The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-04-02
Ny Klngling.
sRound whom the enshadowing purple lies
OF babyhoods royal dignitles,
Lay on my neck thy tiny handl
am thine-Esther-to command"
Phlllra Klnnl

we never called mm Fhlllp, alJnougn
that was his name. We Just called
him "Pet'' and "Rose- bud" and "Prec-
ious" and "Baby," or any other sweet
diminutive that our fond and foolish
love for him prompted, and he answered
b them with a sweet trembling OF
his baby lips, and questioning look on
his beautiful serious face.
He was still baby, with heavens
blue in his limpid eyes, and heavens
sunshine on his golden hair, when one
day a rap came to my door, and there
stood o woman without who was
swarthy with the sun Of Egyptian CEN
turies, tall, strong, sinewy, with coarse
black hair and tawny skin, a woman
Stunned and feared as a sorceress-a
gypsy fortune-teller and vagrant.
was about to shut the door In
haste, and exclude her unwelcome face
and form, when the baby gave little
cry as of recognition and held out his
tiny, dimpled hands with o caressing
motion to the strange, wierd woman.
And she-her whole face was trans
figured with that look of mother-love,
which comes from heart bereft of ita
young. Tears were in the fierce black
eyes. She devoured my child with her
burning glance, and well 1 pitied
her and bade her come in.
Then the baby laughed and cooed and
patted her with his precious hands,
and laid his golden head on her hard
breast, and while watched her mar
rowly, jealously, as l trod the hospi-
table round Of kitchen and sitting
room, he fell asleep in her lean, dark
arms, with sweet smile on his con-
tented face.
o, strange democracy Of child's
nature! AS she laid him down his
arms sought her neck: he would have
nestled again on her alien breast. She
held one little hand in hers, and he
smiled in his sleep.
fed the woman and clothed her fol-
baby's sake, but then | bade her bcgone.
She wanted to stay, TO work for me
assured me she was wise in woman's
ways; could minister to the sick, read
the stars, knew the secret values of the
herbs of the fields-but no, / felt that
could not breathe the same air with
that Egyptian sorceress, and l sent hel
away.
But before she went she leaned ovel
the baby, took his little hand, soft anC
relaxed in sleep, and spread it open il
her dark withered palm, where it lay
like white rose leaf. Then the weirC
woman looked at me.
"You leetel bebe. tai you leetlt
bebe fahchune, propah good?"
mo no ~ | cried, hastily. II will
not have my baby's fortune told, q
least not by-you."
The woman was smiling to herself
the baby smiled, too, and nestled bis
hand in hers. hated her and longeC
to thrust her away.
$50 leetel," she murmured, vague
", $50 leetel lines in leetel bebe's ham
leetel short line, but so good. Missee
1 tai you leetel bcbe's pastP"
"You tell his pastP" l answere,
scornfully; "his past is in Heaven"
"Ya, va; eet is true, Missee-Heavel
my bebe there tool''
wanted to cry at is not!' ant
snatch my baby away from her; bu
there was something in her weird fac
that checked me.
~ tai this leetel bebe's fuchahP'
she asked.
looked at him, my beautiful boy
his future! l had trodden that path 70
him over and over again.
| "a wreath, not OF gold but Of palm one day
Philip, my King"
said briefly: Eyes, yes; tell me-"
ut ess not mooch," she answered i
low and solemn tones-tricks Of he
trade, / believed then. ale ess
leetel kingling; here ess lifeline i
pity han, an on both ends lifeline
eet ess-Heaven. He leetel kingling
an have crown in fuchah. "
She went away reluctantly, and keep
ing her eyes upon him until the doc
closed, and when he awakened h
looked around with little grieved cry
and fretted and was impatient 70
something that was gone.
have only few words more to say
and that is to mothers. Never let an
weird woman tell your child's fortune
There is such a thing as the evil eye
and it envies all happiness and prosper
ity, and casts its baleful glance o.
those whom it would iniure, and the
fade, wither unto death. My bab
pined from the hour that woman lei
him, and when the wood violets wer
abloom in spring-time and the robin
plucked their breasts, we laid hir
away from our sight forever. Don
tell me It was malaria, or teething, o
some natural thing! 1t was tina
woman's longing for him that drew hir
away And she came with crocodil
tears and tried to see me. but they KEEP
me from her. / should have strangle
her, weak as | am.
o, my little lost .kingling!-Detro'
Free Press.
IA professional man with q goot