The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-09-25
A DREADFUL CHILD.
Asleep It's All Right but Awake
It Becomes q Kitten.
A Strange Tale Reported from Columbia
County, N. Y.-lt May BE True, but
It Roads Very Much Like .
Base Fabrication.


It Roads Very Much Like
Base Fabrication.
An eldritch tale, worthy of the dark
est and palmiest days OF the middle
ages, comes from the little hamlet Of
Pompoonik, up in Columbia County,,
where child is said to have been born,
Of late which defies competition, al,
though, fortunately, 1t does not battle
description, says the New York Times.
While asleep or at rest 1t appears to
differ in no respect from the ordinary
fortnight-ol Id baby Of commerce. AS 1t
slumbers peacefully in its cradle,
with its breast rising and fall
ing as gently and regularly as
possible, any feeling woman would
bless its little heart and look upon 1t
with delight and that fluttering senti-
ment, not unakin to awe, with which
the entire female world regard sany new
ly-arrived traveller from the other world
providing, OF course, the traveller be not
q ghost, and, therefore, does not come
from the wrong side Of life. A baby is
one thing and ghost is another, al
though doubtless both are equally mys-
terious, and it is quite certain that both
invariably dress all in white. The
tones of their voices and their general
manner Of expressing themselves, the
ability Of the one to walk while the
other seems able only to kick and wrig-
gle, easily mark the essential distinc-
ton between them. There are doubt
less other peculiarities which will en-.
able almost any woman to tell at
glance whether a particular object Is
ghost or baby, although those peculi-
arities might not readily find accurate
definition even at the hands of woman
Of most unusual discernment and pro-
found sagacity.
AS has already been remarked, the
Columbia County child, when asleep or
at rest, seems even to the female eye
and heart, to be nothing but baby.
Its complexion, perhaps is not all that
could be desired; there is slight sus-
picion Of fincongruity--a certain despair
ity Of proportions-between the mold
ing Of its nose and that Of its upper lip,
and there is q paucity Of hair, or rather
of fuzz, on its head, and these things
can hardly fail to produce painful inn
preston upon the mind Of any unpreju-
diced observer, just as they do in all
cases in which very young Infants are
involved. At all events, every woman
who sees it sleeping and who is not 40
quainted with the little peculiarities it
exhibits in its waking moments de-
clares that it IL simply . lovely, little,
precious darling which it isn't by any
means.
For when, rousing from its slumbers,
II opens its bright eyes upon the world,
it neither lies still nor begins to wall
like an ordinary baby OF It's age. Rather
does it assume ct once the character Of
. little kitten, climbs over the side Of
tho cradle in : jiny, and, II left, in nm
disturbed possession Of itself, sets about,
to have . lively frolic, in which one Of
its legs does for 1t duties similar to
those which . kitten's tail sometimes
does for tho kitten. While engaged In
this sort Of exercise 1t will tumble heels
over head and roll about on the door
like any ball, and doing itself no more
harm than If 1t were gutta~percha
child. If spool or some small object
Of the kind be thrown TO it, this uncan-,
ny babe will toss IL about, boxing 1t now,
with one tiny hand and now with the;
other, picking it up with Its toes and,
throwing it over its head, ard scamper-,
ing about. as fully acquainted with the
relations Of the minor things Of this
world % . cat Of Its age would be. It's
arms are very strong, and its hands
have 30 good grip that 1t can;
pull itself mp . rope and Chamber,
to, the top Of bedpost, where ii
will sit for some time calmly surveying
the spectators with an air Of sagacity
appalling to behold in one 80 young.
It II, Of course. impossible to give any
satisfactory explanation Of the singular
conduct Of this interesting babe, al
though, undoubtedly, mere perversity
and natures love for freaks has some
thing to do with tho matter.