Chapter 38.
December 16th 1886, is a day much to be remembered in our family, for on that day came to us our little daughter, rightly named Dorothea, the gift of God. Our joy in her was very great, especially mine; I have always felt and said that December 17th was the happiest day of my life. She was very tiny, only 51/2 lbs. her head was covered with thick black hair and she had a wonderfully wise way of opening her eyes and gazing at you, as if she were taking your measure. Her eyes opened far too much, for night after night she lay awake and cried, and in spite of the fine bed lent me by Mim, had to be taken up and rocked. My nurse would have shocked the modern world; she had to have her pint of porter every night before going to bed, and slept all night regardless of the baby’s cries and my vain attempts to quiet her. She absolutely refused to show me even how to wash the infant and was so dishonest that it was a glad day to me when I saw the last of Mrs. Orthwaite.
I was really very ignorant and very helpless, and I had no one to teach me about babies nor even a book of information as to feeding, etc. Such books were not in vogue then and young mothers had to learn by experience. It is true that both mother and Lady Robinson were most anxious to help, but they had had little to do with their own babies, both having excellent nurses who took all the care and responsibility. So I worried on as best I might, getting up night after night and sitting by the stove in our tiny hall, rocking the tiny little thing till she fell asleep, for Jack was not strong and I feared he might be waked, and he could not work all day and manage the depot in the evening if he did not get his sleep. “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.” So quoted a friend to me at this time and how true I have found it. But the wages began from the first day and in spite of tiring days and sleepless nights, the joy in my baby never abated. Night by night as I laid her in her little bed I knelt down by it and prayed for all God’s blessings upon her, and surely those prayers have been heard.
I had servant worries too; my good little Maria was wanted at home and I found it hard to fill her place. I got one girl who proved to be an R.C. She asked me the second day if she should take the baby out a little while. I said yes, for half an hour in front of the house. She agreed and said she would rather carry her than take the carriage. Looking out in a few minutes there was no sign of the girl or baby. The half hour passed, another half hour and another. I was in wild anxiety. At last as it was getting dark she appeared, declaring when I remonstrated with her that I had told her to keep the child out two hours. She left without notice that evening as we were at dinner, leaving the kitchen half scrubbed and all the dishes taken out of the pantry. My good friend Mrs. Irwin came to my aid, as she did so often in after years, and through her I got a quiet decent girl who was a great comfort, and towards spring Maggie Hawthorne, who lived so long with my mother, sent her sister to me. She was at the Lord’s Table and a very nice girl.
I was pretty busy with the baby and the work in the depot. She did not sleep as I notice babies doing now all day and all night. Two hours or two and a half was the extent of her morning sleep and she merely dozed in my arms for a few minutes in the afternoon. At night, if my mother was there, she would rock and pat her and finally the baby succumbed. Then Jack would come with the coal and the noise of its being put on the hall stove would wake her up and the rocking and patting would begin again. But by degrees, though she did not sleep any more, she learned to lie propped up in her carriage while I wrote addresses for magazines or did up parcels. It was during one of those long wakeful afternoons that I found out her fondness for cats. I had tried everything to entertain her and finally, seeing the pussy, put her little hands on it. Immediately she was quiet and began to coo and express her pleasure.
In April we had another visit from Mr. Heney and during his stay he baptized her. I remember he read the first chapter of the first book of Samuel, noting the verse, “And they slew a bullock, and thought the child to Eli”, speaking of our bringing our precious little daughter to God through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who sacrificed Himself for sin.
But busy days and wakeful nights began to tell on my health, and in May our kind friend Dr. Howitt insisted that I should go to the Island for the summer. Mr. Murray, who had never settled down since leaving my mother’s house, offered to come with us, and we would share the expense of a house and boat between us. We found a small house on the Bay side of the Island, near the yacht club, and decided to move the middle of May. Before that time, however, we had quite a visit from Mr. Mace and his wife and baby. He wrote saying that he would like to visit Toronto and would anyone take them in? The question was discussed after one of the meetings, but the baby appeared to be too much, for no one felt they could have them. They decided to send them to the hotel and pay their expenses. Fred Gibson was deputed to meet them that night and take them to the hotel. Both Jack and Fred felt very badly about it, and Jack came home and asked me if we could not take them. I readily agreed, and we all worked hard to prepare my room for them. We moved into Fanny’s room and she slept on the stretcher in the kitchen. We were barely prepared in time, but the pleasure they expressed at coming to us quite repaid any trouble. We had a happy week or ten days with them, and after we were settled at the Island they came to us again for a few days. It was quite a wrench leaving the cottage we had been so happy in. It certainly was small. The baby carriage used to stand on our bed, as it would neither pass the stove in the hall nor go down the lane at the side. The books of course took up a good deal of space, for they almost weekly increased in number and orders came in from far and near. One remarkable fact was that during the week we spent moving to the Island and settling in, not one order came.
We were much encouraged by this, as we felt that it showed the Lord’s care for us and interest in our feeble attempt to supply reading matter to His children.