Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-16
AMONG THE AMIN NLS.
IRcd oak Express

y Mo4N'I lie, ~ .NlAi-N't'
Red oak Express
A. w. 1anningham, the well known
agent for the children's home, seated
himself IN our office Tuesday afternoon
and told us n story that is enough to
arouse The wrath of Il saint Mr.. Lam
bingham says that for downright cru
atty 1t gets ahead of anything he had
yet experienced in his eve1tful work.
The worst part of 1t all Is that 1t is
true. A few days ago Mr.. Cunningham
received "a letter from an Alton, Iowa.
physician asking him to come ana
take charge of a newly born babe I'm
q family that resided in the country
near the above city. Our friend went
east on the first train AMI last Mon
day evening. having secured "a team
and u driver from an Aftor livery barn,
started on a nine-mile drive to the
farm house In question. Il was II very
we'll appearing homestead that the
two men found awaiting them at their
destinations The driver accompanied
Mr.. Cunningham into the house The
family was at home. There In cor
ner of "a room lay Il five-days-old babe.
scantily wrapped. dirty. hungry and
cold the illegitimate CHILD OF a daugh-
ter in the family. The baby had not
been given it's natural nourishment, but
had been obliged to satisfy its hum
ger by chewing the end OF Il rag which
had been moistcned with milk. Mr..
Cunningham asked the female brute
who stood by in the capacity of the
woman of the house" there was
no nursing bottle avail able, or at
least some clothing suitable for the
child. The she-bear replied, why. we
thought of course that yo1l would bring
such things along with you" The
driver looked at the starving little
babe then at the woman. then swore.
He swore several times. He had
heart. at least.
Mr.. Cunningham looked at his watch
and saw that 1T would be 10 o'clock ere
he could drive the Q miles back to
town--yes. he was going to take the
baby but preferred a daylight trip. so
he asked the hycna IL he might have
a bed for the night. She replied,
Mercy, no. we wouldn't have you seen
leaving this house in daylight for the
world" Then our friend set to work
preparing for his long lrive with the
baby. He produced a big, fiat rock.
or soapstone, and warmed it on the
stove. On this he made a little nest
and into it tucked the hright-eyed lit
tie outcast. Two hours later he was
carrying his charge into a hotel in
town. The baby had never cried once,
so comfortable was it in that warm
bed of Mr., Lanninghams lap At the
hotel proper food was secured for the
little guest, SO it put over the first
comfortable night of it's existence. The
next day, Tuesday, NJ Lanningham
came on to Red Oak with the baby. IT.
is now receiving good care in a GER
tain Red Oak home, where it will be
left for several weeks, during which
time it will fatten up and gain
strength. Later on it will be taken to
the home at Des Moines and from
there will go into some good, Chris
tan family.
1t sounds very nice to hear the poets
sing of the grandeur of the human in
tellect and of the lofty ideals and
splendid accomplishments of the hui
man race. The best way to enjoy such
things is to go out behind the barn
and forget that you belong to the
race of people that allows such miser-
able reprobates as that Alton family
to run at large Beside such charac-
tiers the ordinary murderer shines like
a morning star, and the plain Jail birds
of the land look like a galaxy of plan
cts.