Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-01-30
A LITTLE WALLER BABY.
BY EUGENE FIELD.

| hev allus he'd q good opinion Nv the
wimmin folks. don't look at em as
some people do; NV course they're II
necesslty-just as men are. Nv course
If there aarn't no wimmin folks there
wouldn't be no men folks--leastwise,
that's what the medikil books say. But
| never wuz much on discussin' humin
economy; what hey allus thought nd
said WIZ that wimmin folks wuz a kind
NV luxury, nd the best kind, too.
Maybe it's because ! hain't he'd much to
do with 'em that I'm sot on EN-. Never
did get real well acquainted with
more'n three or four NV 'em In all my
life; seemed like it wuz meant that
shouldn't hey EN- round me as most
men hev. Mother died when wuz Il
little tyke, an Ant Mary raised me till
] wuz big enuff to make my own livin'.
Down here in the southwest, you see,
most Nv the girls is boys; there amt
none NV them civilian influences folks
talk uv-nothin' but flowers nd birds
nd such things us poetry tells about.
So | kind Nv growed up with the curis
notion that wmmin folks wuz too good
for our part NV the country, md hewitt
quite got that notion out'n my head yet.
One time--wall, reckon 'twuzabout
four years ago-l got u letter frum OIL
Col SiblcT to come up to Saint Iouey
nd consult with him bout some stock
interests we he'd together. Railroad
trayelin' wuz no new thing to me.
he'd been prutty posperous-hed got
past hevin' to ride in caboose nd git
out at every stop punch up the steers,
He'd money in the IIoost'n bank nd use
to 60 TO Tchicargo oncet n year; he'd
met Fill Armer nd shook hands with
him, nd oncet the city papers he'd u
columc article about my helm million
aire; NV course t warn't so, but a Teller
kind NV likes that sort Nv thing, you
know.
The mornin' after | got that letter
from Col Sibley | started for Saint
Louey. took bunk in the Pullman
cur, like ! he'd been dom for six years
past; nd | reckon the other folks must
hev thought | wuz n heap nv man,
for every haff-hour give the Niger hat
dollar to bresh me off. The carwuz full
vpeople-rlch people, TOO, reckon, for
they wore good clo'es nd criticised the
scenery. Jest across frum me there
wuz lady with big, fat baby-the
pruttiest woman he'd seen in month
Nv Sundays; and the babyl why, dog
gone 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 ever
seen. ain't much Of a hand at babies,
cause haint seen many Nv EN-, md
when it comes to handln' 'em--why,
that would break me all up, nd like
8 not Z would break the baby all up,
too But it has allus been my notion
that mex to the wimmin folks babies
wuz just about the incest things on
earth So the more | looked at that
big, fat little baby scttin' in It's mothers
lap cross the way, the more wanted
to look; seemed like ! wu2 hoodooed
by the little tyke; nd the first thing
knew there WIZ water in my eyes;
don't know why II is, but ii allus makes
me kind ur slop over to set nd watch
q baby cooin' nd playin' in its mothers
lap.
look n hyar. Sam says | to the
Niger, come hyar nd bresh me off
uginl Why amt you tendin' to biz
niss?"
But it didn't do no good t all; pre-
tendin' to be cross with the niger
might fool the other folks In the car,
but II didn't fool me. Iwuz dead stuck
on that baby-gol durn his pictur'.
And there the little tyke setin its moth
er's lap, doublin' up It's fists nd tryin'
to swaller 'em, md talkin' like TO its
mother in lingo couldn't understan,
but which the mother could, for she
talked back to the baby In soothin'
lingo which couldn't understand, but
which | liked to hear, nd she kissed
the baby nd stroked its hair nd petted
1t like wimmin do.
II made me mad to hear them other
folks In the car criticism the scenery
nd things. A mans in mighty poor
bizness, anyhow, to be lookin' at scenery
when there's woman in sight-aw om-
an and babyl
Prutty soon-oh, maybe in Il hour or
two--the baby began to fret nd worrlt. {
Seemed to me like the little crtter wuz
hungry. Known that there wuznt
no eatin'-house this side Nv Bonneville,
Jest called the train boy, nd says to I
him: "Ilev you got any victuals that ]
will do for baby?"
''How is oranges nd bananasY" says
le.
THAT ought to do" SEE l.. "Jist do
a., n Jo,an an ,.o,,r laot nro roo md n &,