The Red Cloud chief., 1881-01-13

NEVER could see the use OF babies.
We have one at our house hat belongs
10 mother and she thinks everything oi
IL. I can't see anything wonderful abou;
IL. All IL can do Is to cry and pull hai'
and kick. II hasn't half the sense oil
nv dog. and Il can't even chase = cat.
Mother and Sue wouldn't have a dog in
the house. but they are always going
on about the baby and saying ''ain't il
perfectly SWEET
The worst thing about Q baby il that
you're expected TO take care OF him,
and then you get scoldel afterward.
Folks say Here Jimmy. Just hold the
5aby a minute. that's n good boy" and
then a soon as you have got IL they say
Don't do that my goodness gracious
the boy will Kill the child hold il up
straight you good-for- nothing little
wretch" II is pretty hard to do your
best aud then be scolded for 1t, but
that's the way boys are treated. Per-
haps after I'm dead folks will wish they
had done differently.
Last Saturday mother and Sue went
out 10 make calls and told me 10 stay
home and take care OF the baby. There
was a baseball match. but what did
they care? They didn't want 10 GO TO
il, and so II made no difference whether
/ went TO it or o They said they
would be gone only a little while. and
that If the baby walked up l was to play
with il and keep it from crying and be
sure you don't let il swallow any pins.
OF course. | had To do il. The baby
was sound asleep when they went out,
so | left it just for n few minutes while
l went TO see i! there WAS any pie in the
pantry. II was a woman l wouldn't
DC so ~dreadiully suspicious as TO keep
everything locked up. When | got back
up stairs again the baby was awake and
was bowling like he was full of pins. So
] gave him the first thing that came
handy to keep him quiet. II happened
TO be n bottle of French polish with a
sponge in il on the end Of a wire that
Sue uses to black her shoes, because
girls are too lazy to use a regular black
ing-brush.
The baby stopped crying as soon as l
gave him the bottle and / sat down 10
read the Young People. The next time
| looked at him he'd got out the sponge
and about hale his face was jet black.
This was a nee TX, for knew nothing
could get the black on his face, and
when mother came home she would say
the baby was spoiled and | had done il.
Now think an all black baby is ever
so much more stylish than an all-white
baby, and when l saw the baby was part
black | made up my mind that if l
BACKED it all over it would be worth
more than it ever had been, and per-
haps mother would be ever SO much
pleased. So | hurried up and gave it a
good coat of black. You should have
seer how that baby shined. The polish
dried just as oon as it was put on, and
1 had just time to get the baby dressed
again when mother and Sue came in.
| wouldn't lower myself to repeat
their unkind language. When you've
been called a numbering little villain
and an unnatural son it will wrinkle in
your heart for ages. After what they
said to me | didn't even seem to mind
about father, but went up stairs with
him almost as il | was going to church
or something that wouldn't hurt much.
The baby is beautiful and shiny,
though the doctor saws il will wear Oft
in a few years. Nobody shows any
gratitude for all the trouble | took, and
! can tell you it isn't easy to black a
baby without getting it into his eyes
and hair. l sometimes think that it is
hardly worth while 10 live in this cold
and unfeeling world.-''Jimmy BrOWn,"
in Harper'S loaHg People.