Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-01-09

nt cnAnLns D. torAann.


WINNIE was not iike most oaoies' ser
maps lnat was why tine medical students /
liked her The average ysung man con
siders imsclf quite charitable when he
win even tolerate baby. and then IL
must be OF the cheerful sort that iauehs |
and says goo GOO and -da da fol
those that are dyspeptio- and baw day
and night they have a luathsome esteem
that is pfnverhal
But Minnie possessed some hiddei
charm that endeared her to all the YOUNG
men, and. in fact. made rivals Of them
10 one not aeuusinted with the desirt
for scientific research that Is inherent in
The Young medical mind a glance at Min
nie's bodv would have icf nun with tho
impression that tine students mad beer
in search of the aforesaid hidden charm
One of the babv's ears had been removed
and sewed ON again; one of .he eyes had
been taken out. but here evidently tho
amateur surgeon had tackled a Job be
yond his ability, for it mad not been re
placed; there was a hole in Minnie's neck
but. mind vou. it wae never made With
the purpose OF killing the baby, but onI
the presumption that the little one was
on tile verge of sulioCatiou from dph
liberia, and had to be relieved By trache
otomy There was a long cash on the
right side OF the abdomen, but that was
for the removal of a troublesome vermi
form appendix One leg was missing, but
here again the best interests of the baby
had been regarded, for a p1cticed eve
would see that a classical amputation had
been performed.
Yet Minnie had passed through all this
and VASTLY more, ard never suffered pain
Not once aid she cry. Few babies can
claim such a record Why should the III
tie one suffer when all sorts Of anaes
thetics IN abundance were at hands Min
ME had endured other trials and haia-
ships With the same fortitude She had
/ been 'passed up" times without number
trampled upon, kicked and subjected tc
] all the FRANKS that the modern student
can devise Apparentlv the little one
had become Injured to these seeming
abuses. Il Is better to allude to them
/ as seeming" abuses for had any one OF
those several hundred young fellows been
accused Of mistreating Minnie he would
! have resented it as a personal insult. Sic
was all the more popular because Of her
experience at their hands.
Minnie seemed to be an exception TO
ali things that are common to babies
! Even the saying that babies are al
| stomach and no conscience" did not ap
ply to her. She had neither stomach nol
conscience so far as could be ascertained
/ Her mental qualities were nil She could
not bear see nor talk. vet she was inn
pressionable to degree Though expan
sive, she did not develop Minnie never
ate or drank. but in spite Of this fact
She was always plump and seemed well
! .1.-t-.. ;,,~,,,
conclusion that she was anaemie, but, on
the contrary, she was even dusky in hue.
( Minnie had never enjoyed the luxuries
Of a barh, and, although this might have
barred her from the exclusive social sets
she could not have been justly called d
dirty baby. Her legs and arms were
freely movable, but she never used them
OF her own volition. She was inseusb'e
to the stimuli that would send an ordi
nary baby into a paroxysm of bawling sr
laughing yet resistant. and, in her own
way, responsive.
Queer baby was Minnie She had no
aucestrv-not even a father or mother
Where She came from no one could tell
Medical men like to delve in the mys.
terious, and probably il was this air Of
4 mystery about the little one that account
ed in part for their interest in her. Min
ME was certainly several years old, yet
not an inch had been added to her statue
and not grain of sense had she accumu-
lated Her growth physically and mental
ly must have been stunted very early
Nevertheless she was the very idol of the
students, and admittedly the only baby
they had ever really cared for. She AZ
ways received their attentions with seem
ing Indifference neither favoring with
smiles nor repelling with frowns.
The baby had been a special favorte
with the senior class. AT the class meet
ings she occupied seat Of honor beside
the president. She was present at the
lectures and clinics and every night a
specially appointed committee saw that
she was locked up and secure from the
ghoulish and envious juniors and 'sophs'
Not a football or baseball game did the
class attempt without the presence oi
Minnie one seemed 70 give tnem ",
spralioh' ana matter o' Iecoru
tnet tney never lo9l an auhie'ic COMES,
ww,a waeh she was among Vhe sIeelato oss. ~
lnese victories were alWaNs loho"ea ~
eelepta'ioh at Whieh tne oapy-'nelr
mascot--Nas tne center Oh TOAST ana ap
plause'
But the intense aheetion Tor her which
the students mad developed only mace
their coming sorrow me harder to bear.
One night toward the close OF the school
term hre broke out IN the medical col
lege and the changing engines brought an
army Of students from tneir quarters.
As they stood m groups Watching the
work OF destruction haine shot through
one OF ne windows OF the stoTeroom ana