The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-05-24
WANTED-A BABY.

$50 they've company over at Still
on's?'
"Yes, and come to stay, too, though
she didn' bring much wardrobe to speak
of"
''She! Then it's girl; that'sa pity"
II don't know why. Do you believ1
with the Chinese that woman need
only be known as the mother of a son
that being distinction enoughP"
''It's a pity, anyway; there's too
many children in the world as it is.
There's trouble enough without them
and its precious little comfort they
are. But they that dance will have
to pay the piper. Stop that singing,
Faithr'
you haven't paid him very WELL"
said sister Ruth, with a queer motion
of the muscles of the face that was
meant to be smile. That poor, little
scrawny Faith looks as if she'd been
grudged her life ever since she had it."
Faiths all right said her mother,
severely; lit takes a good bit of money
and great grace to bring up one child
well. | haven't so much money, but l
do hope have the other
''Humph,' grunted her sister; hope
you have. You keep everybody on the
rack, goodness knows. 1t may be a
treat to have only one child, but L d rath-
er have Dozen What was it Faith told
the minister when he asked her if she
was an only child9'
''She answered no, and when / asked
her why she told such a lie, she said sne
didn't want him to think we were so
poor that we could only have one child,
and that a poor, little sickly one. |
whipped her, and l think she saw how
sinful she had been"
'Felt, you mean; but about this baby
over at Stilison's. We ought to do
something for them, Patience; they are
poor and have nine children-just the
number John Rodgers had"
You mistake, Ruth; John Rodgers
had ten-one at the breast No, don't
see my way clear to help those people.
l don't feel like encouraging such-such
-shiftlessness.
''But the baby's here, and as 1 said
come to stay! Do send it some of Faiths
baby y-dresses-the ones | made"
While this conversation was going on
in the spick-and-span living room at
Deacon Upham's thrifty house, the two
women-Mrs. Upham and her sister
Ruth were by no means idle; it was
part of their -eligion to work themselves
and make everybody else work. Poor
little pale, frightened-looking Faith in
plain. ugly dress and high-necked apron
was cutting carpet rags, and her little
sensitive heart was filled with intense
rage and bitterness over the fact-she
wanted to play-to 60 and see the new
baby--to do something nice and wicked,
like looking down into the cool, deep
well to see her own face, or climbing
the straw-stack because she was forbid
den to do so. But she went on sewing
the carpet-rags with hatred in her little
heart.
Over at Stillson's there was jubilee.
The new baby, fat as a roll of butter,
lay on a cushion in the Boston rocker,
and all the family, and the cat and the
dog, went and looked at it. The father
held the old baby in his arms, and said
to him in tone that inspired respect
and affection:
Your nose is broken, my lad"
Then the next Oldest felt of that men,
Der, much to the old baby's annoyance,
and said:
"Taint never; an wese dot a new
baby all de way from Dod."
0We'n call her Helen" said tie
father; II had 8 sweetheart of that
name once.
.'Sho; it was only mother; she don't
count" said the tall boy; "call her
Rasalie"
Deed no. "cried sturdy King David,
edging in. This baby's white; call her
Faith"
But there was chorus of laughter at
King David, who hung his flushed face
and looked sheepish.
Cali her anything you like. but don't
call her too late for supper" said the
jolly father, trying to insert one brown
finger into the baby's rosebud fist, and
then there was a rap at the door, and
there stood Ruth Dempster, Mrs. Up
hams sister, All the family turned to
look at the visitor and to show with
pride the new baby. They were happy
and disorderly, and the dinner table
was not cleaned off, but the children,
clinging about the great strong father
with bright, happy faces, made such a
picture in contrast to poor little Faith,
that the descendant of good old Puri-
tan stock, began to think chat perhaps
after all the Lord tcds responsible for it.
She never once dared to allude to the
little. scrimpy dresses in the bundle.
The new baby had one of the old baby's
dresses on, and it was mile too big, but
it fitted better than these narrow things
would. She staid longer than she in
tended, listening to the children, the bah
BILE of unrestrained intercourse in the
family. They even dared to stop their
elder sister and take bits out of the dish
she carried. In place of leaving a
bundle, she proposed to take one with