The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-11-22
'sThe Baby Walks"
~y- D:A M u .~s

Luke Sharp IN Detroit Free PriSs.
received very important letter
this week. It contained the announce
nent that "the baby walks" 1t is with
no desire to pun that say that this is a
gre 1t step forward for the baby.
Of course this event has not been en-
tirely unexpected in our family. l
have been looking every day for the
news for some timeapast. Our baby has
been remarkable baby from the FIRST,
and large mum er of; his. immediate
relatives have been waiting with bated
breath for the tidings that his long jnur-
ney had commenced. The particulars
of this suspicious event are not at hand
but can see ia my minds eye just how
the wonderful occurrence took place.
The baby is out in this country staying
with his SISTERS and his cousins and
his aunts," and [ suppose if they had
been near enough to teles raph Office
they would have sent me dis
patch about the supreme event. Al.
though the baby's fat legs are ridlcH-
Iously sturdy. he has had all along a
great diffidence in trusting to them.
Now, last Sunday l held and still mann
tain that the haby took one distinct
step towards his devoted father. The
news wes ,incTedulously received as be-
ing too good, tosbe true, and the whole
amily from hts grandmother to the
kitchen girl, collected around to see if
he would take another, but the little ras-
cal seemed to think it was the biggest
kind Of joke to bring his father g rep
utation for veracity into question by
laughing and holding on to q chair, but
rolf oil fho 1,hi IN
from it. 1t was all in vain that I held
out my hands and all the endearing in
ducements could to get him to take the
necessary steps to come to me. He would
keep one hand on the chair and reach
out with the other; but not until he had
clenched his pudgy hand around my I'm
ger wonld he let 20 the chair. Once I
had enticed him in this manper to quit the
chair and then suddenly withdrew my
hands from his, leaving him standing
alone. He lowered moment in waver
ing inde cision, and then instead of step
ping forward sat emphatlcally down and
resumed his favorite style oflocomotion.
He never crept as an ordinary baby
would have done, but sort of hitched
along. He would sit down, and, putting
hand now on one side OF him and
again on the other, his fat little body
SWdyltlG CllS way auu Ctldt, WOuAO AllCa
along with his little dumplings of feet
ahead f him, like a railway cowcat her,
and in this way he moved over the floor
in sitting posture at speed taat was
wonderful. Practice had made him so
perfect at this sort Of movement that he
evidently came to look on walking as an
ornamental superfuity. 1t was almost
comical to See him forge ahead, as the
boat racers call it, with both hands full.
holding them up from the floor and
sWaying forward without any help from
them. He occasionally TOOK TO his feet,
and with breathless haste would work
his way along the wall in hand over:
hand fashion until getting too elated at
his new excitement, would upset and
roll hel plessly over on the car set: These
accidents shook his confidence for the
time being in the stability of things, but
happily baby's memory is short as
baby, and the perils Of professionalism
were braved again and again. Often the
poor little fellow looked like a battle
scared veteran after his tumbles. but it
is lucky thing that babies are exceed
inely elastic, otherwise the population
of the country would not be as great as
it lie now. Anyhow, another competitor
has entered into the great walking
match: "The baby walks" ''--