Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-10
AN IRONCLAD BABY.

rN - ~
aAlice;" said /, suddenly, mi evening.
siet's borrow a baby.
"a what?" cried Alice, sitting bold up
right In her chair, and suspending opera
tions upon the stork she wa working in
Kensington stitch.
IA baby responded I promptly. "It's
just what we need to broaden u sympa-
thics and draw us into closer communion
with the human race; and there's Mrs.
Lorenzo Squires going off next week with
a Raymond excursion to Montreal, and L
know she would be only too glad to lend
us her useful offspring for q week or two.
Besides" I added, hastily, as ! saw my.
sisters look OF surprise exchanged for one
of utter disapproval, "it isn't as it this
were a brand-new baby, you know. They
have had it for about a year and q half,
and
But / got no farther, for Alice aban-
donad her gravity and burst out into a fit
of laughter.
How absurd you arel' She said pres
entity. @Do you suppose Mrs. Squires
could even be induced to listen to such q
crazy scheme, even If ] were to agrees
Why, that baby is he very apple OF her
eye. She would go into spasms at the
mere suggestion of leaving it in sucn
inexperienced hands as yours and mine"
"Nonsenseln retorted /. doesn't Aris-
totle tell us that it is a part of probability
that many improbable things will happep2
Mrs. Spuires, heart will melt before my
sunny smiles and insinuating arguments,
and within q week from to-day-mark this,
@ Alice minel-within q week that BABY IS
put into my possession"
7A nd @ N IL xxyaa M Thu rnQfarnQI SnntreY
won oyer by many fair promises, or worn
out by my opportunities, it mattered little
which, at last consented to deliver up the
much-coveted baby to our care during her
absence. That picturesque disease, the
mumps, had just appeared in the family
of u sister to whom she had intended TO
confide her infant Joy, and perhaps she a
nc alternative but to accept our PROPOSE
lion. However that may have been, 1t
came to pass that on q fine April day The
doting m consigned her small son to
our charge, with many misgiyings, n
was whirled away by the eastern express
train, bathed5in tears and half inclined to
return instanter and wrest the darling
from our grasp.
We had undertaken to convey him home
in the little wicker carriage in which he
took his daily airings, and were charmed
with acquisition as we rundled him
leisurely away from the station. How
placidly he lay among his dainty cushions
and pillowsl How round and rosy was the
baby face beneath the frilled and flushed
border of his capl How plump and dim
pied the little hands that playfully sawed
the airi Beaming with satisfaction, we pur-
sued our triumphal way down the village
street, the observed of all observers. sage
matrons shook their heads knowingly,
and wondered that Mrs. Squires had ever
had the heart to leave that precious child
to the doubtful mercies of two regular old
maids; while old Deacon Brown; standing
at his gate, breashed a benediction on US
as we passed, and hurried In 70 inform his
wife that them Appleby girls had gone
stark, starin' mad, and were a-makin' off
with Mrs. Squires' Lorenzo. But what
cared wes We had the treasure for our
very own, for two long weeks at least, and
were even then en- route for homew with the
latest addition to u family.
The road, however, was a long one, and
after a while the small Lorenzo began to
stir and grow restless in his little chariot.
Alice ran up alongside, and peered anx-
9ieusly under the c~arriage-top which con-
cealed him from u view.
: ''Arabellai' cried she, breathlessly. 9If
you'll believe me, he's growing %dreadfuliy
red in the face, and I'm perfectly certain
that he is getting ready to cry
I smiled incrednlonsly. Had not Mrs.
Squires assured me a thousand times over
that hers was a most remarkable ind un-
usual child and never criedi Loftily !
tossed my head.
aMy dear Alice, how little you know
u3,ot puIill ,to,. eff 50 IA I ,s,sfbe ItrvIf,r "a -
angel is whispering some heavenly senti-
lnent in his ear. and he is smiling to him
self for joy
Alice is unpleasantly pert at times. On
this occasion she laughed, and cried sauci-
~, well stick to your angel theory ii you
like. It's very pretty. but / wager a
penny that in less than two minutes he
begins to cry
And he did. In less than one, the air
syas rent with fortissimo shrieks and
screams, while the cherub grew red in che
face and refused to be soothed by any OF
our Establishments. In vain 7 chanted
melodious ditties, regardless of the admir-.
ling crowd that gathered round; in vain
did Alice bark like The doggy and NEW
like the pussy, to the great delight of the
great unwashed public, who listened and
looked on. Louder he walled and louder
still, until in a happy inspiration, we set
off at d breck. neck speed for our own roof.
tree, where on arriving, breathless and
exhausted, we offered him q nursing-bot.
tie, wherein he found a temporary solace
for his woes.
Only temporary, however. At 7:2o D.
IN he began again, and night grew tune.
ful with his signs. For three mortal
hours he kept 1t up to our ~unspeakahle
horror and dismay. We walked the floor
with him; we rocked him energeticaily in
ar Anticipated cradle produced from the
\ attic for this emergency; we sang to him;
we danced before him in the style OF
twenty years ago; we offered up our most
cherished possessions in the way Of bric-a.
brac to this dreadful Moloch, and still he
would not be appeased. Would he burst,
His tiny body wa conyulsed by the VIC.
Ience of his sobs, and we really feared
he would cry himself out Of this world
and into the next Advice to Young
Mothers, by One of Them.p We remem.
bered seeing it that very morning on d
shelf in the public library, and Alice
threw pm a shawl and "a across the way
to procure it, to the scandal Of the libra.
rian, who gave 1t to her with q severe
frown, and o remark as to the absurdity
of such literature for maiden ladies. But
it threw very little light on the subject In
hand. Lorenzo bawled vigorously, and as
it couldn't be pins-we had already tnsti-
tuted a vigorous search-it must be tenn
per, 80 the authority said, and must be
cried out. So we laid him once more in
the cradle and settled ourselves for a
lev .f NJ ~rIE<