The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-21
SMALL BAB'S BIG PIE.

1t was the day after Christmas. Aunt
Helen was talking to her nieces and
nephews, the Parker children. There
were eight of them. Just like steps
of stairs" their great grandfather said.
The lowest step was Daisy. the baby.
one year and three months old; the
next Lilly, two years and half; the
hext Guy, four; then Stella. six; then
Rose, nearly eight; after her Ned; a
little more than nine; after him Ted.
Just eleven, and last and highest, Helen,
named for her aunt, thirteen. Eight
children. Quite enough for one family.
a great many people would think, but
three times, yes. four times that number
could have been taken care of in the
Parker household. For there never
were children, | verify believe, who had
so many near relations TO love them,
and look after them, and give them
presents, as Daisy. Lily. GUY. Stella,
Rose, Ned, Ted and Helen Parker
They had a REORGANIZATION, two
grandmothers. two grandiathers, six
ANGLES. eight aunts ami twelve grown
up cousins, besides their own dear
father and mother. Why, YOU would
have certainly thought they had gone
into the toy business, if you had looked
into their play-room on Christmas
morning. Mantel. lounge, chairs. tables
and stools, TO say nothing of the floor.
which had fair share, We're ali covered
with TOYS. Locomotives that started
off around the room at furious rate,
dragging train of cars, after they
the locomotives. not the cars-had been
wound mp As yOu wind q clock Dolls
that walked, and said papa" and
mamma quite plainly after being
treated IN like manner. Drummer
boys-also obliged to submit to the
winding-up process before they could
begin their performance that beat on
tiny drums with all their might and
main, as though it were the 9Th of July
instead of the 18th of December And
then there were cts that me-Owed, dogs
that barked, pigs that squealed, cows
that mooed, birds that sang. roosters
that crowed, hens that cackled, and
bears that growled. just think of it
And after you've thought of it a mo-
ment, add whistles a-blowing, tambour-
ines a-jingling, rattles a-rattling. small
pianos APPLYING and banjos a tum-
cumming, and you'll say it was no
wonder although they We're so used to
noise, that the father and mother, and
two grandfathe.s. and two grandmoth-
ers. and six uncles, and eight aunts,
and twelve grown-up cousins put their
hands over their ears and fairly
screamed, 1.-The racket was enough to
drive one GRAZ
The grelt-grandfather said nothing.
only sat there and smiled. But then he
was deaf as a stone, and would have sat
there smiling if a cannon had been let
off just outside the door,
Well, to &c back where | began. 1t
was the day after Christmas and the
children We're all in the play-room (this
was a good sized front room on the
ground floor with their Aunt Helen.
and, for wonder, they were very
quiet; that is, what was called .very
quiet by the Parker family. Daisy
had two bells, one in each hand, and
was ring NJ away as well rs she could,
but as the ciapper of one and the ham
die of the other were missing the ring
ing didn't amount to much: and Lily
was prying open the mouth of talking
doll with q hair-pin, TO see where the
talk came from, and Stella was scolding
her and telling her to ''stop that very
instant" and Guy was dragging tin
wagon filled with marbles up and down
the room; but Rose, and Ned, and Ted,
and Helen were attentively listening to
their aunt
Aunt Helen was their prize-medal
Storytelling aunt. Most of the other
aunts, and two of the uncles and half of
the cousins, and one of the grandmoth-
ers could tell stores, too, some of them
very good stories, but Aunt Helen's
were, by far. the best. They were SO
good they were often printed in "Our
Young People,
"Dear me-" said Aunt Helen, show