The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-02-07
THE WALLER BABY.

I hev allus he'd a good opinion nv the
wimmin folks. l don't look at 'em as
some people do; Nv course they're a ne-
cessity-just as men are. Nv course il
there warn't no wimmin folks there
wouldn't be no men folks-leastwise
that's what the medikil books say. But
I never wuz much on discussin humin
economy. What I hev allus thought nd
said wuz that wimmin folks wuz q kind
nv luxury, nd the best kind too. Maybe
it's because l hain't he'd much to do with
EN- tina I'm sot on 'em. Never did get
real we'll acquainted with more'n three
or four Nv EN- in all my life. Seemed
like it wuz meant that I shouldn't hev
'em round me as most men hev. Mother
died when I wuz a little tike, md Amt
Mary raised me till l wuz big enuf to
make my own Twin. Down here in the
southwest, you see, most Nv the girls is
boys. There amt none Nv them sivilizin
influences folks talk uv-nothin but
flowers md birds md such things as
poetry tells about. So I kind NV growed
up with the curis notion that wimmin
folks wuZ too good for our part nv the
country, md hewitt quite got that no
ton out'n my head yet.
One time-waal, l reckon 'twuz
about four years ago-I got a letter
frum ole Colonel Sibley to, come up to
Saint Louey nd consult with him bout
some stock int 'rsts we had together.
Railroad travelin wuz no new thing to
me. l he'd been prutty p'osperous-hed
got past hevin to ride in q cabboose nd
git out at every stop to punch up the
steers. He'd money in the Hoost'n bank
md use to go to Tchicargo oncet a year.
He'd met Fill Armer md shook hands
with him, md oncet the city papers he'd
q colume article about my bein a mil
lionaire. Nv course t warn't SO, but a
Teller kind Nv likes that sort nv thing,
you know.
The mornin after I got that letter
from Colonel Sibley I started for Saint
Louey. l took q bunk in the Pullman
car, like I he'd been doin for six years
past, nd l reckon the other folks must
hev thought l VIZ a heap Nv a man, for
very half hour l give the niger hat a
dollar to bresh me off. The car WIZ full
nv people-rich people too, I reckon, for
they wore good clo'es md criticised the
scenery. Jest across frum me there wuZ
q lady with a big, fat baby-the prutti-
est woman l he'd seen in a month NV
Sundays, md the baby-why, doggone
my skin, when / wuzn't payin money to
the niger, darned if / didn't set there
watchin the big, fat little cuss, like he
wuz the only baby l ever seen. I amt
much of a hand at babies, cause l hain't
seen many NV EN- nd when it comes
to handlin 'em-why, that would break
me all up, md like s not 'twould
break the baby all up too. But it has
allus been my notion that mex to the
wimmin folks babies wuz jest about
the incest things on earth. So the more
l looked at that big, fat little baby set
tin in its mothers lap cross the way,
the more l wanted to look. Seemed like
I WIZ hoodooed by the little tike, md the
first thing l knew there wuz water in
my eyes. Don't know why it is, but it
allus makes me kind NV slop over to set
md watch a baby cooin nd playin in its
mothers lap.
Look a hyar, SAM" says l to the
niger, "come hyar nd bresh me of
agin! Why amt you tendin to bizniss?'
But it didn't do no good I, all. Per.
tendin to be cross with the niger might
fool the other folks in the car, bat il
didn't fool me. l wuz dead stuck Oh
that baby-gol durn his pictur. AND
there the little tike set on its mother
lap, dOublin up its fists nd tryin t.
swaller 'em, md talkin like to its moth
er in a lingo l couldn't understan, bu
which the mother could, for she talked
back to the baby in a soothin lingo
which I couldn't understan, but which
l liked to hear, md she kissed the baby
md stroked its hair md petted it lik,
wimmin do.
1t made me mad to hear them, othe,
folks in the car criticism the scenery nc
things. A mans in mighty poor biznes
anyhow to be lookin at scenery whel
there's a woman in sight-a womal
nd a baby!
Prutty soon-oh, maybe in a hour O
two-the baby began to fret nd worrit
Seemed to me like the little>critter WI
hungry. Known that there wuzn't n
eatin house this side NV Bonneville,
jest called the trainboy nd says l t
him, 'Hev You got any victuals tina
will do for a baby"
How is oranges nd bananas:'' say
he.
THAT ought to do sez l. Jest d
up a dozen NV your best oranges md
dozen nv your best bananas nd take e,
over to that baby with my compl
,ments."
But before he could do it the LADY he
laid the baby Oh one NV her arms n
' he'd spread a shawl over it's mad n
over her shoulder. md all NV a suddi
the baby quit WORM an seemed like
he'd gone to sleep.
When we got to York Crossin I Loo
ed out'n the winder md seen some mi
carryin q long pine box up toward Il
baggage car. Seem their hats of, I kne
there wuz n dead bOdv in the hox md