The Argosy — page 291: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

272 The Village Blacksnuth. ‘There are mothers in the world such grand ladies that they think they know better than Providence how to nourish their little ones; mothers with far less feeling than a dumb animal; mothers that aren’t to be named in ‘the same day as a hen, to say nothing of a cow,” she was wont to declare. After much consideration Mrs. Canter decided to say nothing to Janet for the present about her father’s illness, but wrote to Reuben saying Janet was ill in bed with a bad cold—Oh! Mrs. Canter !— but would, she hoped, be well enough to go to him in ten days’ time, if he then wanted her. Having despatched Mary Jane to the post with this letter, Mrs. Canter proceeded to celebrate her morning rites; in other words, to dress the baby. ‘* Janet,” she said, as the baby, innocent of any clothing, lay on her lap, while, with one of her enormous arms bare to the shoulder, she tested the heat of the water destined for the baby’s bath : “ Janet, I can’t think why you don’t tell your father of your marriage in spite of Master Rex. The sight of this blessed infant would move the heart. of a stone.” ..- The blessed infant, held up high in Mrs. Canter’s arms so that his feet touched her face as she leant back in her chair, failed to move his mother’s heart, in spite of his perfections. “No, Aunt Norah, I can’t. I gave my word not to tell till Rex gave me leave, and I'll keep my word if I have to die for it.” . “Don’t talk of dying, Janet, with a baby like this to bring up,” — said Mrs. Canter, who was now engaged in soaping this same baby’s ~ mottled body all over. ‘‘If Miss Vera likes to tell father, she can, She'll know it ina 4 day or two.” | ‘Miss Vera has troubles enough of her own without having to share yours and Master Rex’s,” said Mrs. Canter, as she transferred the baby from her lap to its bath. ‘‘ What he wanted to tell her for beats me. But there! men are poor things. They can’t bear , trouble ; and as for pain, they don’t know what it is.” _ ‘The baby uttered a shrill protest on behalf of his sex to this last | observation, as the operation of sponging, technically alluded to by Mrs, Canter as “sluicing,” now began. ‘‘Sluicing” was apparently fraught with discomfort if not with pain to the victim, for he screamed lustily till it was over. .[here; then ; did it cry, then?” It certainly did, so the question was superfluous. But Mrs. Canter lapsed into baby- talk, finding Janet was obstinate, and continued to © dilate on the various perfections of the baby, and to maintain that | he was a man of mettle, and a gentleman, and a king, and a prince, ; until the toilet of the youthful owner of all these exceedingly | inappropriate titles was finished. | Her mind then reverted to Vera, and she began to wonder how | Eomichbooks.com)