The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-11-08
Ki-Ki and Poo Poo.


"navy blue and bright buttons. Papa
was there in his farmers jeans; and his
two motherless little darlings, Gussie
and Bette, were there in their new Rob
Roy plaids," neat, white aprons, and
snowy yarn stockings, which we're
stretched over their plump, shapely
legs. as neat and close as the linen bag
over grandmas Thanksgiving pudding.
Uncle Roland, "the lion of the day
in that dear old homestead, had but just
arrived from long, weary cruise, and
had FASTENED to his Western home to
spend Thanksgiving day with his aged
mother" perhaps for the last time,
her fond heart suggested, for he was
ordered to the South Pacific coast, and
was to sail in the ship Fredonia,
which was to leave port in a few days.
Gussie and Betty had watched for their
Uncle Roland's arrival for hours, with
their fair, plump faces pressed close
against the panes of the parlor window
He came at last, hale, handsome, and
ight-hearted as boy.
The first greeting was over. Grand
ma, flushed and happy, FASTENED to COM
plete her preparations for the forthcom-
ing feast; and vibrated between kitchen
and parlor, like o pendulum, stopping
now and then in her busy flight to brush
her fair, withered hand over the brown
ripples of her proud, handsome boys
hair. Papa sat and cOnversed with I'm
Gle Roland by the parlor fire; while Gus
sic and Betty fell timidly back into the
corner Of the room, and enjoyed him
from distance, giving him all the
sweet, heartfelt admiration of their fresh
young hearts.
Uncle Roland, though apparently
deeply absorbed in conversation with
papa, kept one eye, and one ear, on his
little nieces, whom he loved dearly.
They were his dead sisters children, and
he felt the deepest, tenderest solicitude
for them. They were simple little
country girls, unused to the follies and
fashions of the gay world. They were
free from gUile-pure- hearted, and
stainless as the white Lilies that bloom
at the window by their side. They
were his little innocent darlings. He
was merry, mischievous fellow, and
loved to tease them, always sure Of his
4" makeup kiss at the end.
The little girls sat looking at Uncle
Roland in mute admiration. "Ain't he
sweet ?" whispered Gussie at last, be-
hind her little hand.
And amt he pretty2" whispered
Betty.
"S-u-c-h coat!" ssid Gussie
"And 8-u-c-b buttons!!' said Betty.
Uncle Roland turned about suddenly
and cried:
"Hallo over there! What are you
Whispering about?" Thepoor little girls
blushed scarlet, and looked guilty and
confused. "Tell it out!" cried Uncle
Roland. "Out with it!'
"We were just talking about man, ="
said brave Betty, demurely.
"Well, what about the n1G92?" said
Uncle Roland.
"We said he was sweet, =" said Betty.
/" What else?" urged Uncle Roland.
"And pretty, said Betty.
"What kind of coat did the man
wear?" said Uncle Roland,
"Blue coat and brass buttons" said
Betty.
81 thought sol" said Uncle Roland,
laughing. And his name isis
"Uncle Roland!!" cried the little girls
in one voice.
Uncle Roland went over to his admir-
ing little friends, and crowded himself
down between them on the little lounge;
then, winding an arm about each, began
telling them funny little stories which
they found dificnlt to believe, but felt
in their loving little hearts bound to
believe, because he was '' so sweet" and
g SO pretty, and " their own dear Uncle
Roland"
paymaster in the UnitS4 States navy,
and had been in many foreign lands, and
had seen many strange people and scenes.
His stories were always peculiar, original
and most marvellous; but foolish and
trivial as they may have sounded to the
ear Of stranger, they always contained
keen little blade of moral, pointed at
some fault he may have observed in his
sweet but erring young nieces; and they
never forgot the lessons these little fool
ish stories were intended to convey.
In the great city of Pekin, China, some
years ago, there lived two little Chinese
boys named XIX and Poo-Poo (said
Uncle Roland, as he sat squeezed in be-
tween his precious little nieces, on the
old lounge). They had little, black, bias
eyes, curlicued eyebrows, coarse, raven
hued hair, braided down their backs in
spindling pig-tails; very long, dirty
fnger-nails; clean, white teeth; clay-col-
ored compilations, and little dumps OF
noses. "The handsomest boys in all
Pekinf' their good old dim-eyed mother
thought.
One day when the poppy fields were
crimson, and gold, and purple, and blue,
with bloom, Ki-Ki and Poo-Poo wan.
dered off for beetle and butterfly hunt
After roaming up to their funny little
eyes in poppy blossoms the greater part
Of the day, they returned home just az
the sun was sloping over the great Chi
nese wall, to the west The straw bas
kets and silken gauze nets were tilled
with the suOiIs of the day-beetles anC