The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-04-01
ROBBIE GOES TO LIVE IN A PLAY.
HOUSE.

had feast of candy and cakes, and
about an hour after their return home
the unusual dainties they had been in
dulged in began to make Chester a little
uncomforlable-though he did not know
what was the matter. Nothing seemed
pleasant or good to him, and he talked
to Robbie till he made him think it was
much nicer over to Eddy's house than it
was at home. When they had worked
themselves up into a proper state of
f.etfulness the two boys came in to
mamma, who was reading by the last
rays of light.
"Auntie," said Chester, Eve don't want
to live here any more; we want to go to
live with Eddy's mamma"
"Indeed," said mamma, laying down
her book and looking at them, "why
so?"
"Cause Eddy's mamma is nicer" said
Chester. coolly; she never makes us eal
bread n butter; we can have as much
cake s we can stuff"
"An' tea! 'tsreal black, tool" broke in
Robbie, an jam-'thout any bread"
And sugar" exclaimed Chester; {" we
can just help ourselves"
AN Eddy's got more things!" said
Robbie
"An' we like his house better n this
old thing" said Chester contemptuous-
ly.
Mamma was not surprised at this in
Chester, for he was very uneasy little
boy always, and she knew that the things
he had eaten had made him unhappy,
but she was rather hurt that Robbie
should want to leave her. After mo-
ment she said:
$50 my little boy wants to go away
from his mamma-does hep"
eyes," said Robbie, hesitating, as he
remembered the wonderful things over
at Eddy's.
"Course he does, cause it's nicer
there" said Chester.
"Well," said mamma, "Ill tell you
what you may do. If you don't want to
live with me, you may go and stay in
your play y-house till tomorrow, and then,
if Eddy's mamma will take you, you
60 there and live"
"Oh. goedey!' shouted Chester
Bring out all your things, Robbie, and
we'll go live in the playhouse"
They quickly loaded themselves up
with treasures-consisting mostly of
chestnuts and the two pieces of cake,
ard, bidding mamma good-by, went out.
The playhouse was in the back yard
and was very nice one. 1t was built
for chicken-house at first, but mamma
did not have very good success with
chickens, and after they had all died off
she said Robbie should have it for a
playhouse. So one day a man came
there with saw and hammer and
| some other things, and he took down the
roosts, made nice door with knob and
lock on-just like grown-up doors
and neat little window looking toward
the house. When he went away another
man came and whitewashed it all over,
and covered the old chicken yard all up
with green blocks of grass and made a
little walk up to the door, and then it
was as cozy house as one could have.
| Then mamma put down a carpet, and
papa sawed off the. legs of small table
and put up shelf for Robbie's dishes.
Robbie spent great deal of time in
his house and had made several things
for it. One was bench made of box,
with legs of sticks of wood, which he
found in the wood-pile, nailed on. An
other was stool made of the end of a
square plank. with pieces of lath for
legs. This article, however, was merely
ornamental, because the legs were not
strong enough to bear Robbie. In fact
they would hardly hold the plank alone,
and Robbie said he couldn't sit on it, it
was SO tipsy.
Nov, Robbie" said Chester, when
they had taken possession, 1--WE must
have something to keep off bu'glars."
II know what" exclaimed Robbie
"Ill take the hatehet-I can hatch theil
heads Off"
"Yes, an the hammer" said Chester
"If one comes, I'll just-smash in his
head"
The hatchet, and hammer and q white
wash brush, that Bridget had left on 8
bench by the kitchen door, were carried
into the house, the door locked, and the
two discontented boys prepared to sleeI
on the floor, with their weapons beside
them.
They could not 60 to sleep, however
and by and by they began to get hungry
and to their surprise they found thai
their cake did not taste SO good as they
expected, and at last Chester proposed
that Robbie should 60 to the house an(
get some bread and butter.
i "But we don't b'long there now," sait
he.
.. That's no matterr' said Chester
Knock at the door, and ask her. 6h'
always gives It to folks. I've seen her
So In minute mamma, who was b
the dining room, heard : faint little tal
lonthe side door, and opened It.