The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-01-02
A LITTLE YALLER BABY.
BY EUGENE FIELD.

necesslty-just as men are. Wv course
1t there uarn't no wimmin folks there
wouldn't be no men folks-leastwise,
that's what the medikil books say. But
1 never wuz much on discussin' humin
economy; what hev allus thought md
said wuz that wimmin folks wuz kind
NV luxury, md the best kind, too,
Maybe it's because hain't he'd much to
do with 'em that Tn sot on 'em Never
did get real well acquainted with
more'n three or four NV 'em in all NV
life; seemed like it wuz meant that 7
shouldn't hev 'em round me as most
men hev. Mother died when wuz a
little tyke, an Ant Mary raised me till
l 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 civilizin' influences folks
talk uv-nothin' but flowers md birds
nd such things as poetry tells about.
80 kind NV growed up with the curis
notion that wimmin folks wuz too good
Tor our part Nv the country, md hevn't
quite got that Notion out'n my head yet
One time-wall, l reckon t wuZ about
four years ago-I got letter frum OIL
md consult with him bout some stock
1ntrests we he'd together. Railroad
travelin' wuz no new thing to me- L
ned been prutty posperous--hed got
past hevin' to ride in u caboose nd git
out at every stop to punch up the steers.
He'd money in the Eoost'n bank md use
to go to Tchicargo oncct a year; he'd
met Fill Armer nd shook hands with
him, md oncet the city papers he'd a
colume article about my bein' million
a1re: Nv course t warn't so, but a feller
KIND Nv likes that sort Nv thing, you
know.
The mornin' after 1 got that letter
from Col Sibley 1 started for Saint
Louey. l took bunk in the Pullman
car, like I he'd been doin' for six years
past; nd reckon the other folks must
hev thought I wuz heap Nv a man,
for every haff-hour give the L ger haf
q dollar to bresh me off. The carwuz full
CTpeople-rich people, too, I reckon, for
they wore good clo'es md criticised the
scenery. Jest across frum me there
wuz lady with a big, fat baby-the
pruttiest woman he'd seen in a month
Nv Sundays; and the baby! why, dog
gone my skin when I 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. amt much of hand at babies,
cause l haint seen many Nv 'em, md
when it comes to handlin' 'em-why,
that would break me all up, md like
8 not t 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 l looked at that |
big, fat little baby settin' in it's mothers |
lap cross the way, the more wanted |
to look; seemed like l wuz hoodooed
by the little tyke; nd the first thing
knew there wuz water in my eyes;
don't know why it is, but it allus makes
me kind ur slop over to set md watch
baby cooin' md playin' in it's mothers
lap.
"Look "a hyar, Sam," says l to the
nigger, "come hyar md bresh me off
agin! Why amt you tendin to biz
Miss? ?"
But it didn't do no good It all; pre-
tendin' to he cross with the niger
might fool the other folks in the car,
but it didn't fool me. Iwuz dead stuck
on that baby-gol durn his pictur'.
And there the little tyke set in its moth
er's lap, doublin' up it's fists md tryin'
to swaller 'em, md talkin' like to it's
mother in lingo 1 couldn't understan',
but which the mother could, for she
talked back to the baby in a soothin'
lingo which I couldn't understand, but
which l liked to hear, md she kissed
the baby md stroked it's hair md petted
1t like wimmin do.
1t made ms mad to hear them other
folks in the car criticism the scenery
md things. A mans in mighty poor
bizness, anyhow, to be lookin' at scenery
when there's a woman in sight-a wom-
an and baby!
Prutty soon-oh, maybe in hour or
two-the baby began to fret nd worrit.
Seemed to me like the little critter wuz
hungry. Knowin' that there wuzn't
no eatin' house this side Nv BowievilIe.
] jest called the train boy, md says to
him: "Hev you got any victuals that
will do for a baby?"
"How is oranges md bananas ?" says
he.
''That ought to do" sez l. "Jist do
up dozen Nv your best oranges nd a
dozen NV your best bananas md take
'em over to that baby with my compiler
But before he could do it, the lady
he'd laid the baby on one NV her arms
md he'd spread a shawl over it's head nd
oyer her shoulder, md all NV a suddin'
the baby quit worrin' and seemed like
he he'd gone to sleep.
When we got to York Crossin' l
looked out'n the winder md seen some
men carryin' long pine box up towards
the baggage car. Seem their hats of,
knew there wuz a dead body in the
box. md couldn't help feelin' sorry for
lhe poor creetur that he'd died in that