Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04

saw in the distance long procession of peo-
pie approaching the palace gate. As they
came nearer he discovered the people to be
hundreds of little girls in their best dresses,
each leading or carrying a doll. In the
front row were the lady dolls with wax
faces and real hair. Then came the servant
dolls, with china or wooden faces, and last
of all the little babies in their long white
dresses. When the train had passed through
the palace gate and had stopped under the
kings window, the little maidens knelt be-
fore His Majesty crying, Pardon, pard on. /"
All the dolls Joined in the chorus, and the
babies cried until the noise was so great that
the King held his ears and begged for quiet.
Then Flora, leading Adele by the hand,
stepped from the crowd and curIseying low,
said: Gracious King, we have heard your
command, and are ready to obey; but We
pray you will not take our children from us;
for we should be very unhappy without
them"
When the King looked down on the dis
tressed little aces, he said: You may carry
your dolls home with you, but on one condf-
ton, that they are satisfied"
And turning to the dolls, he asked, 'Are
you pleased?"
The dolls who were very happy over the
weeks feasting and the new dresses, replied
In chorus: "We are contented."
Now" said the King, "whenever YOU
are neglected by your owners or receive
rough treatment from them, if you will COM
plain to me, 1 shall see that you have your
rights
The dolls bowed respectfully, and the
happy procession moved away. For time
the little mothers cared most tenderly for
the children which they had so nearly lost;
then some grew careless, and the little dolls,
remembering the Kings words, thought it
now time to complain. One night they all
met in Adele's room in Flora's home and
talked over their grievances. One said:
I've been left out in the garden all night,
and the rain took the curl out of nv hair"
Another said: Il have had to sleep on
the hoor two nights, while the kitten was
covered up in my bed''
''Oniy think" cried third, "I have had
a hole punched in the back of nv head. SO
that my little mistress could see how nv
ewes open and shut
But Adele had suffered most of all
''Onlv this morning." sne said. "Flora's
brother painted whiskers and mustache on
my face; and Flora laughed while he aid II
too. was SO enraged. And how do look
now?'
While the others shed tears of symnatbx
for their unfortunate friend, thew conld
hardly refrain from smiling at the conn;osI
all agreed that they would no longer endura
such treatment, but would go at once to the
King, as he had told them to do. Of course
the b9by dolls must stay behind, as they
were not able to walk, and there was no one
to carry them.
Very early the nett morning, before the
King had had his breakfast, he heard a noise
in the palace garden, and looking out saw
the company OF dolls, who with their weak
fine voices were trying TO make themselves
heard. When they had told their story, the
King said: 'You have done right in coming
to me. have been expecting Won and have
a room ready for you, where YOU will always
be com portable and have no one to trouble
you.'
He led the way to large bright room in
the back part of the palace. Here were
small tables, tiny dishes, and a bed and
chair for each one. The dolls thought that
they would be very happy in their new
home, with no one to scold them for tearing
their clothes, or to punish them for eating
too much at the tea parties. The little beds,
too. were so soft that they decided to rest
upon them; and beng very tired from their
long journey were soon all fast asleep, ex-
cept few who had china heads and could