Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-11

that little brown house, and if do say it
and considering that Judge Grey and his
wife were both as handsome as pictures
that baby was the smallest, puckeredest
squallingest kind of baby | ever Sci
eyes on. | coald put him in quart poi
and shut down the cover and have room
| to spare. But it was man-ch1id, and
from the minute when it drew the breath
of life, its father was proud as king
He would sit hours and hours and look al
that baby as if the sun, moon and stars
revolved around it.
"What with the haat and her delicate
constitution, Mrs. Grey was very slow in
getting around, and / must say her bus
band vas so kind felt as If 1 ought to
put on sack cloth for all the mean
thoughts I had thought about him. He
had shutter put on to the window in her
room TO keep out the sun, and he hired a
little black girl (that was the beginning
of the Lib) 20 sit and wait upon her, and
he told her if she let as much as one hy
light on that baby he woald whip her
within an inch of her life. He found q
woman to do all the cooking (he had a
little shed in the back yard for the stove,
to keep the heat out of the house, and ]
was persuaded to stay there and take care
of the baby. Such time as hadI Mrs.
Grey was as sweet and patient as an angel,
but she was slow in getting her strength,
and the Judge seemed sort OF mad ali the
time at the doctor and me, that she didn't
get along any faster, and between him
ard the baby it seemed as If would have
been a relief to me if oouId have turned
into Joan and Arc and have gone out to
fight the battles of my country. I had to
s nj he hob ant nf tao Qo
was so very small we kept him rolled in
cotton wool four weeks before we ven
tured to dress him, AMI when he was
dressed with all the f1annels We could pile
on him, he brought the weights down at
three pounds. I used to sing and repeat
t. myself great deal about that time
this suggestive line from from the poet,
Great trees from little acorns grow The
thoughts suggested by these words gave
me courage to contemplate the future of
that child, but for the most part his
future seemed about as blank as the
blankest piece of paper | ever saw.
1T was full into winter before the
child had reached a point where one of
US dared to go to sleep without keeping
one eye open, for fear we should lose him
in the bed. We wele in dreadful clut-
tered state, and many times did I wish
myself back in my own house, SO roomy
and quiet. But [ did not see the time
when I could be hired to leave Mrs.
Grey, so much as / longed fer freedom.
And | could see that the little fellow grew
in spite of natural Disadvantages.
"Once or twice ventured to ask what
they were going to call him, but Mrs.
Grey always said, His father hadn't de-
oided.' A the weather got warmer they
used to keep him out of doors great
deal, and his father put pile of white
sand in the yard for him to founder in.
One morning when he vas most a year
old, and he had improved SO much that
he weighed about II pounds, his father
said that a boy who had fought and con.
quered as he had should have a name
worthy of him; and said he, I'm think
ing it is time to have my boy baptized
Mrs. Grey looked NJ quick in pleased
way, and said, And what name are you
going to have him baptized with, hus-
| band?'
"'There is only one name that consid-
er suitable for my son. said he, squaring
his shoulders as if he wasn't going to be
interfered with. My son shall be called
Israel, for he has prevailed
"At this black Lid giPgled outright,
]
Grey didn't say anything, but could see
that she was dreadfuliy disappointed, for
she had set her mind upon giving the boy
her own fathers name, which was John
| Morgan.
at riled me up SO to think that a
mother couldn't have any rights about
naming her child that I spuuked up, aud
said, "If / pretended not to be Jew, I'd
| Criy , md
he said quicker than flash, and with a
Iaugh,-though I could see thst he was
considerably Nancy, I should
advise you to call your son Cad; he will
probably be the fore-runner OF troop
"After this little episode, which hap
| pened on Wednesday morning, il was
generally understood that Israel (for that
was all We had to call him) was to be
| baptized the next Sunday. So / did up
| his best white dress, and put white rib
| bon in his sleeves, and Judge Grey went
down to Miss Barnes's shop, and brought
| home new bonnet for his wife, yellow
straw with lsvander ribbon tied around
| it. He said as he gave 1t to her, that, 'the
mother of such son ought to have the
handsomest bonnet in this land-but law
sus! I couldn't see anything so wonder
full about the boy or bonnet either.
"Whep Sunday came / told Lib she's
better go out and pick some white lilies,
and carry them over to the church or a
bouquet but the judge spoke:up quickly
and said, he wasn't going to have any
| such heathenish nonsense as that;' and |
| said, will you please tell me which of
the heather gods made the f1owerss
| "About that time or not long after
! Iaraei prevailed over his teeth, and
| thought es he was no longer beholden to
| the tea cup, and Mrs. Grey was stronger,
| that I would go back to my own vine and
| fig tree. CA fgure.) Before the sum
mer was over Esquire Yeomans died and
| his handsome house and all its belong
! ings we're put up for sale, or pus down
| for it went at 6readfully low figure.
Judge Grey bought it, and moved into it
in time TO eat Thanksgiving dinner, an
the next January Mrs. Grey had another
son. The house was large enough this
time for all tbs help they needed, but
Mrs. Grey said with tears in her eyes,
| (poor thing that there wasn't anybody,
not even her mother, (who was sickly)
that could do for her as well as could.
so shut up my own house again and
went TO live with she Greys. You are
| going TO call this son Cad, I SUPPOSE
said |, one morning to the judge, for &C
cording to present appearances he'll be
the foreIunner OF troop I thought lie
would be mad, but he wasn't, for he laugh
| ed, and said, Nancy you are bright.
had thought of that myself and as true
as you live, he said, that child's name
| should be CAD
II told Mrs. Grey I should never for
give myself, if | believed for moment