Year: 1874

Pheegie said, ''Oh, bother tn,


humble cot!" But 1 don't think m,


dear wife understands mother.
thought there was something very
touching in this display of grand
mammals devotion. But somehow
Pheegie don't appear to think JUS
so.


As said, however, we have got :
baby.


HE is A BOY.


He is also. very bright child, in
deed. For that matter the worthy
nurse told Pheegie that she did moi
know as she had ever nursed bright.
eF young one. Our own baby is SIX
months old now, and is very healthy,
Dear mother says that she don't like
the way in which it shakes its head
every now and then. L think it is
queer, too, for its head certainly does
shake at times without the slightest
occasion for it. I sometimes feel
quite serious about it. Pheegie don't
seem to feel so, and when said
thought 1 ought to speak to the doc
tor about it, she told me / might al
so tell him that the child's toes
wriggled peculiarly. l didn't like
her saying that, and 1 noticed that
dear mother didn't laugh. 1 agree
with her that God gives us these pre-
cious wards to take care of. Pheegie
says that she supposes that God also
makes the. precious wards head
shake. There is something in that.
But wonder if Pheegie really loves
the child. Mother often says that
she hopes she does.


WE KEEP A NURSE.


She is a young Irish girl. 1 confess
don't like her much, and l doubt
whether she feels very deeply for the
child. Often and often does the lit
tie thing cry at night but never yet
has that girl come down to see what
the matter was. If she would do so
once in a while at least, it would be
showing a little interest in her
charge.


Mother don't like the girl. She
thinks she is a Jesuit, and believes
that she would murder the baby
quick if the priest told her to do it.
l am inclined to think so, and kind
of wish we had a Protestant. But
somehow Pheegie don't seem to think
so.


But what want to ask you is this,


WHAT Is THU REASON


that doctors never think that babies
are sick? They never do unless the
little things are far gone with scarlet
fever, cerebro-spinal meningitis, or
something dreadfully fatal. Let the
child be teething, or have collie, or
wind on its little stomach, or any
thing OF that kind, and doctors new
er seem to feel interested in the pa
tient case. They say that the little
things will outgrow it, or something
of that sort. Now that is absurd.


l put it to you, Mr.. Reader, as
man of feeling. Suppose you had
pain in your person, and were really
suffering a great deal, and a doctor
should come and grin at you, chuck
you under the chin, pinch your legs,
and say that "you would come out
all right" or "outgrow it." or some
thing of that kind! Would you like
that? of course you would not. 1t
would not be natural.


Now, I don't know why it should,
but our baby suffered a great deal
from abdominal trouble. Mother
thinks he inherits it; she says that
all her children were that way. 1
think this very satisfactory expla-
nation. Why shouldn't child in
herit things of that kind, just the
same as hair, teeth and things of
that sort? 1t looks reasonable to
mother and me. But somehow, Phee-
gie don't seem to think so.


But, upon my word, 1 have written
so much that l have but little space
left to tell you about a little matter
in our own baby's tender experience,
which illustrates how little doctors
care for other peoples children.
Mother says she thinks they get
hardened. But one would think they
would not. I have been after the
doctor good deal for our own baby,
but he never seems to come with
alacrity. Mother generally tells me
when to go. She thinks one cannot
show too much care of a child-it is
such a grave responsibility. l think
so, too. But somehow, Pheegie don't
always seem to think so. wonder
If she really does love our own ba-
by? I spoke to mother about it the
other night, and she said she hoped
SO, for it was an awful thing to throw
ones own child into the teeth of
Providence; and thought SO, too.
But now 1 certainly must tell you
WHAT HAPPENED THE OTHER NIGHT.


Our own baby got sick, and moth
er wanted me to go for the doctor.
Pheegie didn't think there was any
use for him, but mother thought
there was. However, mother very
frankly owned up that the child was
Iphigenia's. She said that her solic-
itude sprang entirely and only from
love for the little one; but if that
affection was irksome to us, we had
only to find her a humble cot in
some retired spot, where she would
pass her widowed days, praying for
her children and their child, and
thanking God that its death did not
lie at her door. Pheegie rolled over
in bed, and said "Oh! good gra-
cious !' But l went out of the door.


1t was not a good night to go. 1t
was one of those freely kind of
nights when the rain becomes ice on
the pavement; it was real hard work
to 60 for the doctor; it was impossi-
BILE to run. / tried to walk fast, but
slid and slipped and Slid. And then
I would manage to catch hold of
fence, and my legs would slide from
under me and would find my face
in precisely the contrary direction
from that which l wanted to go. I
II IL e IL. .A....A l,s -