The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-06-01


cause, whenever mother made me az
she always took her water-colors az ars
painted face on it. So mine alwa. au
had brown hair curling about their fa:a
heads, little eyebrows, blue ewes rosr
cheeks and red lips, and were alwa way
smiling. "ays
They all had names, but / can on,u
remember now Susanna and Aliss' !
Susanna was rather large, and had
pink artificial rose sewed on the tor = a.
her head, which made her look alw III Z
dressed for a party.
But Alice was my darling. HShe w..
the smallest rag-baby of all, and hs5
the sweetest little face, and 4 littls,
blue dress. / do believe she would s,is
look pretty to me now if had her bael
again. ~ - Z Et' 80
Susie Bradley used to come sona
times with her rag-babies.i and 3.
played house on different figures ON ~.
carpet. Julia Dayitt came, too. hns,
she had a doll. and liked to NAV
queen. f41
One day they We're both at nv honse
and the Cohen girls came in d l;ttls
while after because it was wet, and char
mother would not let them play out q
doors. ~ EiM - :.
I'VE haven't brought any rac.
babies" said Fanny Cohen. saB,1,t
you'll let us play with yours, won't YOU
Maldle p' Sf.s3 gt So "a ssssf-sss4 : rs7sa
So let them each take two Of nina
to play with. and we had beautiful i
time.
Julia took the easy-chair for her
house. ! had mine under the table'
Sadie and Fanny chose figures on tbas
carpet, and Lofty Cohen took fra
hearth-rug, because her mother had
said she must stay where it was warm. (.
for she had a sore throat. remember
she looked pale. Ss''s1.
She seemed very fond of the two rac.
babies lent her, and said: sssf =
Il never had any SO pretty as yours, I
Maidie." Is I
We went visiting each other, and d
mother let us have cookies and sliced
apples to pass around. NV rag-babiea
appeared to great advantage, and Su-
sanna looked really brilliant with ~
pink roses on her head. g
Il have a rag-baby bigger she is, at
home" said Fanny. shut I'll change
with you if you II give me Susanna. y :
But [ had seen Fanny's, and II q
wouldn't change, would you? For 4
rag baby with no eyes and mouth and
with finger-marks where her cheeks
ought to be! Ididn't care if her iress
a0as made out of an old silk apron.
At last the little girls had to 90. Julia
carried her doll in her arms, and Sadie i
huddled all her rag babies into her apron. Z:
"Come along. Lottie,, said Fanny
Cohen.
Lofty laid down my two rag babiesrc.
gretfully, and said:
II love 'em dearly, and I most hate
to leave 'em!'
However she did leave them, and | y
let up the whole twelve in row, with
Susanna at one end and Alice at the
other. Andyou don know how cunning
md pretty Alice looked.
She had q more timid smile than the
others. and her arms kept down, while
he rest held theirs straight out. III
lad known what was going to happen,
should have hid her!
The next morning / was sitting, limo, !,
'ent and unsuspecting, at the window.
eWing some patchwork, when Lofty
Cohen came in and stood around. She /,
lid not want to take her bonnet of, and
he seemed to have something on her
mind.
- wasn't very well last night shes
aid, slowly, after a while, coming near
II to me.
I felt sorry for her, and she looked ii I
ne with hesitating smile.
. had to take castor-oa, she went
N, land / didn't want to take ii, but
mother hired me.''
What did she give you?" l asked,
Nth interest.
Oh, nothing, but she said il would
axe it she guessed Maidie Bolles would
i've me one of her rag-babies, SO took
t. and she told me this morning could
ONE over for the rag baby"
There was a minute of awkward
Hence. | did not see then, and don't I.
ee now, what business Mrs. Cohen
lad to hire her little girl to take bad
nediclne by promising her one Of my
ag- babies.
felt sort of shyness about object
ng, and had queer feeling that IL i
id not give Lofty rag-baby, then her
mother would have deceived her, and It
Vould be my fault ass
My own mother had gone over to
Aunt AIMS on an errand, SO there was
10 one to consult with. and when Lofty
aid, hopefully:
May | pick out the one I want
ow?' it seemed to me that there was
% help for it, and I CROSSED the room
nth her to where my twelve rag-babies
Of in row. had so many, surely !
ould spare her one.
But thought of course she would
lick out one of the two she had loved
Q dearly the day before. I almost
new which one it would be, the one
With the reddest cheeks.
She hesitated, she looked up and
own the row. began to be afraid she
1ould choose Susanna; never thought
anything worse than that! But she
,oked up and down, and-she- took =
Iicei H
l remember how badly / felt, and how
never thought of resisting. suppose
thought / must not. Perhaps / felt y
'ould not be polite.
A Ill