The Arizona sentinel., 1886-09-11
READING FOR THE YOUNG.
FIFTY YEARS AGO.

l I Two Little Girls, Two Rag DelIIes and
 Two "Brsve Indians" Miss Arethusa and Miss Chloe were as sound asleep as ever dolls were known to get. They didn't shut their eyes, though, as perhaps your dolly does, for neither they nor their man. mas had ever heard of such thing.
 It was fifty years ago that they were sleeping so soundly, and it was in a log-house away back from any city. Outside the house were big pine trees all around, and inside stone etire-place, with crane and kettles and baker, and, instead of chairs, wooden stools and benches.
 Can you fancy it? Then perhaps you will guess why Arethusa didn' t shut her eyes. She was "rag-baby, and had been made of one of Grandma Harrison's old pillow-cases, that grand ma had spun and wove herself, and she was filled with bran. Bran in her hands and feet and body, bran for brains and bran fer heart; and her eyes, that wouldn't shut, but always stared straight ahead, were marked on the cloth with coal from the big fire place.
 Do you think their little owners, Ruth and Patience, loved them as much as you love your splendid wax dolly?
 Indeed they did!
 Grandma Harrison had given Ruth her Arethusa when Ruth and Arethusa were nearly of size, and never since had they been separated single night. Ruth had grown since then, but Arethusa didn't seem to care. about growing; any way, she never got any larger. .'Bye-low, Baby Buntin, - | Fathers gone a-huntin; sang Ruth. Il s'pose we mig9 call John and Tommy their fathers, 'eause I saw 'em with bow and arrow a little while ago, and Iguess they've gone hunting squirrels. -..
 Ssh! You'll wake up Chloe if you talk. Let's go out on tie sbig rock, and get dinner" said, ,Patie five got a cookie, and we can. get some straw berries down by the brook.
 "Oh yes,, let'sI' And soon, under two pink sunbonnets, two little girls left the clog house and poor Arethusa and Chloe sleepipgi alone on the benches , -
 | Out oh the big rock, what fun they had setting. the .tahleL Little round l poplar leaves for plates, and big oak leaves for platters; acorn cups and saucers, and two immense yellow | pumpkin flowers for sauce-dishes to put the strawberries in-when they had picked them. .-.--- | Then, down by the brook in the clearing, after strawberries went the two sunbonnets How still it was therei But now, down behind that big log, there is something moving. Two turkeys tail-feathers and a glimpse of something blue and white appear above the log, and quickly disappear, for down behind that log are two h. didnS, bent on mischief. Very small and very rosy Indians they are, and one is named John and is Ruthie's lit | tie brother, and the other is his play mate, Tommy Rogers, but they have painted their faces with clay and char coal, and having robbed the old gob- bier of hls tail-feathers to stick around the bands of their ragged, rimless hats, till, altogether, they do look like two little ''Injuns. y
 '.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.
 sET fharr1 r1rTn n | down to the brook; saw 'em, an- swered Tommy.
 Up to the log-house 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.
 ''Whoopr yelled Tommy, catching black Chloe by one leg, ''me scalp pappooser' and he pulled off the black lambs wool from her head and waved it in the air.
 "Whoop" echoed John, bouncing on Arethusa- ''Pm 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, Tommyi see the blood run!'' said John, hopping up and down excitedly, half-frightened and half pleased at this unexpected effect.
 .:;Do you suppose twill all run out?
 'Oh my! Let's try the other one and see if that'll do so.
 They cut gash across ChIoe's neck and hang her head over the edge of the 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 er The two "brave Indians" stand and watch them fade, till a flash of pink sun-bonnets appears out by the ''bigrock, then. guiltily, the '1ndians" disappear under the table and pull a stool in front of them
 The happy faces under the pink sun bonnets look in the cabin-door.
 ''Those horrid boysr' said Patie.
 70 Patiei" and Ruth sat down on the floor and began to cry. My dear Arethusa m never forgive them, never"
 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 l think years and years afterwards Ruth mar