The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-05-24
SARAH'S PIANO.

where Sarah's dolls kept house.
These dolls were in very redtced cir
cumstances, for you had to climb ladder
to get to their home, and when you got
there they had nothing to keep house
with but the piano, one broken chair,
which was used for music stool, and a
few pieces of dishes; but then, you see,
the piano made all the difference in the
world, and they seemed quite nice and
gentcel
The piano was made of long board
put up oh two old saw bucks, with little
leather headed tacks driven in for white
keys, and black-headed ones for black
keys. 1t had seven octaves, and If the
KEYS soeren't quite straight you must re-
member that Sarah was only little girl
and that she made the piano all herself.
Sarah went up almost every day to give
her dolls music lessons, and such pre-
else little music.teacher think you never
saw.
After she had once climbed the ladder
she would adjust herself and come In with
a sort of polite squeak to her shoes, and
taking out her gold watch, which hung by
a shUe.stfins and which was made of a
round piece OF pasteboafd with lead PEN
Gil figures on it, she would say chcerily,
"Well, young ladies, hope you've got
your music lessons pretty perfect, to. day."
and then she would take the young ladies
one by one upon her lap, point out the
notes, rap them over the knuckles when
they played wrong, praise them and scold
them for Just the exact number OF minutes
by the little gold watch.
All this was very nice and Sarah en-
ioyed her piano very much, but one time
the little girl cried, and it is Gbout this
crying and what happened along with it
that am going to tell you now.
She had been to see Libbie Roberts, and
Libbie had one of those real pianos with
ivory KEYS that answer back when you
touch them, and Sarah went home feeling
discouraged.
She climbed up over the bara and sat
down by the window with eyes so full OF
tears that she couldn't see through the
cobwebs that curtained it.
NASTY old thingl' she said, looking
over to the piano. 1t isn't piano-so
there! It Just stands, and stands, and
stands, and that's all it does do, and
never did have anything, and | never
SHALL" and Sarah put her head into her
hands and sobbed such big sobs that am
sure it would have touched the hearts of
the dolls sitting around her, if they had
only Just been made with hearts inside OF
them!
But by-and-by ray of sunshine came
through the cobwebs, and l think it
streamed through Sarah's fingers and
dried up the tears, for she raised her head
and stopped crying. And then q ray of
that other kind Of sunshine must have
crept into her heart, for she went and sat
down by the piano and bowed her head
lovingly upon it.
"It is a piano." she said, in soothing
voice. IF yon only just make believe
hard enough, it is one, and it goes of
every single time you touch it just as
sweet and loud as it can CO."
Then she bounced up again and went
and put her dolls hats upon them, telling
them to hurry up, for she was going TO
take them to q concert. She placed them
all in a row on the piano, then seated her.
self by it and proceeded to give the con-
cert. she played and thumped with all
her might, while her voice rung out as
loud and clear as a whole choir OF bird
voices after shower.
l told you that when Sarah was sitting
by the window she couldn't see through,
on account of the tears and the cubwebs.
| If it hadn't been for these she would have
seen her great t-aunt Sarah driving up in
little old fashioned buggy.
Aunt Sarah was q nice old lady, but she
always wore black dress and always
looked very sober, for almost all her
| friends were dead and she had seen q
great deal of trouble.
Sarah's mother took Aunt Sarah into
the front room, gave her q fan and brought
her drink Of cold water, for Sarah's
mother was q kind hearted woman, and
she always hated to see Aunt Sarah look
30 solemn.
When she couldn't think of anything
else to cheer her up, she asked her II she
didn't want TO 20 to the barn and see 8
new.fashioned hen, that laid very large
egg. Aunt Sarah didn't care about new
| fashioned hens, but she followed Sarah'i
| mamma to the barn, and they got there
! lust as the concert upstairs was at it
! height. and they stood in the barn. -dooI
md listened while Sarah sung, II want tc
! be an Angel, )" and Home. Sweet Home, Z
without CULVER in her voice, never Onct
| thinking that anybody but the dolls wers
attending the concert.
| g Is that little Sarah !" asked Aun
| Sarah, ct last.
"Yes,'' said Sarah's mamma. "She'
| got an old board marked off up there
that she calls her plano, and the poor 1T
| lie thing goes up every day TO play on Il, :
md Sarah's mammals face looked rea
sorry for just minute.
| Aunt Sarah didn't say anything. Sht
| glanced at the eggs. then went into TIL
| house, and by-snd-b after taking an
l oaher drink Of cold water, started To-