Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-26
FIFTY YEARS AGO.


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
Lighthouse away back from any city.
Outside the house were big pine trees
all around, and inside stone fireplace,
with crane and kettles ana baker,
and. instead of chairs, wooden stools
| and benches.
Can you fancy it? Then perhaps
you will guess why Arethusa dldn
Shut her eyes. She was Il .'rag-baby,
and had been made of one OF Grandma
| Harrison's old pillow eases, that grand
ma had spun and wove herself, and she
was filled with bran. Bran in her
hands and feet and body, bran fox
brains and bran for heart; and her
| eyes, that wouldn't shut, but always
stared straight ahead, were marked on
| the cloth with Il coal from the big lire
| 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 a 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 gos any
larger.
"Bye-low, Baby Buntin',
| Fathers gone a-huntin','
sang Ruth Il s'pose we might call
John and Tommy their fathers, cause
l saw EN- with bow and arrow n
little while ago, and | guess they We
gone hunting squirrels.
''Sh! You'll wake up Chloe If you
talk. Let's go out on the big rock,
! and get dinner" said Patio. ave got
| a cookie, and we can get some straw
berries down by the brook"
'.Oh yes, let's!'' And soon, under
two pink sunbonnets, two little girls
left the Lighthouse and poor Arethusa
and Chloe sleeping alone on the
| benches.
Out on the big rock, what fun they
had setting the table! Little round
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
! there! But now, down behind that big
log, there is something moving. Two
turkeys tail-feathers and glimpse of
something blue and white appear
above the log, and quickly disappear,
for down behind that log are two IN
dams, bent on mischief. Very small
and very rosy Indians they are, and
one is named John aud 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 COB
bier of his tail-teathers 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. Lets go up to the house
and scare the girls
They're not there; they've gone
down to the brook; l saw EN-" an
swered 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.
''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.
'Whoopr' echoed John, bouncing
ON Arethusa. I'm going to cut her
throat" and he whipped out his jack
knife and drew it Ncross her throat
The bran began to run out. ''See
the blood run, Tommy! 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 outP'
ooh my! Let's try the other one and
see if that II do So"
They cut cash across Chloe'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 Arethnsa' s
wound.
| L1ttle by Little, the pies OF pran 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
''big rock, then. guilty, the Indians"
disappear under the table and pull a
stool in front of them.
The happy faces under the pink sum
bonnets look in the cabin-door.
''Those horrid boys!' said Patio.
30 Patier' and Ruth sat down on
the floor and began to cry. my dear
Arethusa - I'll 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 s'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 eco
to meeting"
This last is the funniest part, think
years and years afterwards Ruth mar
ried Tommy; and Ruth and Tommy
are my mamma and papa Youth;
Companion.
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| Ourhf no K ooM