Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-09-16
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Two Little Girls, Two Rag Dollies and
Two "Erayc Indians"

Miss AretnuSa ana MISS ChlOe were
as sound asleep as ever dolls were
known to get. They didn't shut their
eyes. though. rs perhaps your dolly
does, for neither they nor their man.
mas had ever heard of such a thing.
1t was fifty years ago that they were
sleeping so soundly, and it was in a
Lighthouse away back from any city.
Outside the house were big pine trees
all around, and ipside.a stone fireplace,
with "a crane and kettles ana baker
and instead of chairs, wooden stools
and benches.
Can you fancy it? Thea perhaps
You will guess why Arethnsa Didn't
shuther eyes. She was 4 "r:g-baby,S
and had been made of one of Grandma
Harrison's old pillow-cases. THAI grand
ma had spun and Wove herself, and she
was iilled with bran. Bran in. her
hands and feet and body, bran tor
brains and bran for heart;,. and her
eyes, that wouldn't shut. but always
stared straight ahead, were marked on
the cloth withia coal from the big EDe-
place = 90 & - {. ssS-a. a. p,
Do YOU think sseir little owners,
Ruth and Patience, loved them as much
asyou love your splcEIid wax dolly?
Indeed they did. -,
Grandma Harrison had given Ruth
her Arethusa when Ruth and Arethus.s
We're nearly OF a size, and never since
had they been separates, a single night.
Ruth. had grown sizee1 then, but
Arethus; didn't seem 10 care about
growlng7. any way, she aeyer go: any
larger. W
..ByeIow, Eaby Buatfa., = +.
Fathers gone a-hunsn:,"
sang Esith- Il spose we: might call
john and Tommy their fathers. cause
| saw 'en with, bow and arrow a
little white aiso.' and | guess they We
gone hunting squirrels. - s-,
Ssh! You'll wake up Chloe if you
talk. Let's go out on the big rock,
and get dinner said Patie-. '.l've got
a cookie. and We can get SEINE straw
berries down by the brook" Is
e tiOh. yes. let's!" And, soon, under
two pink. sunbonnets, two Little girls
left the Lighthouse and poor Arethusa
and Chlee, sleeping alone on the
benches.
Then, Down by the brock in the
clearing, after Strawberries. went the
two sunbonnets. How still. it was
there! But now. down behind that big
log. there is something moving. Two
turkey 81 :aG-feathers, and a glimpse Of
something blue and white appear
above the log, and quickly disappear,
for down behind that log ares two In
dia,as, bent on mischief. Vesy small
and very rosy Indians they are, and
one is named John aud is Ruthe's lit
tie brother, and the other is his play
mute. Tommy Rogers, but they have
painted their faces with clay and char
coal, and having robbed the old COB
bier of his, kail-ieathers to stick around
the bands of their ragged, rimless
hats, till, altogether, they do look like
two little ''Injuns."
'Me heap big chief now,' said John,
proudly spreading grandma's striped
blanket over his naughty shoulders,
and sticking his bow and arrow under
his belt. Let's go up to the house
and scare the girls"
They're not there; they've gone
down to the brook; saw EN-" an
swcrcd Tommy.
Up to the Lighthouse went the two
brave Indians. They stop at the table
and seize the cookies. Then into the
room where the dollies were. left sleep
ing so sweetly. e-ft a -
''Whoopr' yelled Tommy, catching
black Chloe by one leg, ''me scalp
pappoose." and he pulled off the black
In ~ ,rnns fy>n hn,. hnoI Nd
it in the air.
''Whoopr' echoed John, bouncing
on Arethusa. I'm going to cut her
throat" and he whipped out his jack
knife and drew it across her throat.
The bran began to run out. ''See
the blood run, Tommy! see the blood
rum said Joan, hopping up and down
excitedly. half-frightened and half
pleased at this unexpected effect.
do you suppose twill all run euta'
'Oh my! Let's try the other one and
see if that'll do so.h - r.,. ].
They cut cash across Chloe's neck
bench. Another stream of bran began
to run on to, the floor beside. that which
had come out of poor Arethusa' S
wound.
| Little by little, the piles of bran on
the floor grow bigger. and. little by
little, Arethusa and Chloe grow small
| err The two ..braye Indians" stand
and watch them fade. till flash of
pink sun-bonnets appears out by the
"bigrock. then. guilty, the Indians"
disappear under the table and pull q
stool in front Of them. y
| The happy faces under the pink sun
bonnets look in the cabin-door.
| 'sThose horrid boysr' said Patie.
| 20 Patiew and Ruth sat down on
the floor and begsn to cry. my dear
Arethusa : II lever forgive them.
never." ~rc fAfr -
Two sorry little Indians crept out
from under the table and begged so
hard to be forgiven, and promised to
get Grandma Harrison to .'mend'' the
dOllies. and looked so funny in their
war-paint and feathers, that. at last.
the girls had to laugh. and they all
went out to the rock and played go
to meeting"
This last is the funniest part 1 think
years and years Afterwards Ruth mar
ried Tommy; and Ruth and TOmm;
are my mamma and papa-To1tAs