American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-10
THE BLACK DOLL.

THE BLACK DOLL.
Dot was little girl five years old, tn
only child left to her parents, who's
other children all lay sleeping sti
sounder sleep under four tiny mounds @
green turf. The parents were poor an
lived in one poor room love
the water" that is, on the Sun
rey side of the Thames. Tn
die and her scissors and her iron to in
crease the means of subsistence earne
by her husband, who piled some mystic
rious vocation on the riverside, and
when he was not engaged in that voca
ton, performed odd Jobs" in all part
of London. And some of them wer,
very odd jobs. He was one of those mel
who are so very useful when you hav,
something to get rid of and are at you
wits end to know what to do; when, TO
instance, your little dog has died, anC
you don't know what to do with thu
body; or when there is contagious dis
ease abroad, and it seems advisable tC
have certain things disinfected or de-
stroyed. On all such occasions Potter
was your man. He would do anything
for next to nothing, or at any rate for a
mere trifie; anything, at least, that was
not dishonest, for more honest man
than Potter did not exist. Nor had the
repulsive nature of the work on which
he was frequently employed resulted in
any corresponding responsiveness in the
man himself. He had sallow, gaunt
face, it is true, for the lines had not
fallen unto him in pleasant places; but
he smiled, when he did smile, very
brightly, and his manner, especially
toward children, was gentle, and even
winning. No doubt his heart was under
the softening influence of a double men,
Ory-of Dot and of the tiny graves. But
POtten had certainly one unpleasant
popularity: there were times when
he looked the very incarnation of skep-
ticism; disbelief stood confessed in
the twinkle of his eye, in the wrinkles
round his nose, in the lines about his
mouth, in the sound of his Singer.
Sternly admonish him, tearfully beg of
him, solemnly adjure him to be very
careful, and to take the greatest precau-
and his children's, if he had any; and he
sir; to be sure will, ma am; don't you
go for to be afraid" but all the while
his manner and his laugh were as much
as to say: Tut, tut! It's all pack of
no harm shall happen unto
me-" Thus does familiarity breed con-
tempt. Who is it that lights his pipe
over the powder-magazine? Who is it
that burns a naked candle in the deadly
of the mine? And yet Pot
ten was most scrupulously careful in all
that concerned his employers; he may
have laughed at them in his sleeve, but,
it were from a. conscientious
sense of duty or from fear of conse-
quences in case of detected neglect he
performed their orders, as regarded them
selves, to the very letter.
Such was the man who sat contentedly
his pipe in the room where Dot
lay sleeping, and hugging in her arms a
large black doll, with merry black eyes,
mouth and grinning teeth, but
without arms-not doll that most girls
would fancy, but Dot loved it and fon-
died it as if it had been a paragon of
In Mr.. Potten's section of So
ciety no special smoking-room is pro-
Tided, and infants sleep peacefully
amidst the fumes of tobacco. Perhaps
that may be reason why fever, though
ram pant enough, is not more rampant in
certain districts.
Well, Mr. Potter sat smoking, Mrs
Potten sat sewing, and Dot lay sleeping.
Mr.. and Mrs. Potten had deal table be-
.ween them, and on the table stood a
common sort of lamp, which gave a very
good light by means-if smell can be de-
pended upon-of paraffine oil. Dot lay
'leeping; but anybody who supposes that
he occupied her own little cot, with its
coverlet and other accesso-
les which make such pretty pictures of
childhood, would be very
much mistaken. Mr.. Potten's humble
did not admit of SO much
luxury and independence. Mr.. and Mrs
'etten and Dot all shared the same bed,
which, though by no means large, took
Up considerable portion of the apart
nent The bed had a coverlet of patch
work, old and faded. And yet it was
lnything but an ugly spectacle that pre-
ented itself to the husband and wife
whenever they looked in Dots direction.
The bed linen was clean, though coarse
md there, with her head between two
lay Dot. Her fair hair, very
ong for her age, streamed out in all di-
ections; the long lashes of her closed
yes dropped on her cheeks; her smiling
mouth, half open, showed few white |
eeth; her chubby little arms
we're folded round the neck and body, |
nd her little chin rested, as has been |
aid, upon the woolly head of the black |
Ioll. And the black doll, with ring |
through its nose, a necklace of beads |
ound its throat, and a fiaring yellow |
rock upon its body, was gorgeous to be-
old.
Mr.. Potten arose from his seat and
vent softly up to the bed: and there was |
moisture in his eyes when he returned. |
lie resumed his seat and said, chuckling:
Lord love her, How happy she do |
Dokr'
She never had doll afore, you
now, Potten," rejoined his wife, a care
5orn but cheerful, nice-looking woman,
bar them little halfpenny ones"
q" But she's bin a-cryin'," remarked
'otten, with look of inquiry. g see
wO little stains on her little nose"
- Yes" assented Mrs. Potter, with a I
ght laugh. We had a few words
bout the doll; she'd had it playin' with
II the blessed day, and / thought she'd
10 better without it abed. But she
would have dear Blackie, as she calls it;
nd wouldn't even have it undressed. So
let her have her own way, and that
topped her cryin' and made her happy
gain"
What's the harms" growled Potten.
Bless her little hearth
1t must have cost a lot o money, that
loll," said Mrs. Potten, what with the
ize on it, and the dress, and the orna-
nents, and what not"
"Ah. l dare say" observed Potten,
With Indifference.
You'd never have bin able to buy one
ike it," continued Mrs. Potten with much |
mphasis.
Not r." assented Potten with short |
augh. "Ah, it's an i'll wind as blows |
obody any good"
But you never told me where you got |
FROM remarked Mrs. Potten. s. You |
My said it was given to you"
What's the odds?" said Potten, yawn- |
ng. Here, I'm tired; I'm a-goin' to
ed. Come, make haste"
And Mr. and Mrc potfpn were corp