The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-10

Our Baby.
RY 4 BOY.
1London TiG Bits.l

l never could see the use OF babies
We have one at our house that belongs
to mother and she thinks everything Of
it. I can't see anything wonderful
about it. All it GAN do is to cry, and
pull hair and kick. 1t hasn't half the
sense of my dog, and can't even chase
cat. Mother and he wouldn't have
Il dog in the house, but they are always
going Oh about the baby, and saying.
''Isn't it perfectly sweet"'
The worst thing about baby is that
you're expected to take care of him,
and then you get scolded afterwards.
Folks say,
Here, Jimmy, just hold the baby Il
minute, that's a good boy"; and then
as soon as YOU ha~'e got it, they say,
"Don't do that! Just look at him! That
boy will kill the child! Hold tup
straight, you good-for-nothing little
wretch"
It's pretty hard to do your best and
then be scolded for it, but that is the
way boys are treated. Perhaps when
I'm big, folks will wish they had done
differently. Last Saturday mother and
Sue went out to make calls, and told
me to stay at home and take care of the
baby. There was football match on,
but what did they care for that? They
didn't want to go to 1t, and so it made
no difference whether / went to it or
not.
They said they would be gone only q
little while, and if the baby walked up
I was to play with it and keep it from
crying, and "be sure and not let it
swallow any pins" Of course, had
to do it. The baby was sound asleep
when they went out, SO I left it just Il
few minutes while went to see fthcre
was any cake in the pantry.
If was woman l wouldn't be so
dreadfully suspicious as to keep every
thing locked up. When got back up
stairs again the baby was awake, and
was howling as if he was full of pins
So gave him the first thing that came
handy to keep him quiet. 1t happened
to bea bottle of polish, with asponge
on the end of Il wire that Sue used to
black her boots, because girls are too
lazy to Use the regular backing brush.
The baby stopped crying as soon as l
gave him the bottle, and | sat down to
read paper. The next time looked
at him he'd got out the sponge, and
about half of his face was jet black.
This was nice fix, for knew nothing
could get the black off his face; and
when mother came home she would say
the baby was spoiled and I had done
it.
Now think all all-black baby is ever
50 much more stylish than an all-white
baby, and when ! saw that the baby
was partly black I made up my mind
that if BACKED it all over it would br
worth more than it ever had been, and
and perhaps mother would be ever so
much pleased. SO l hurried up and
gave it a good coat ofblack: You should
have seen how that baby shined. The
polish dried as soon as it was put on,
and had just time to get baby dressed
again when mother and Sue came in.
/ wouldn't lower myself to repeat their
unkind language.
When you've been called numbering
little villain and an unnatural son it
will rankle in your heart for ages. After
what they said to me | didn't even
seem 70 mind about father, but went
upstairs with him almost aS if I was
going to church, or something that
didn't hurt much. The baby is beauti-
ful and shiny, though the doctors say
it will wear off in few weeks. Nobody
shows any gratitude for all the trouble
! l took, and can tell YOU it isn't easy
to black baby wi!hont getting it into
! his eyes and haif. sometimes think
! It is hardly worth while to live in this
cold and unfeeling world.