The Press., 1891-06-11
ANA'S DOLL.

ANA'S DOLL.
 If this story, dear reader, were the work of my imagination, should hesi- tate to write it. It would seem too inn probable with it's mixture of tragic and ludicrous, but can assure you that, as far as the facts relating to Ana's doll go, it is entirely true.
 Ana was once in the service of 8 friend of mine, and her present position, her house and husband, are as I represent them. If I have failed to do justice to any one, it is to the doll, whose beauty great judges declare to have been inde- scribable. But Ana had no doll when this story begins. She was rosy checked girl with faxen braids wound about her staring at the world with infantile aston ishment. She was but seventeen, but even then betrothed to certain young Hans who had placed himself with 8 grocer--a youth as red checked, round eyed and baby faced as Ana herself. They were very fond of each other and very true to each other, but they had prudent souls, and had set before them selves the fact that certain sum must be saved before they married. It was 8 comfortable sum, too, not to be made by maid servant and a grocer's clerk in a hurry; but, as Ana confded to her mis- tress, ''Ven some peoples gets married togeder, right away comes dose children, r7 l. ,c dot dose peoples wait until dey got dot money once already"
 No one ever contradicted Ana or strove to dissuade her from her purpose. If Hans ever said anything to anybody which seemed unlikely, for he would sit long hours without speaking, even to Ana on Sunday evenings, when he al- ways went to see her-he was probably encouraged in his economical intentions. At all events this honest pair of German lovers never swerved from their object. Every month they made a deposit in a savings bank, and slowly the dimes turned to dollars, and the dollars to eagles, and the eagles became the sum total of the marriage portion-very slowly, some sweethearts would have fancied, but Hans and Ana possessed their souls with patience.
 For years each Sunday afternoon saw him arrive at the kitchen door of Ana's service place dressed in his best clothes and wearing red geranium blossom in his buttonhole. Sometimes they went to church together hand in hand-were they not betrothed?-an if any one A,,o 1E tended. He bought her papers of pep permint drops and sticky slabs of taffy. She knitted him red worsted comforters, and blue mittens, and yellow wristlets, and sometimes they read their hymn books and sometimes their bankbooks, | rejoicing when the money gathered in- l terest, until at last there came day ] when Ana revealed to her mistress that l the money had been accumulated and | that the wedding was at hand.
 Meanwhile Ana's cheeks had faded and Ana's eyes were not so blue, and l little puckers were to be seen at the cor ners of her mouth, and certain pencil lines crossed her forehead, which had | been as smooth as ivory on her betrothal day.
 l Hans, too, had changed from round, curly headed boy to stocky man, with a bald spot on the top of his head, and both of them had lost sundry teeth, l which they were far too economical to seek to have replaced by dentist.
 Still they were as fond of each other as ever, and very happy in the little frame house, with a small garden about it, which they bought and furnished from their savings. Hans was also prom ised partnership in the grocery, and ii seemed as though their good angels had looked favorably upon these humble and honest lovers Their house shone with cleanliness. In their little parlor were the brightest carpet, the whitest cur tains and the most highly colored re ligious pictures to be bought. A clock set in a Swiss cottage of carved wood tcked away between a German china shepherd and shepherdess. There was an escritoire in which the bankbooks were locked up, and the usual number of chairs and table, also an enlarged photo graph of Hans and Ana, hand in hand, taken in their early courting days. Sa- cred indeed was this apartment, but the other rooms were just as tidy, and fol while Ana seemed perfectly happy.
 There came time, however, when she seemed to her late mistress to have grown graver-to be anxious about some thing. She sighed, and when questioned answered:
 s.Yes, have some troubles" Pressed to say what they were, she shortly added:
 'sI vait now good vile for de good Lord to send dose leetle childrens, and dose leetle childrens did not come. And Hans, he waits too.
 1 But children did not come to them.
 One day Hans, having been, as in duty bound, to the church fair with his wife on his arm and his money in his pocket had bought several pretty and useful things, and taken chances in something on the toy table--he hardly knew what because that worthy lady, the pastors sister, had requested him to do so. Hans was economical, but to spend money al a church fair was religious duty in his eyes and Ana's. It was the last day of the fair, and just as he was about te leave the building the pastors sister | UOuCLIS5I HILL Ol bn0 01 III cAAA0 o<sAo.
 "Well, Hans, don't go without your doll."'
 s'My doll?' said Hans.
 "You drew the doll, {" said the pastors sister. "You had the lucky number"
 ..Ah, have no children to give dol to, said Hans, in his native language but he went back to the toy table ant took the parcel that was handed to him.
 s'I will take it, said Ana.
 She carried it home in her arms, say ing to Hans every now and then,
 'sThis is heavy heavy as g real baby as large and soft as if it were alive"
 When they reached home she hghtet a light, and sitting down began to un wrap the folds of muslin aud paper, anf shortly looked upon one of the mos beautiful objects they had ever seen,