The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-11-09
BRAVE LITTLE DOLLY.

"Dolly! Dolly! Polly Dolly Ade
line"
Here | am, when you get through
your noise,' remarked Dolly, calmly
, creeping out from corner of the hay
NOV, her hair full of chatf and hel
apron of eggs. do you want any,
thing particular, or are you just hoI
leringP
81 want something particular, Miss
Goodness, said her big brother Joe,
who stood on the ladder leading to the
NOW, his head on a level with Dollv's
feet. Il want to know if anything
will stir you up?'
Yes" ans wered Dolly, slowly. 81
suppose | could get very vexed, Joe, if
you teased me hard enough; only you
never do, you know"
"lts not my fault if | don't, you
good little duck" said Joe, remorsc-
fully. Il will help you down with
your eggs, for mother wants you to
take care of Poppet while she goes to
Trenton"
"Well,' said Dolly, serenelv.
She was quite used to taking care of
Poppet. and if you think that was Il
small thing to do, | wish you could
have tried it once.
He was a dear baby brother, but he
| l.,
hour than most babies think of in a
month.
Dolly loved him dearly; SO when she
had watched her mother and Joe drive
away, sic hugged Poppet, and called
him the best boy in the world.
Then she began to wash up the break
fast dishes, and P0ppet proceeded to
fill his pinafOre from the coaI-hod and
drop the contents into the flour barrel,
which his mother had left uncovered in
her haste.
80 naughty, naughtyr said Dolly,
when she spied the mischief, and went
r. lMaassah Maasa the little RRllaek handsi I9ppet
to be kissed, and scrambled away to
catch the kitten and stuff her head-tirst
into the jar of yeast which was set to
rise by the stove.
Pussy punished that deed by scratch
es that made Poppet roar loud and
long, and refused to be comforted un-
til patient Dolly rocked him to sleep,
singing all the tunes she had ever
learned in her ten years of exist
ence.
She gave a sigh of relief when she
laid him in his trundle-bed, and care
fully covered him with blanket.
81 wish he would sleep an hour, !"
she said to herself; "only he never
does, so suppose l should be fright
ened if he did now.'
Poppet gave his sister no such cause
of alarm, you may be sure. In about
half an hour he was out in the kitchen,
all pink and warm from his nap, ask
ing for bread and butter.
Dolly gave him large slice, and
left him to eat it on his little stool
while she went down cellar to get pO-
tatoes for dinner. When she came
back, no Poppet was seen, either in the
bedroom, kitchen or pantry.
Dolly called and looked, but only
when she ran out into the yard did she
espy the runaway.
There he was, standing on nearly the
top round of the tall ladder which
leaned against the shed. How his
baby feet had carried him there, Dolly
could not imagine; indeed, she could
not think of anything but Poppet S
danger, and if Joe had seen her white
face and trembling limbs he could not
have called her "Miss Goodness
then.
One step more, and the little rogue
stood on the sloping roof, laughing
with delight at his high position.
Dolly dared not call out; if he was
startled he would surely fall. But she
ran like a deer across the yard, up the
stairs to the shed chamber, up the lad
der to the trap-door in the roof, which
| she softly pushed open.
Very gently she put her head through
t the opening, and said, forcing herself
. to smile:
Nice Poppet! Good boy to climt
f way up. Now come to sister, and gel
/ sugar"
2 That was what Poppet liked, and 81
7 he toddled up the sloping roof, laugh
3 ing and patting his baby hands togeth
er, while Dolly held her breath ant
: watched him.
At last he was within reach, ant
l Dolly caught him in her arms and hat
him safe on the shed-chamber floor.
3 Then she sat down and cried, ant
g trembled and cried, while Poppet, feel
1 ing himself cheated, roared and kicked
and called for "sugar," and pushe'
e his sisters hands from her face, unit
she had to rouse up and pacify him.
l Poppet could not understand VIII,
h Dolly hurried him into the house s.
s fast, and why she locked all the door
s in the house, and poured the content
; of the sugar-bowl into his lap, ant
f then sat on the floor and held his dres
; with both hands.
Y But he liked it, and went on eatin
d sugar until home came his mother an
s Joe to hear the whole story.
d "My brave little Dollyv' said he
It mother, and Poppet wondered to Sc
It them both crying, and to be hugged S
9 hard by Joe, who rubbed his jacket
}, sleeve across his eyes, and shifted vic
it lently, before he said, in choke
J. voice:
, "You got stirred up then, dldn
you, ducky"