Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-02-01
Dinah'S Doll.

For the enlightenment of those who
structures, it is necessary to explain
that a grotto is an artistic arrange
ment of oyster-shells, stones, bricks,
bits of china and glass, and anything
else of an ornamental nature that can
be picked up in the streets. While
| it is in the course of erection, the
builders waylay passers-by, and,
holding out an oyster-shell, demand,
"'A'peny for the grotter, please p
This particulnr grotto was very fine
one. A hollow space had been left
underneath, in which, at dusk, a fire
was to be lighted; and the effect was
expected to be splendid in the ex-
treme. As the finishing touches
were being put, a cripple boy came
limping towards the busy group, hug
ging something in his arms.
"What's that, Tim?" asked a little
girl with pale face and melancholy
brown eyes.
GA doll," said Tim, showing his
treasure.
1t was a perfect wreck of doll, 3
wooden, devoid of arms and legs,
and with a face that had once been
red and white, but was now of q uni
form yellowish-drab tint. No feat
ures were discernible except two
black dots where eyes should have
been, and these defects gave the poor
thing an air of blankness and utter
hopelessness.
"How did you get it, Tim?" asked
the little gnl, looking at it wlstfully.
SIT was give me in th'ospital," F"
said Tim, adding aggravatingly, "you
never had doll, did you, Dinah?"
mo-" SAID Dinah. 81 should
like to have that one. Boys ought
not to have dolls, Tim"
Tim clasped the shabby creature
tighter, and looked defiantly at Di-
nah, as if daring her to take it from
him. But Dinah had set her heart
upon it; and little, and pale and
thin as she was, Dinah had way of
getting what she wanted.
"Tim,'' she said coaxingly, "I'll
give you this for It."
She drew from the pocket of her
tattered gown piece of steel chain,
and held it up before Tins eyes.
''It'll shine up beautiful" she de-
elared. s.Look at this bit where I've
been a-rubbin' it. You could wear
it in your jacket. 1t 'ud look fine. "
Tins fancy was taken by a bit of
steel; and fortunately for Dinah, a
stray sunbeam at that moment fell
upon it, max ing it glitter brightly.
SO the bargain was concluded. Di-
nah handed over the chain, received
the doll into her longing arms, and
hurried away TO be alone with it, her
interest in the grotto gone.
Dinah lived in Wells Court. Ac-
cording to her aunt, she had no busi-
ness to have come into the world at
all but, having once effected her
entrance, she must remain, and pay
the heavy penalties for her thought
lessness,-neglect, railing, taunts,
and blows. 1t was good thing fol
Dinah's young father and mother that
they had been taken early out of the
world that had not been an easy OIL
pleasant place to live in, but it was
sad for the six months-old morseI OF
humanity to be left to struggle moth.
erless out of babyhood into child.
hood. Aunt Liza was hard-feat-
ured, sour-tempered woman. Never
theless, when the news of her sisters
death was brought to her, she went
at once, and fetched away the orphan
ed baby; and, if she did not exactly
take it to her heart, she took it to hel
home, and treated it little worse thar
she would have treated a child of hel
} own. Her home was a room at the
| top of tumble-down house in Wells
Court, bare and miserable place
enough, but twice as large as the gar
ret in which Dinah had passed the
first few months of her existence
and, moreover, there was twice a!
4 wide strip of sky to be seen from
the window. Dinah, however, wa!
not old enough to appreciate this ad
vantageous change in her circum
stances. Aunt Liza obtained hel
livelihood chiefly by making match
boxes. At times, for seven or eigh
weeks together, she had regular EN-
ployment, at other times, for as many
}, weeks, she could get no work at all
| and when this was the state of af
: fairs, poor little Dlnah had hare
: time of it. But, like many another
child, she survived hardship and ILL
! treatment, and, as soon as she was
r able to totter about alone, was turn
e ed out into the court to make Que Of
the colony of children who played
and quarrelled, laughed and criet
d there, and made themselves tolerably
happy, in spite of their wretched sur
+ roundings. The acquisition of the
D wooden doll was an epoch in Dinah'.
existence, and brought about mo
: mentous change in her relations to
ward Aunt Liza. 1t is impossible
to describe what the battered ole
creature became to the-child. II rare
5 ly left her arms day or night, it was
jealousy guarded from harm, it had
a wealth of ten derDess lav,sbed unor