The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-09
quite amusing. am gong to let you

enjoy it.
one afternoon a company of friends
went to the sea shore to have good
Time and among them little girl and
her mother. They walked uD and down
beautiful sandy beach, sat on the
broad shaded piazza of a fine hotel,
enjoying the mueic from a,g0od band,
and watching the hundreds of people
ENJOYING the beauties of the place, like
themselves. The little folks were busy
in every direction digging wells and
making forts in the sand, bright and
happy as the sunshine that surrounded
them.
The little girl took her doll with her,
as she did on nearly every occasion,
and pointed out to Miss Mary, as she
called her, all the beauties of the
place. Then. as she received present
of a little pail and shovel, with an in
vitation to q good dig in the sand, she
handed Miss Mary to her mother.
charging her to take care of the child
until her return. and not let her fall
into the ocean, Or 60 out in any of the
sail-boats, and went Off full of glee
with her friends to q distant part of the
beach.
The mother, conversing with her
friends on the piazza, held the doll,
and, after = little while, as two gentle
men friends suggested 3 walk. she rose
and absent-mindedly putting her arm
about Miss Mary. started out. Before
they had gone far she noticed that
every person coming towards her
seemed full of laughter, that ladies and
gentlemen glanced at her, and then
smiled significantly at each other, until
she felt sure that there must be some
thing peculiar in her dress or looks to
cause so much merriment.
She felt each side of her bonnet.
wondering ii the long bonnet pins
were standing out, and giving her a
ridiculous appearance, but no, they
were all secure in their places. Then
she felt of her tie. wondered if her collar
was awry, and, as different ones ap-
preached. each person breaking out in
to smile as they drew near, she began
to wish that she had not started. and
was decidedly uncomfortable.
Finally, as a company of young peO-
pie passed, smiling like the rest, but
unlike the others, unable to restrain
their risibles, broke out into a merry
laugh as one remarked. ''Did you ever
see ANYTHING 80 ridiculous?' it instantly
dawned upon the unfortunate lady that
she was promenading up and down the
beach, Il gentleman on either side, con-
versing as though she were a sane per-
son, and she. tall and large. carrying
this little doll on her arm. 1t was RI
diculous enough when discovered. and
the gentlemen, as we'll as the lady who
had been the cause of all this merri-
ment, laughed heartily.
Poor, innocent Miss Mary, who looked
so pretty as her little blue-eyed "mam-
ma" carried her about, but presented
so entirely different appearance in the
arms of her tall, absent-minded grand
MOTHER was Immediately concealed,
while the lady and friends walked back
to the hotel, noticing as they went the
look on the faces of the passers-by, as
though they said: "That doll has van
ished. She's discovered what we were
laughing at"
So sometimes when we are inclined
to grow indignant at the unexplained
smiles of other people, it is quite posi-
bic we might join in the laugh ourselves
if we could only discover the cause of
their merriment.--C Chicago Standard.