The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-08-24
FOR THE CHILDREN.
In the Tree Top.
BY g. NJ. S. Il.

F~~A NAAN 'AAA 1880 NAS - NA - . ~NNN
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will 60 baby, cradle and ALL"
Some of you remember that thereaI,
true stories of the Mother Goose jim.
giles have been told only in the Trlb.
une Young Folks. Here is one that
was missed, and how that came to be
done, / really don't know. But Isup.
pose that a baby in tibet tree top would
be pretty sure to be missed, so that
must be the reason.
1t is perfectly ridiculous for Mother
Goose to talk about a baby way up
there, and not say anything about
how she came there; and then the era
die, too, Why, | wonder if the old la
dy thought cradles grew on treesl
And there's the baby's name, too.
You'd never know whether it Was q
girl or a boy. 1t strikes me that
Mother Goose must have been more
than half asleep when she wrote that
verse that does not begin to tell
anything at all. In the first place,
the baby's name vas Polly, and in
the second place, she tumbled into the
top of the tree, instead OF out of it,
and ii that doesn't interest you, you
needn't read q word more.
Polly was two years old and her
mother was Older still, so much so in
fact, that when she said: "Polly, / am
going down to Mr.. Bartholemew's for
some milk, and | want you to be sure
and go to Sleep" she expected to be
minded without any more words
about it. Well, there were no more
words about it just then, but after
mamma had been gone q little less
than two minutes, somebody came in
the baby's room. 1t was Thomas
Bartholomew. Thomas brought the
milk every morning, but hesometimes
had to stopson the way and fish in the
brook or play marbles, and do other
things that hungry babies did,not like.
SO although he was only six years old,
/ have to be vrey severe with him and
call him Thomas instead Of Tommy.
"Holloa, Polil''
But Polly did not say any thing,
"Gettin' hungry"
"Um,'' said Polly.
'sAny thing TO drink out of"
Polly held up a big rubber ball and
Thomas took it and gave it asqueeze.
''Jiminy cracky; we'll squirt it,"
and what do you suppose that boy
bid? He denied the pail till all the
air was out and then he let the milk
run into the hole. But what he did
next was worse still, for when the
ball was SO full it could not hold a
drop more, he stood hall way across
the room and told Polly to open her
mouth as wide as she could. Then he
squeezed and away went the milk into
the baby's ears and eyes and nose
and down on her dress and even into
her little black SHOES, but not a drop
did she get to drink. Shouldn't you
think that would have satisfied him2
Ras It didn't.
Lets play circus" said Thomas
Bartholomew after all the milk was
gone; s.let's make believe there
are lots OF people here for twenty-fy
cents apiece, and we're ina tent, and
everything"
He propped the baby up in her
cradle, and she watched him stand on
his head, and Jump over the bed, and
balance himself on the back of the
rocking-chair. She could net see very
well. for her eyes were full of milk
drops, but what shedid see astonished
her so much that Thomas was sure
his performances were very successful.
"Now you hold on a minute, and we'll
make you dance on the tight rope, =
and OF all the naughty things any
naughty boy ever did, I'm sure this
was the naughtiest; for he took Polly
out, then lifted the cradle up on to
the window seat, and then strapped
the baby in again, and began rocking
her right on the edgel The nursery
was way up in the very highest place
in the house, and there was the baby
well, / can't bear to think of il and
that's all there is about it
''0nly twenty-five cents, ladies and
gentlemen. Greatest show ever known
anywhere, walk right up, only two
years old and walks the tight-rope
like
But what it was like, no one will ev-
or know, for juststhen mamma open
ed the door. She sprang forward to
catch her baby, but She was too late.
and with a little scream poor Polly,
cradle and all, rocked out of the win
dow. Mamma put her hands over
her eyes Tor u momsat and then look
ed out. Why, there was the baby
caught In the top Of che big apple
tree, and she wasn't upside down OIL
ther. As soon as she could mamma
softly whispered:
BABY
sUm."
s.Don't stir, don't stir a single bit,
and you shall have a big-a big-any.
thing you want. Do you hear my lit
tie baby?"
.Um, said the baby.
Poor mamma ran down stairs as
last as she could and caught the ice
cream msn just going by IN his cart.
II didn't take long TO tell OF the baby
in the apple tree, and IN another min.
ute the icsscream man was carefully
climbing up there. de didn't iorgle
the branches halt a. much as the wind
did. and once he Thought the baby
would tall. Very soon be was way
up to the top and had Polly sale ia
kie. arms, just then the wind came
by with a rush. and down went che
cradle, crashing and smashing through
the branches clear TO the ground, and
there - nothing left whole but the
little white pillow,
How Mother Goose supposed the
baby was ~ the cradle when II fell {
can't imagine. This Is the ninth or
tenth tiIAe I've had to speak % her
about these things. and l hope when
she writes agasnShe will ret her stories
straight, and not send them all over
the country Iull 81 mistakes.