! cannot recall
II now--the dsys-hardly more than O
day-of anguish; that awful suffering and
tho end, the parcbed lips and the fever
bright eyes-the awful realism Of death
and not one hope, one word OF comfort,
only the cruel, dreary, tnlighted grave
that yawned for our darlingl
Just at the last there was moments
peace. II was not on ts that her last look
fell. We turned 10 see who or what she
saw, and there stood our neighbor oyel
the way, whom che, Of least, sweet dar
ling, loved as herself, and then she lifted
the weary little hands, and glad smile O.
recognition was In tue wan face, and we al
heard the last broken words as they fell ID
awful distinctness from the baby lips
''Desus loves me, dis l know"
Yes, they sang IL at her funeral, for We
buried her with no heather rites, ant
some good man preiaCed q few ConsolinE
words with The text, "My grace is suiIiC
isHt for thee" but oh the tender melody
oil the child voices that sang above her:
,,jesus love, me, thl. know,
| ItllIa anna N Him hAlhn1