Evening star., 1918-06-30
e If. I: : II; : :: !, : Z. :: =: ::

~ was any hitch about what We
was goin' to name the baby. Blessed
Il know now Just how it got
one or two little talks on the sub.
5ect, but don't think we'd tackled
the proposition real serious.
You see. at first we were too busy
sort Of gettin' used to havin' him
around and framin' up line on this
parent act we was supposed to put
over anyway, was. And for three
or four weeks, there, I called him
anything that came handy, from
Young Sport to Old snoodlekins. Wee
she sticks to Baby. Uh-huh-just
plain Baby. But the way she says
it, breathin' 1t out kind of soft and
gentle, sounded perfectly all right to
me.
And the youngster didn't seem to
have any kick comm. He was gettin
SO he'd look up and coo real intelli.
gent when she speaks to him in that
fashion. You couldn't blame him, for
it was easy to listen to.
AS for the different things I called
ulH-Htliy no uluu LuSihs
either. No matter what it was-old
Pink Toes or Wiggle-heels-he'd gen.
orally pass 1t or with a smile, pro.
vidin' he wasn't too busy with his
bottle or tryin' to get hold Of his
foot with both of his hands.
listenin'. disapprovin' all the while,
just can't hold in any longer.
isn't it high time," says she, "that
you addressed the child properly by
his right Manner
You don't mean to say" she goes
on. that you have not yet decided on
his baptismal namef"
II didn't know he was q Baptist" ,"
says I feeb1y.
:, I'VE y e. hadn't qSits H settled what to
use bein' In 9 rush about Il Maybe
we're savin' that up"
Saving" says Auntia 'For what
reasonF'
"Oh, general conservation" says Z
Got the habit. We've had heatless
Mondays and wheatless Wednesday,
and fryless Fridays and sunless Suna
days, SO why not nameless babiesT'
Auntie shifts and goes OF with her
nose In the air. as she always does
whenever l spring any Of my punk
But then Wee takes 1t up, and says
auntie is right and that we really
ought to decide on name and begin
using it.
"o6, very WELL" says I. It'll be
thinking one up"
Seemed simple enough. Course, I'd
never named any babies before. but
had an idea could dig out half a doz.
en- good, serviceable monickers be-
tween then and dinner time.
Somehow. though. I couldn't seem to
hit on anything that I was willing to
wish onto the youngster offhand.
When I got right up against the prob
lem. it seemed kind of serious.
Why, here was something he'd have
to live with all his life; us, too: Wed
times day. And II he grew mp and
amounted to anything, as we was sure
he would, 1t would mean that this
front name Of his that had to pick
out might be displayed more or less
prominent. It would be on his office
He'd sign 1t to checks.
Maybe 1t would be printed In the
newspapers, used in headlines, or
painted on campaign banners. Might
be displayed on billboards. Who
could tell?
And the deeper I got into the thing
the more I wabbled about from one
name to another, until l wondered
how people had the nerve to give their
children some of the tags you hear
Percy, Isadore, Lulu, Reginald, and SO
on. And do 1t SO casual, too. Why.
knew Of couple who named their
three girls after parlor cars; and a
glnk In Brooklyn who called one of
his boys Prospect, after the park.
Think Of loadin' a helpless youngster
with anything freaky like that.
besides, now were you going to
know that even the best name you
could pick wouldn't turn out to be a
misft? About the only Percy / ever
knew in real life was a great two
hsted husk who was foreman of a
stereotypin' room; and here in the
Corrugated buildin', IL you'll come in
some night after S, can show you a
wide-buflt scrub lady, with hair red
der'n mine and a voice like a huckster
her front name is Violet. Yet 1 ex-
pect, when them two was babies. both
those names sounded kind of cute. l
could see where it would be easy
enough for me to make a mistake that
1t would take a court order to
straighten out.
So, when Wee asks IL I've made any
choice yet, I had to admit that I'm
worse muddled up on the subject than
when started in. All can do is hand
over list I've copied down on the
back Of an envelope with every one of
EN- checked of as no good.
Lets see." says Wee, glancint 'em
over curious. Lester. Why, I'm sure
that is rather a nice name for a
boy"
Yes" says I; but after I put It
down I remembered a Lester I knew
once. He was simp that wore pink