The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-11-22
THE Baby Walks"

l received very important letter
this week. 1t contained the announce
mept that 1.-THE baby walks" 1t is
with 40 desire to pun that l say this
is q great step forward for the baby.
OF course this event has not been en-
tirely unexpected in our family. I
have been looking every day for the
news for some time past. Our baby
has been remarkable baby from the
very Arst, and large number of his
immediate relatives have been waiting
with bated breath for the tidings that
his long journey had commenced. The
particulars of the auspicious event are
not to hand, but can see in my minds
eye just how the wonderful occurrence
took place. The baby is out in the
country staying with his ''sisters and
his cousins and his aunts," and sup
pose if they had been near enough to a
telegraph office they would have sent
me dispatch about the supreme event.
Although the baby's fat legs are ridicu-
lousy sturdy, he has had all along
great diffidsnce in trusting to them.
Now, last Sunday held and still main
tain that the baby took one distinct
step towards his devoted father. The
news vas incredulously received as be-
ing too good to be true, and the whole
family, from his grandmother to the
kitchen girl. collected around to sec if
he would take another, but the little
rascal seemed TO think it the biggest
kind of . joke to bring his fathers rep
utatiop for verscity into question by
laughing and holding onto chair, but
refusing all the while to move away
from it. 1t vas all in vain that 1 held
out my hands and all the endearing in
ducemsnts ! 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 clipched his pudgy hand around
my finger you'd he let 90 the chair.
Once had enticed him in this manner
to quit the chair, and then suddenly
Withdrew my hands from his, leaving
him standing alone. He hovered mo-
ment in vavering indecision and then
instead of stepping forward sat en-
phatically down and resumed his fa-
vorite style of locomotion. He never
crept as an ordinary baby would have
done, bQt sort of hitched along. He
would sit down, and, putting hand
the other, his fat little body swaying
this way and that would hitch along
with his little dumplings of feet ahead
OF him like railway cowcatcher, and
in this way he moved over the floor in
a sitting posture at Q speed that was
wonderful. Practice had made him so
perfect at this sort of movement that
he evidently came to look on walking
as sn ornamental superfuity. 1t was
most comical to see him forge ahead,
as the boat racers call it, with both
hands full, holding them up from the
floor and sVaying 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 helplessly over on the
carpet. These accidents shook his con-
tidence for the time being in the stabil-
ity of things, but happily a baby's
memory is as short as q baby, and the
perils of pedestrianism were braved
again and again. Often the poor little
fellow looked like battle-scarred vet
eran after his tumbles, but it is lucky
thing that babies are exceedingly elas-
tic, otherwise the population of this
country would not be as great as it is
now. Anyhow, another competitor has
entered into the great walking match:
1.-The baby walks. Lake Sharp in De-
troit Free Press.