Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-12-01
HARD ON BABIES.
Sine Mothers Out of Ten Inflict Torture
Upon Their First-Born.

Sine Mothers Out of Ten Inflict Torturea
Upon Their First-Born.
Babies are subjected to SO many
hardships that it is source of constant
wonder that some of them do not die.
Young mothers by reason of their in
experience are generally to be excused
if they sometimes fail to hide the point
of pin in the garments of their Off
spring. They are also to be pardoned
if they occasionally fail to discover
that it is collie and not hunger that
makes baby wake the household in
the small hours of the morning with
its ,wailing. Nine mothers out of ten.
however, manage to inflict fortunes
akin to barbarism upon their first
born, actuated by their intense solicit
tude that fresh air shall not enter their
baby's lungs OF course they don't
want the dear little thing to catch
cold, and so they put as much wrapping
around ten pounds of humanity as is
commonly used to'envelope an Egypt
ian mummy.
The other day two young women
boarded south bound car on State
street at the Madison street crossing.
They looked enough alike to be sisters,
and one of them carried six-weeks'
old baby. She was a dowdy miss to
whose tender care the baby had been
confided by its mother. And the
baby! 1t was wrapped in a bundle Of
flannel thick enough to ward off the
biting air of an Arctic winter, with q
heavy flannel hood tied under its fat
and dimpled chin and thick white
veil drawn closely across its face. The
car was well crowded with passengers
and the atmosphere was decidedly
close. Before Adams street was reached
the baby was gasping for breath as it
lay on it's nurses knee. To make mat
ters worse the poor little thing was
forced to lie fat on its stomach, while
ceaseless drumming was given its
back by the good right hand OF the
dowdy girl The mother, blissful in
her ignorance, sat all unconscious that
her darling's life was in danger.
Pat, pat, pat pat went the dowdy
girls hand 81 think baby's going to
Sleep" she confded to the mother at
her side. Pat, pat, pat, pat the girls
hands went up and down on the baby g
back. The little martyr squirmed and
wriggled, finally managing to moan
loud enough to call attention to its con-
dition. "Oh, my! she's waking up
said the dowdy girl, and the baby was
turned end for end like stick of wood,
while the patting continued with a
scarcely perceptible break.
"Thirty-secon' streetp' bawled the
conductor, and the dowdy miss shifted
the patting to her left hand Her right
stronger, pleased, no doubt, with the
| hot oh xo,1%tirnp tho hob IN
| sleep. The fact was the baby was in
| imminent danger of taking its last, long
sleep.
"Forty-secon' street, called the con-
ductor, and then motherly old woman
betrayed her solicitude for the baby's
welfare. II think you had better take
that veil off, she said, leaning over tc
the dowdy miss, ''for the baby is cholz
ing" And she pointed at its purple
face to prove her words Don't you
see its mouth full Of that veil? Fol
goodness sake, take it off, she added
with much earnestness. The young
mother looked up surprised and then
and the baby gave visible sign of re-
lief by regaining a healthy color. But
the dowdy girls hand kept up it's rhy tn
| LlOUlOIl hFOdu OoS oil u
chase across the faces of the passen
gers. and the patting operation was the
focus for all eyes. One old gentleman
could stand it no longer. whats the
matter with the child?" he inquired
with much anxiety. HAS it got some
thing stuck in its wind-pipe?" The1
the passengers laughed. The dowdy
girl looked insulted. and without deign
ing to reply continued humping the
baby's back. At Fifty-second stree
tie young mother. the dowdy girl ant
the much abused 10y got off, and thu
motherly old woman, the old gentle
man and all the passengers breathet
easier.
As the car rolled southwark more
than one passenger wondered to him
self how long baby would live if sub
jected to such treatment every day
Chicago Herald.