The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-04-12

Only borrowed.

r
"Please. ma'am, I've come to borrow
the baby ?"
The speaker was rosy checked girl |
who lived with the family across the |
way 1t was regular nuisance, this
lending the baby all the time. She did |
not seem to belong to US, at all, any
more I suppose we were all a little
Jealous, because she really did love these
new people so much, and they took so
much pains with her, teaching her little
cunning ways and pretty savings; and |
must say they were most judicious, new
Ter giving her sweet things to make her
|sick, or letting her take cold. So for
the hundreth, time, rolled little Dudu
up and kissing her good bye, sent her
off to act her part as borrowed baby.
When John came home to dinner and
found the baby gone again he was just
as angryias could be. i--, aff&4
"Why can't they geta baby OF their
ow3, and not always be borrowing
ours" he said, Grossly. srhey could
go over to the Asylum aud take their
| pick Of babies"
"But not like ours, John," I said,
quickly. ~.
swell, no, of course not; but don't
propose to have strangers going halves
with our baby. Besides I won't have
them teaching that child any more pom
sense OF the religious sort, and they
may as well know it; when they bring
her back this time you may as well set
| tie it up once for all"
forgot to say that John and I were
both free thinkers and did not 60 to
|church or subscribe to any of the relig-
ious beliefs to which we had baen edu-
Gated. We had eboth graduated in a
brilliant intellectual school, utterly de-
void of the foolish snperstitions of any
religious faith, and we intended to bring
our child up iu 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 ina dav what knowl-
edge had been a thousand years in bull
ding. We felt that We were sufficient to
ourselves, and to our child.
! The baby came home. She was nearly
three years old,. but. after ALL only a
baby, and as took her from the girl
said ~ yessss
"We won't be abe to lend the baby
anv more, Mary; her papa and botu
think it isn't a COOL plan, and we can
not possibly do without her. the house
is too lonely; Tell your mistress so
with nv compliments.
! "I'm sorry, ma am" said the girl,
Ybecause we all love little Dudu so much
and she's real sweet. She can sing
Jesus Loves Me- all through, and moi
miss word.'
"Superstition!" I exclaimed, angrily,
"tell your mistress for me that LIDO mol
wish my child to learn those senseless
HYMNS. / DO not believe them, nor do
! / intend that she shall.''
I "N-,-t h-e-l-i.e-v-e them," gasped the
iglrl. why, you aia't heathen, be
you ?"
| l dismissed her curtlv, and when John
came home told him Of the message
hal sent
/ "Thatis right, little woman! | guess
we know enough to take care Of this lit
| tie blossom, hey wee Willie Winkie,
don't we ?"
Somehow just then an old forgotten
text flashed through my mind. "My
grace is sufficient for thee," aud it ran
up and down the garret of my thought
| all the evening. When I put Dudu to
bed ,ticed that her hands we're hot
land her ewes seemed heavy. There wa:
lots Of diphtheria in the place, but she
had not been, exposed to it in any pos
sible manner, our neighbors wso bot
rOwed the baby being as afraid of it as
we were, for that was why, no baby wa.
in their home Oh, that dreadful time
| cannot recall it now-the days-hardly
more than dav-of anguish; thai
awful suffering anil the end, the .parcbei
lips and the fever bright eyes-the awfn
realism of death, and not one hope. or.
word Of comfort, only the cruel, drearv
unlighted grave that yawnet for ou
darling. 3
Just at the last there was moment:
peace 1t was not on us that her Las
; look fell. We turned to see who o.
what she saw, and there stood our neigh
hor over the way, whom she, at leas,
sweet darling, loved as herself. and ther
. II h. .ttIo q
glad look Of recognition was in the wa
face, aad we all heard the last broker
words as they fell ,in2sawfql gdistinctnes
from the baby lips; sDesus loves me
dis I know, qU ,se3. Mgais. - 81
Yes, they sang it at her funeral, 70
we buried her with no heather rites, an
some good man. prefaced few consc
ling words with the text: "My grace /
: sufficient for thee hut oh! the tende
= melody OF the child voices that sun,
above her:
'Jesus loves me this know,
:, For the Bible { ia me so;
a Little ones to Him belong.
u We are weak but He Is strong"
o And when it was all over, and onl
the memory remained of so much bea 1t
. and sweetness, and nur hearts were gc
q ing hack to the dust and ashes OF unbe
l lief, our good neighbour came like a
y evangelist, and giving US OF her ow
o brave Christian strength, gained a. tn
e foot of the cross, said wisely. 'Be cor
ie tent: G ID has Only borrowed the baby
Detroit Free Press
n Grateful Women.
e. None receive so much benefit, an
none are go profoundly grateful an
= show such an interest in recommendin
l. Hop Bit,ers as women. 1t is the onl