The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-05

llNC CCuOos AhONS 81 ~ . "a S0AA NssAA
buy her. !.
wouldn't stop at a little difference
said the gentleman. smiling very kind
", s'only really don't care about sell
ing her. for there's little boy lik'
you who thinks he wants her for hi
sister,"
Johnny did not wonder at that
Bridget led him further on.
..Oh--ouch!" he suddenly cried, put
ting his hands on his head and looking
up to see who could be treating him 81
roughly.
ssBless the little fellow Baby! baby
let go. Naughty. naughtyr' A bonny
fresh faced country baby had taken
tight grip of his crrls and was laughing
and Growing gleefully as she jcrket
away at them without mercy.
Never mind it, ma'am.' said John
ny, politely, winking his eyes very hare
as baby's mamma disentangled thu
plump little fingers. .'But-will YOU
sell the baby to me for a little sister,
Ill give you twenty-five cents. They
said 1 could get one here for hal
price"
sob, I'd let you have her in a min
ute. honey, if l could spare her to any
body: but she's all the ba5y'I We got
and Icouldn't sell her for all the money
in the world
"They must have made a mistake or
the ticket" said poor Johnny to him
self, as Bridget placed him on a good
high seat where he could see all thai
went on in the ring. On the seat ius
below him was good-natured looking
woman with round face and light hair,
And on each side of her were two little
girls exactly like her, only great deaI
smaller. and all exactly alike four in
all; and the hair of all the four wa.
braided in loug braids and looked like
molasses candy. Each little girl had
on yellow calico dress, which exactly
matched her hair. and was trimm d
with RULES of PINK calico. Johnny
thought the tile girls and the hair and
the dresses were all beaut.f Bridget
gave him an orange and some candy
and told him to sit still while she went
to sit q while by Nora Kelly.
Johnny gave all the little girls some
candy, ant the mother smiled upon him
so beamingly that Johnny felt encour-
aged to unburihen his m nd, but deter.
mined to get at the matter very eau
tiously.
"lou have a great many nice little
girls, ma am
ia, il" said the woman, laughing
ly. aid nodding her head.
Il haven't any little S ,ster to play wis,
and | want one very much. | wish L had
one Just exactly like yours.
The woman was looking very hard at
some wonderful horses wonderfully
dressed up, in the ring, but still sm led
and nodded as johnny kept up his mod
est little whisper.
.'It's only twenty five cents can pay
at ali-p'haps that isn't enough"
More mods AMI smiles.
.'You are very good, indeed" said
johnny, Ge'ighte lily. at S this one I'll
take thcn?' pointing 10 the smallest
face.
ga, a. and Johnny took out his
quarter and offered her. She looked
puzzled. but seeing lemonade boy a
little way OF, imagin I'd he wished her
to buy him some and took it and
waited.
And Johnny sat and looked with ev-
else at the trained dogs. happy
rs a Prince that he had at last secured a
sister. How pleased mamma and papa
would be-and how well they would
think he hal done in getting such b
beauty so very cheap.
"TIat old lion in the other tents
roaring awfully loud, isn't he? but
never mind. I'll take care of you,'' he
whispe red. Roar followed roar. grow
ing louder and louder, until Johnny
felt sure that nothing but the big ele-
phant could make so much noise But
what could lion or elephan: have to do
with the darkness in the tent and the
bright flashes of light which shot
through it9 People looked uneasy as
the sto m gathered more heavily, and
paid little heed to the cunning ponies
who sat at table and ate and drank rs
politely as if they had been little girls
and boys perhaps more so. And when
a binding glare of lightning brought
with it a bolt o. thunder which seemed
to shake the very ground, there was a
rush toward the door OF the tent.
Johnny saw Bridget below him hold
ing out her arms and calling him to
come to her, but be ore he could reach
her the crowd had swept her out of his
sight Half stepping. half pushed. half
carried by those about him. he found
himself on the ground, holding his sis
ter tightly by the hand He could hear
tho y-oi.a oF ba- ,,,nthar n . shn ,l,,,,oro I
and struggled to keep hold of her little
ones, and did his best to keep Near her,
but in the noise and the crush thev
were soon far from her. johnny and
his sister were thrown down, and their
little lives surely must have been tram
pied out, had they not been c,ose to the
band-stand. under which Johnny man.
aged TO scramble, and then drag the
little girl after him.
she cried at first, but he gave her his
orange and she became interested in
seeing him peel and divide it, opening
her rosy little mouth in sober satisfac-
ton as he pat each juicy morsel into it.
Quiet after while fell as the crowd
worked its way out and the storm
gradually lulied. The air was close
and heavy, and just as little yellow
braids was wondering if Johnny had
any more oranges in his pocket her head
toppled over ON her little fat shoulder
and she was leaning against him fast
asleep.
He laid her tenderly down on the
grass, feeling proud to the very depths
of his chivalric Little soul of having
some one to take care OF. He gave the
round cheek a kiss, and thought lie
would call her Kathleen, which was the
name of beautiful little girl Bird ret
often sang about. and just as he was
softly saving: kathleen, Kathleen"