The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-12-04
NAMING THE BABY.


How One Little Nit. Of > Girl Got Queer
Name.
Vemba was new name in the Brown
family; and, very properly. it was given
to brand new girl, the sweetest, pref
tiest mite of girl, in fact that ever
had been given to the Brown house
hold. To be sure. six years before they
had welcomed Morris Brown nearly as
small Ind sweet and pretty, and, later
on, Harris Brown, who began life as :
baby Of the very first quality; but they,
both, were boys And here was girl!
She was SO new that she did not know
Morris and Harris were in the house.
Think Of that! And II she had noticed
them, she would not have had the
slightest idea who they were.
Dear me! How very well ac-
quaintcd tho three became after
awhile! But at first when the little
girl was only few weeks old, she was
still quite stranger to the boys and
had no other name than Miss Brown;
yet she had the air Of owning not only
Mr. and Mrs. Brown, but all the family,
and the very house they lived in. Why.
the King of the Cannibal Islands him.
self could not have made her change
countenance unless she chose to do So
Well. there they were-Morris Brown.
aged six years, Harris Brown. aged
three, and Miss Brown OF hardly any
age at all. These were the Brown chill
dren.
"A bonny little lady," said Uncle
Tom, who had come all the way from
Philadelphia to take . look at the baby.
AT this point of time, as he gazed at
her through his spectacles, all the FAM
lily crowded around; the boys, proud and
happy, stood on either side OF him to
hear what his opinion might be.
"A bonny little lady" repeated Uncle
Tom; land now, Stephania. what are
you going to call her?'
lie turned SO suddenly upon Mrs.
Brown, in his brisk way, that 1t made
her start
Dear me! I--I-don't know she
answered. .'Some novel, pretty name,
of course; something fanciful; but we
haven't settled upon one yet"
why not call her Stephania, after
you and me?' asked Grandmamma,
brightly.
''Oh, dear. no." sighed Mrs. Brown;
I'D like something not SO horri--. l
mean something more fanciful than
THUR
''Wcll. l declared" exclaimed Grand
mamma, and she closed her lips as il
resolved never to say another word
about it
I'VE have thought Of Marjorie, !" re-
marked Mr.. Brown, with funny twinkle
in his eyes. land. ahem! two or three
others-Mabel, for instance, and Ida.
and Irene, and Clara, and Jean, and
Olivia, and Francesca, Florence, too,
and Lily, and Alice, and Elinor, and
Anita. and Jessie, and Dors, and Isabel.
and Bertha. and Louise, and Candace,
and Alma; but Stephania condemns
every one Of them as too plain or too
hackneyed. The fact is. all the pretty
names are used up"
just then the wind howled dismally;
sere and yellow leaves whirlcd past the
windows.
Goodness. what weather. exclaimed
Grandmamma- BLEAK even for No
vember-isn't it?"
Here's sunshine, though" murmured
Mrs. Brown, cheerily. You're little
pessus hit Of booful sunshine, SO you is.
even il you IL q poor 'itty 'Vember baby
and she fell to kissing Miss Brown in
the most rapturous manner.
fla! there it is!' cried Uncle Tom.
''Vemba's her name. Her mother has
said it. Let us call her Vemba!"
Every one laughed, but Uncle Tom
was in earnest; besides, he had to take
the afternoon train back to Philadel-
phia-and you know how they always
rush matters through in Philadelphia.
'It's good name, and new" he said,
nodding his head in rotary way that
somehow took in Mr.. Brown, Mrs.
Brown. Grandma Brown, Morris Brown,
Harris Brown and Miss Brown. ITS a
good name. Think 1t over. must be
Off,
"Vemba, from November?' cried
Grandma. "What bleak name! Dc
you want the poor child to be shadow
On the house?" and the dear old lady
fiourished her knitting as she spoke.
Whether it was the CLEAN Of the long
needles or Uncle Toms frantic but slow
way of putting on his coat-or whether
Miss Brown, catching Grandma Browns
words, had suddenly resolved to show
them that she hadn't the slightest in.
tention in the world OF being . shadow
on the house, do not know. But Ger.
tain it is she smiled -smiled the bright
est, sunniest little smile you can i'm.
asine.
All the family were delighted. The
boys shouted, papa laughed. mamma
laughed, Uncle Tom laughed and grand
ma exclaimed: well, l neverv"
'She's answered you, grandma" cried
Uncle Tom, bending down with only one
sleeve Of his oyercoat on-and actually
kissing the baby-"she has answered
you. la. ha! No clouds about her; you
see she's sunshine-girl. Well, good
bye. little Vemba; goodbye ALL" and
be was out Of the room and on his way
10 the train before the baby had time
10 blink.
Well, to make long story short, the
more they thought about the new name,
the better they liked it. Besides. Mo-
ris and Harris, who adored Uncle Tom,
would hear Of no other. Papa declared
it was not half bad" and even mamma
admitted that at least it was not com
monplace. Meantime. the baby fell
into a pleasant sleep.
When she awoke her name was Vemba
Brown.
That was four years ago this Novem.
Der, and now every one says that of al
the sweet, sunny, bright little girls In
New York. Vemba Brown is the sun
NEST, brightest and sweetest. She is
now thoroughly acquainted with Morris
and Harris; and as for Uncle Tom-well,
you should have seen her hug and kiss
MIN the other day when that gentleman
told the wee maiden that bleak Novem.
Der would soon be here, and gave her Z
beautiful new fall walking-suit and q
soft white muff to keep her little hands
warml-St Nicholas.
| "A woman will cling to man with