Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-19
greatly there" she aided, touching the

y
dolls chest.
One evening SIZE sat up suddenly, seized |
her doll in beth arms, looked at it with
yearning, shining eyes, and tried to press
the sprilg. The sound came feebly, and
weakly articulated, mamma
The child repeated "Mamma" with a
voice still more feeble and fell back on
her pillow, but still clasping her doll.
She was dead.
And, singular as it may seem, the spring
in the doll was broken; and the doll, too,
was dead.
During all the next day the two Minis,
the two little dead bodies, were left with
uncovered faces, surrounded with the last
flowers of autumn, white and yellow, min
gled with branches of red leaves.
When they dressed little Mini for the
last time they found they would have to
use much force to take the doll from her
grasp. Mother Gerard would not permit
it. She kissed the child once more, and,
without trying to account for the strange
impulse, she kissed the doll also. Both
were put into the coffin, with all that be-
longed to them-dresses and bonnets, little
shoes and stockings, and playthings of all
sorts.
Then upon the bier, carried by the
strongest little girls in the village-alas !
it was not very heavy-they put all the
flowers they could find; and it was the
strangest funeral that one could imagine.
All the little girls of the school marched
behind, two by two, holding their dolls,
and on the way they were Joined by Others,
and each new arrival had her doll. Those
who had two dolls gave one to those who
had none. All the dolls were dressed in
their finest clothes.
When they arrived at the cemetery the
children formed circle around the grave,
with their dolls in their arms, and listened
to the last prayer for poor Mini. Among
the children who had come to bid last
, farewell to their little friend and talking
doll-for they regretted the wonderful doll
: quite as much as they did Nini-there was
one who had been particular fayorite Of
/ the little invalid.
: 1t was a sickly little cripple, nearly hel
own age, with sorrowful pale face. She
l almost adored the doll, and when Mn
: permitted her to rock it she was perfectly
happy. She, like the others, had a dol
t which she loved devotedly.
: No one can know what thought passed
through that little brain, but at the mo
! ment that the sexton threw the frs
spadeful of earth upon the coffin she kissed
t her doll convulsively and threw it int
e the grave, saying, go with Ninip'
This impulsive act so impressed tbs
| other children that one after another fol
lowed her example.
: 1t was touching spectacle.
s go with Ninir' each little one re
r peated, in letting her doll fall into thu
S grave.
a Only one drew back unable to make tn,
sacrifice She was five years old: perhaps
' the child of poor woman. Her doll wa
y of cardboard, old, dirty and worn, and hac
lost one arm. She clasped it in her arms
and sobbingly said: "No, not in the hole
: not in the hole, my Mini! She would b.
e cold p
| The return to the village was, perhaps
sadder than the walk to the grave.
: The next day the Vicar went to Nevill
/ and brought back with him fifteen new
dolls, and gave them to the children il
. the name of the two Minis.
In this village for many years after
doll was called Mini in remembrance o
r the one which was buried.