, 1881-12-18
Story Of a Doll That Died, Was
Resurrected, and Then
Crenlated.
Utter Failure Of John McCul-
4. Iough's New Play, THE
Bondman."
Personal Experience of NJ. H. r.
in Theatre During
Panic.

ancient knitted stocking that hung by the
chimnev-corner sufficed to hold all the low
ing gifts in the carly days Of the present
century, and, If so great a good as a Noal's
ark lad to sit OH the floor outside the stock
ins, immense was ths joy Of the recipient
Nowadays the infants have a royal time Of
it; the toys Of fairyland; the product Of half
a-dozen countries; truly wonderful books,
the efforts of the clcverest pens and pen-
ellis in the public service, are to be had
in hundreds. Never before were things 50
tempting and bewildering. AS / heard all
old lady say at & toy counter that fairly
startled one with its radiant and ingenious
load, t.\Vllea l used to buy: things for my
children went straight out and got the
drum for John and the doll for Mary, but it's
different thing to buy gifts for the children
of John and Mary" :.
And so thought as gazed at the doll dis
play alone; tile dressed dolls coming from
Paris by the Thousand this year are particu-
larly lovely; there is one sort of doll who
carries with herself three different wigs-a
cur!cd one for company, a braided one for
every day, and all elaborate white one to 60
with Pompadour costume; there are three
holes in the head into which the pins are
driven, and I regret very much that undue
seusitiyeness prevents that fashion from going
into effect on the human head. Then there
is the talking doll that says "ma ma and
.spa Da'' like pllonograph, and has q still
small voice like retiring conscience; and
the doll that shrieks when its stomach is
punched; and the doll that walks, having a
variety of cogs and wheels and a kcy-hole in
the small of her back; but the latest addition
to this tribe is the eating doll! She carries 4
basket of sugar-coated pills on her arm,
a1ld her mouth worn continually open.
Into the mouth the pills go, and
a slight shake takes them into
the stomach, where they rattle about in very
uourishinss way but at this juncture art takes
up the process Of digestion III q way to make
nature wild with envy. The pills continue
and trap in the sole Of the doll's foot opens
and out drops the rcfresllnent, ready to be
served up for a hasty lunch or warmed over
for supper.
in admiring contemplation Of this delightful
nature did things this way! Oh to have
my legs bored out holow and a cork III
my heeis-how- much more would hold Of
~tears stood in ,ny.eyes. as I4iewcd lis agita-
ton. Alas! in this world we often discover
our feelings when it's too late to remedy
them.
And then the eatinG~doll revived in my
childhootl1 Charlotte Elizabeth. Charlotte
was so-c3lled rag doll. stuffed with cotton
and painted very much like Cherokee
sd,aaw. \ wild desire seized me Que day
to feed Charlotte. and big chunks Of cotton
were pulled through hole dug in her poor
n11 rlnutb and SrraDS nf f0nd carefully
tucked in. Charlotte had taken sew
eral hearty meals when she began
to emit the odors Of charnel house; tho
family neid their M noses and to1n the fioGF s
covered that wherever the subscriber sat
nursing tile dreadful Charlotte tile smell was
the strongest, and my bosom was torn with
emotion wien beheld Charlotte in the firm
grasp Of pair Of kitchen tongs going forth
10 burial.
Compulsory confinement prevented my at
tending the funeral, but diligent search
was rewarded; three Sundays my poor
tasorit t rs$ted in her early Er2Se::
the clergyman Of our parish was
just telling my family in their red-ined pew
what miserable sinners they were, and advis-
ing them to confess their manifold wlcked-
nesses when fiayor OF 4. ! /: : Stewart St hS was
net, clasping the disinterrcd and dreadful
Charlotte Elizabeth. presented herself to a
distracted mother and demanded admittanco
2t the pew door she wasn't big enough to
open.
The congregation held their noses while
procession of mother, child, and Charlotte
beat 4 nasty retreat; that morning the Old
original eating doll went head-frst into tue
kitchen fire, and no wonder. contemplating;
that sorrowful cremation when Charlotte
Elizabeth was inundated.
Weare given over and given up to present
buying, and it takes just as much time and
trouble to buy SIS worth Of presents as to
purchase 5000 worth. / stood for half an
hour in the splendid store Of Tiffany one
day last week, aud saw one man select 81, COO
worth Of little things lie carried off in his
breast pocket, and that evening, over in Ave
nue. A {the Deutsche Broadway, listened
with as much pleasure to the bargaining of a
jolly frau who, in the same length of time,
spent less than SIS, and could hardly get out
the store door so full were her arms. The
Tiffany gentleman bought his johnny a
handsome watch and chain, and his little
Mary Ann got necklace with a diamond
studded medallion. The Avenue 4 customer
got her Johnny an express-wagon as big as
himself and her Mary Ann a dollar-doll so
big that as soon as it begins to shed its saw
dust she can contract to supplya circus.
The Fifth avenue man will stow his gifts
in 4. drawer Of his deak till the blessed !
Christ1nas-Eve, and the i avenue woman will
be nut to all sorts of trouble to hide the long ]
stiff legs of that doll and the pole Of that !
wagon from the paying eyes Of the children
in her humble flat; but each parent will feel |
rs happy over their gifts as the other-thank !
God for the dispensari0n that makes q poor
gift. rs rich as a costly one to the giver as
well as the receiver when love prompts and
gratitude responds.
If any one ever doubted the friendship |
john McCulloush's noble heart is capable
of, they should have occupied a seat in the |
Fifth Avenue Theatre Monday night.
In his walks abroad John met Mr.. Lewis |
Wingtield, who is fortunate enough to be the
son Of Viscount and brother Of 4 Lord-he !
also has literary longlngs, and used to con-
tribute paragraphs to London journals over
the nom de plume Of Whrhte-tighe THAT |
intelligent effort of a great mind was tna |