Aunt Bill Rambles — Lil’l Young’uns

I ain’t never see’d the beat in my life — how folks treat lil’l young’uns today.  Last week we went to the tax office — we had to see what The Infernal Revenue was gonna to do us — and the north wind was bad.  Y, hit would cut right through a body.  I see’d this woman come out of the back — I know she wuz there to git her taxes figured, too, and she had this cute little child in her arms.  Hit looked like a boy — had nothing on but what looked like a pair of pajamas — you know, that kind with feet.  The baby didn’t have on no coat er nothing — he didn’t even have on shoes and here she goes out’n this warm building in this cold wind.   I jist drawed up in a knot thinking about how cold that baby wuz.

And then another time, we had company last week and they had two lil’l kids.  I hear’d the doorbell a’ringing, but I’m so slow hit was ringing the third time before I could git there and there stood a little girl with no coat on — she was holding hit in her hands.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Her and her mother come on in and then I see’d the daddy coming with a really small little girl in his arms.  Now that same wind was blowing 90 to nothing and hit wuz cold.  That  little biddy girl had on some long stockings, but no shoes.  She walked all over the place here and I know’d her feet wuz cold.  She had on the cutest dress, but that’s all she had on her body.  I ain’t never!!  No wonder so many babies is sick — the mamas don’t know how to put clothes on ’em to go outside (er inside either for that matter). Y, them little folks ort to a had on a cap of some kind to go out and they ort to wear shoes — floors is cold even in the house.  I guess this is gonna be a new kind of country living.