Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-02-26

rhe borrowed Baby.
"Please mann, I've come to bor-
row the baby ="
The speaker was rosy checked
girl who lived with the family
across the way. 1t was a regular
nuisance, this lending the baby all
the time. She did not seem to be-
long to US at all, any more. ! sup
pose we were all a little jealous, be-
cause she really did love these new
/ people so much, and they took so
much pains with teaching her1ilile
cunning ways aud pretty sayings I;
and ! must say were most iudiciOus,
never giving her sweet things to
make her sick, or letting her take
cold. So, for the hundredth time !
rolled little Dudu up and kissing
| her good bye, sent her of 60 act her
part as borrowed baby.
When John came home 10 dinner
ana found the baby gone again he
was just as angry as could be.
"Why can't they get "a baby Of
their own, and not always be bOr-
rowing ours" he said Grossly.
"They could go over TO the asylum
and take their pick Of babies"
"But not like ours, John" said
quickly.
"Well, no, of course not but /
don't propose to have strangers gO-
ing halves with our baby. Besides
/ won't have them teaching that
child any more nonsense Oi the re-
ligi0us sort, and they may as well
know it; when they bring her back
this time you may rs well settle IL
once for all"
forgot to say that John and
were both free-thinkers, and did
not 60 to church or subscribe TO any
of the religious beliefs TO which we
had been educated. We had both
graduated ia brilliant intellectual
school, utterly devoid OF the fool
ish superstitions OF any religious
faith, and we intended 10 bring up
our child in the same severely NOR
al atmosphere. 1t did not once Oc-
eur to us that ours was the strength
of youth and presumption, or that
our ignorence could pull down in a
day what knowledge had been n
thousand years building. We felt
that we were sufficient TO ourselves,
and our child.
The baby came home. She was
nearly two years old, but, afterall
only a baby, as took her from the
girl | said:
ave won't be able To lend the
baby any more, Mary; her papa and
] don't think it a good plan, aud we
can not possibly do without her; the
house is too lonely. Tell your mis-
tress so, with my compliments"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, said the girl,
because we all love little Dudu SO
much, and she's real sweet. She can
sing Jesus Loves Me- all through,
and not miss a word"
Superstition" | exclaimed am
grily. "Tell your mistress for me
that do not wish my child to learn
those senseless hymns. | do not be-
ieve i'm them, nor do intend that
she SHALL"
"N-o-t believe them,n gasped
he girl. "Why, you amt a heathen
De you?"
| dismissed her curtly, aud when
John came home ] told him of the
message / had sent.
"That is right, little woman! i
guess we know enough To take care
IF this little woman, hey, wee Will
lie Winkie, don't we?"
Somehow Just then an old forgot
en- text flashed into my mind, "Aiy
race is sufficient for thee" aud it
an up and down the gamut Of my
mind all the evening. When put
)udu to bed i noticed that her
lands were hot and her eyes seemed
leavy. There was lots of dipthcria
n the place, but she had not been
exposed to ii in any possible man
er, our neighbors who borrowed
he baby being as afraid OF il as we
we're, for that was why no baby was
d their home.
oh, that dreadful time, j cannot
ecall 1t now-the days--hardly
lore than "A day-of anguish; the
wful suffering and the end, the
arched lips and the fever-bright
yes-the awful realism OF death,
nd not one hope, one word of COM
)rt, only the cruel, dreary, unlight-
d grave, that yawned for our dar-
ing
JUST dl the ltSl liltIc WIS II iiO-
lent's peace. Ii was not on us that
er last look fell. We turned to see
tho or what she saw, and there
.oOd our neighbor over the way,
'hom she, at last, sweet darling,
ad loved as herself, and then she
fled the weary little hands, ana
lad look of recognition was in the
ice, and we all heard the last brok-
n words as they fell in awful dis
nctness from the baby lips: : "De-
IS loves me. dis i know"
Yes, they sung il at her funeral,
,r we buried her with no heather
ties, and some good man prclaced
few cOnsoling words with the text,
My grace j. sufficient for thee,n
ut oh! the tender melody of the
mild voices that sung above her;
'Iesus loves me, this know,
For the Bible tells me 80;
Little ones 20 him belong,
We are weak, but he Is strong"
And when it was all over and
nly the memory remained Of so
lUch beauty and sweetness, and
lr hearts were going back to the
ust and ashes Of unbelief, our good
eighhoP came like an evangelist,