The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-11-05
DANDY.
BY NOAH COUNT.

ing head of bright yellow hair she
bore close resemblance to that plant. /
Dandy had no mother. She never had |
a father. One of Gods unfortunates, (
like Topsey, "she just growe6." She
was thin and spare, with q pinched, |
peaked face, and hungry look about
her blue eyes, that would have wrung
pity from q miser's heart. Her skin
was tanned and freckled and covered
with dirt until her identity as a MEM
Der of the Caucasian lace was almost
lost. She lived in hollow just off
Monroe street, where ''poor white
trash, slow down nig9ers" and filth
enjoyed a squatter's sovereignty over
the land. She lived in a cabin with
white woman whom she called Aunt
Kate. Aunt Kate lived with colored
man named Nose. There were two
other families in the cabin and any
quantity of children in that and the
adjoining huts, so that Dandy had no
lack of companions. She and Jim
Duffy, and Pete Doyle, and Indy
Amy, and three or four other boys
and girls used to make up a daily par
ty of explorers, and there was hardly
street or an alley, or spot on the
beach, or an old, deserted house. that
had not heard their little cracked
voices as they sought enjoyment
DANDY was queer chicken, When
little Bill Doyle, Pete's brother, fell
/ in Swan Greek, she jumped in and
pulled him out, at the risk of her life.
Two or three times she had 'syanked"
some of the children from under the
| feet of horses where they were in inn
| inent peril. When the boys found u
| little dead kitten up in Smoky hollow
she prenared coffin for it, and buried
| it with all the honors of civilization.
When Indy Amy was sick with fe-
yer she sat up three nights in success
sion to give her cooling drinks. The
children all liked Dandy. They look
1 ed up to her as a superior being. So
did the squatters among whom she
lived. But she was so odd looking
that they were continually poking fun
at her. Pete's father used TO say that
she would make a good mop, if she
were turned upside down, while
Aunt Kate's man said tthe chile would
make a Dressed handsome har-pin fur
a big giantess." One day Dandy saw
the bill posters putting up flaming
blue and red aud yellow posters. and
with her little friends she rushed of
/ to see the sight. While she was ad-
miring the pictures she heard some
one reading from the bills about its
being o hippodrome. Dandy had been
TO circus, and stayed to the niger
IN m;nstreI show, had crawled under the
| tent to see the fat woman, the skele-
/ ton man and the boa constructor, but
a hippodrome-
Pete, watts hippodrome? p
Dunno, Dandy" said Pete, as he
! scratched his head
"Pete. less 60.
call right, Dau.'
! And go they did, creeping under the
canvass. and remaining to the very
end of the performance. The next
| day Dandy was serious. The children
| GOT around her in awe as they looked
up into her still face, until finally Pc e
! broke the stiffness:
DANDY, watts up
s4Pete, less play were hippO-hippO-
hippodrOmedaries," said Dan
| dy, stammering over the last word,
and only winding it up with a serious
effort.
The children were delighted. Pete
got his cart, poor affair with four
wheels, aud jim Duffy borrowed a
| two-wheeled vihicle from darkey in
/ Smoky Hollow, which Dandy declar-
ed was every bit of a chariot
Indy Amy and Dandy were chosen
I drivers, and Jim and Pete were lead
horses, with couple of children 10
assist each of them. When all was
ready away they went up street with
"whoop" and a flourish and such
! time as they had. Itwas nip and tuck
for whole block ; then Iudy Anny's
team got little ahead. Dandy shout
] 10 10, 4
they rushed on with a squirt. which
was carrying her by her opponent,
when crack! snap thud! Dandy lay
stretched on the ground, pale as a
ghost, with great cash in her head,
| from which the blood flowed in a
stream. The chariot had run against
a stone and was nearly demolished
| The children thought Dandy was dead
she was so white and still. A police
man came along anG some way or 9TH
er, they never knew how, Dandy was
taken home. The doctor came 10 see
her and then day after day she lay on
her little cot, with only such attend.
ance as the children could give her,
apparently unconscious, with half
| closed eyes. which sometimes opened
wide as she talked wildly of her hor-
ses. her chariot, and the race. Pete
DoVle was conscience-str as he
| came in and looked Oh her poor, wan
face, and he Immediately went out
and brought in the doll which he had
stolen and hid from her week before.
Jim Duffy said if Dandy died he
wanted TO go too. The children all
moped around during the day time
and wept themselves to sleep at night.
Days heightened into weeks. Four
teen days had passed by, and still
Dandy raved and Tnoaned by turns
At last, as the darkness of the four
teenth night grew into dawn, a change
came over the child, and she lay so
still and looked so white that Aunt
Kate thought her time had come.
The children were hastily called and
the neighbors assembled one by one
to see Dandy die. There were no dry
eyes in that room, of all the til rong
that looked Oh her ghastly face and
immobile form. Presently Dandy's
eyes opened languidly and she looked
around the room. Every one present
gave great gulp and their hearts
leaped up into their throats in a re-
markable way. Dandy's eyes closed
again and the sObbing broke out afresh
while Aunt Kate leaned over and
moved her softly up on the pillow
Then Dandy's eyes opened wide, in
deed, and there was sparkle in them
that told of anything but death, while
her shrill piping voice. in tone which
told that the crisis was passed, rang
out the demand
s'D-n yer, Pete Dovle, don't yer
stan there blubbering! Gimme a