Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-12
THE BUsTLlNe. AFFEcTToNATE, LITTLE
AMERICAN WOMAN.

There was little woman on board with
a little baby; and both little woman and
little child were cheerful, good looking,
bright-eyed, and fair to see. The little
woman lad been passing a long time with
her sick mother in New York, and had left
her home in st. Louis in that condition in
which ladies who truly love their lords de.
sire to be. The baby was born in her
mothers house, and she had not seen her
husband Ito whom she was now returning)
for twelve months. having left him month
or two after their marriage. Well, to be
sure. there never was little woman so full
of hope, and tenderness, and love- and anxi.
ETY., as this little woman was; and all day
long she wondered whether he would be
at the wharf and whether he had got
her letter; and whether, if she sent the
baby ashore by somebody else, she would
know it, meeting it in the street; which,
seeing that he had never set eyes upon it In
his life, was not very likely in the abstract,
but was probable enough to the young
mother. She was such an artless little
creature, and was in such sunny, BEAM
ing. hopeful state, and let out all this
matter clinging close about her heart so
freely. that all the other lady passen.
gers entered into the spirit of it as much
as she: and the Captain (who heard
all about it from his wife) was wondrously
sly, promise you, inquiring every time
we met at table, as if in forgetfulness,
whether she expected anybody to meet her
at st. Louis, and whether she would want
to 90 ashore the night we reached it tbut
he supposed she wouldn't), and cutting
MANY other dry Jokes of that nature.
There was one little weazen dried, apple
faced old woman, who took occasion to
doubt the constancy of husbands in such
circumstances of bereavement and there
was another lady with lapdog), old
enough to moralize on the ightness OF
human affections, and yet not SO old that
she could help nursing the baby now and
then. or laughing with the rest when the
little woman called it by its fathers name,
and asked it all manner of fantastic ques-
tions concerning him, in the joy Of her heart.
It was something of blow to the little
woman. that when we were within twenty
miles of our destination it became clear
" necessary TO pat this baby to bed.
But she got over it with the same good
hunor. tied handkerchief round her
head. and came out into the little gal
lery with the rest. Then, such an oracle
as she became In reference to the locali-
tiles and such facetiousness as was dis
played by the married ladies, and such
sympathy as was shown by the single ones,
and such peals of laughter as the little
woman herself (who would just as soon
have criedl greeted every jest with At
last there were the lights of st. Louis, and
here was the wharf, and those were the
steps and the little woman. covering her
face with her hands, and laughing Tor SEEM
ing to laugh more than ever, ran into her
own cabin and shut herself up. have no
doubt that IN the charming inconsistency
of such excitement, she stopped her ears.
lest she should hear him asking for her
but did not see her do it. Then great
crowd Of people rushed on board, though