 | Saratoga in 1901 |  |
GINX.
“Who is Ginx?”
“Ginx was the father of the thirteenth
baby. Ginx was poor, and
becoming impatient at Mrs. Ginx's
increasing babies, after she had had
the twelfth, declared that he would
throw the thirteenth off of Westminster
Bridge.”
“Did he do it?”
“No, but he discovered the infant, after Mrs. Ginx had succeeded
in hiding it away for several days—seized it and started
for the bridge, and—
“Threw it in!”
“No, the police stopped him, Ginx expostulated, said he
didn't want the — baby; that he had twelve already at home;
Then a Catholic nun came along, and offered to feed it and save
its life.”
“And never bring it back?” asked Ginx.
“Never!”
“He's yours—to have and to hold!” And then Ginx ran back
to his wife and wretched twelve children, a happy man.
“What then?” But Bernstein started up Brook's “Silver
Slipper” gallop, the belles rushed to the hop-room, and I had to
lean forward to catch the story.
“Then,” said she, whispering loud, “the tug commenced. The
baby was baptized. Ginx's wife had to go and nurse the baby
twice a day. Father Cozan wanted to—and did—make the
sign of the cross on Mrs. Ginx before the baby was allowed to
nurse. Mrs. Ginx told this to a Protestant friend.
“`Sign of the cross, Mrs. Ginx! Oh, horrors—they are making
a proselyte of the baby—those atrocious Catholics!” said the
friend.
“Then the Protestant clergy got hold of the scandal. The
Protestant papers rioted over the matter. The clergy went to a
lawyer. `The Catholics have forcibly distrained a Protestant
baby, and are trying to make a Catholic of him—what shall we
do?' they asked.
“`Bring an action,' said lawyer Meddle, `an action of habeas
corpus.'
“The case went
to court. Thousands
of pounds
were spent. The
newspapers talked
about the
`Ginx's-Baby
Case.' `Ginx'sBaby
money, and the baby was surrendered to the
Protestants. Soon the baby fund was exhausted;
its nurse in vain demanded pay for nursing him;
and finally, one day, she left the poor baby on a
club-house door-step to starve! Another humane
religious society took it after the almshouses had
said they would not have it. Another religious
controversy ensued. The baby was always poor,
half-starved, and neglected, while everybody was
fighting over his religion.”
“What became of him?”
“Well, after fifteen years of kicks, of cold
neglect, of ignorance, and starvation—while all
the world and the newspapers were talking about
how the Catholics had forcibly distrained a
Protestant child from its doting parents—the
poor, neglected, sorrowful, ignorant boy went, one
dark night, with not even a flickering star to see
his act,—went and jumped—”
“Off Westminster Bridge?”
“The same; and at the very place where the
policeman caught Ginx fifteen years before, as he
held the little innocent cause of all the trouble
over the rolling flood.”
| Saratoga in 1901 | |