Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-10-01
SOME QUEER DoLLIEs.

IF a convention of all the dollies in
the United States, from Upper NADIA
wasla in Maine to Olay in California,
should be held some fine day, what a
wonderful crowd of cripples would come
together
There would be thousands and tens
of thousands of dollies who had lost
their heads, and hundreds of thousands
who hadn't any arms or legs, and ever
SO many who had only their bodies left
to show that they were really dollies.
For you know dolly is never dead I'M
til there is nothing left of her or him.
No doubt they feel better and enjoy life
more when they are whole, but no one
ever heard a dolly complain because a
head or an arm or leg was missing.
SO you see they would all go TO the
great meeting, and among them all
there would be no queerer dollies than
those, Marjorie and Kathrine play
with, and dress and undress. and sing
to sleep, and stand in the corner when
they are naughty, and take out walk
ing when they are good. and seem to
treat with so much affection that
anyone but papa and mamma
would be jealous of them, and perhaps
do them an injury. Marjorie and
Kathrine are two very little girls
who live on Staten Island, near
New York city. They can see from
their papa's porch all the great ocean
steamers and the ships from all parts
of the world coming into and going out
from New York bay, but they are too
1ittle TO care much about the ships, and
so they devote all their time to their
queer dollies.
All of Marjorie's dollies are named
Bessie, and all of Kathrine's are named
Susie. Their papa has given other
names to the dollies, but the little girls
don't pay any attention to that. What
do papas know about dollies. anyhow?
Still, he has given names to them, and
here they are:
MARJORTE's DoLLIEs. kATHRISE's DOLLIEs.
Bessie whisk Broom Susie Hair Brush.
Bessie Hot water Bag. Susie Kindlng Wood.
Bessie Poker. Susie ClOthespln.
Bessie Towels. Susie Trowel.
Bessie Potato Washer, Susie Wooden Spoon.
and Tommy.
Tommy doesn't belong to either of
the little girls. Tommy doesn't belong
to anybody. He is one of the family
lie is dolly, to be sure, but he is so
independent and is such ragamuffin
that nobody cares 10 own him, and he
wouldn't belong TO anybody if he had
the chance. He lounges around the
house all day and watches Marjorie and
Kathrine playing with their queer dol
lies, and he makes believe that he
doesn't care to be played with at all.
Tommy is almost as old as Mar
jorie, who is four, and he is
older than Kathrine, who is two
and a half. He looks a good deal older,
though, than he really is. He is rag
dolly, and in his extreme youth he had
a beautiful pink complexion. but he is
sunburned now. or something, for he is
as brown as South Sea Islander.
Tommy has been through good deal
of trouble. He has lost his head and
all of his limbs half dozen times.
They have always been sewed on again,
but it isn't pleasant even to lose them
for a short while Chen he has been
left out in the garden all night in the
rain more than once. and Duke. the big
dog that lives next door, has worried
him and shaken him in the most heart.
less way. And one time Marjorie
buried Tommy in the sand on the beach
and went away and forgot him. The
tide came up and covered him and went
away again three or four times, and
Tommy would have been lost forever
had not Marjorie's papa happened to
see his arm sticking up outof the beach
one day and rescued him. Yes, Tommy,
has certainly had his share of trouble.
But this story Is not about Tommy;
it is about the queer dollies whose
names are either Bessie or Susie ac-
cording to which little girl has them.
No one would evsr take them for dol
lies at all. They don't look like the
dollies which are sold in shops. They
look like hair brushes. and whislx
brooms. and polers, and wooden spoons.
and other useful things. and that is
what anyone except Marjorie and Kath-
rine would suppose they really were.
But the little girls know better. and so
AuCf NAt0H AAtiH UP Al NointS Cluluto
and rock them to sleep, and sing to
them, and play tea party with them all
day long, and they love them Just as
much as they would if they had real
hair and red cheeks and eyes that really
and truly open and SHUT. Indeed. they
love them more, for when the little /
girls papa bought them some dollies
that came all the way from Paris and /
were as pretty as l-ictures, the little |
girls only played with them for day or
two: then they went back to their Bes-
sizes and Susies.
And now the papa is very much puz-
zled to know what to do. If he pokes
the FIRE. Marjorie looks grieved and
says: Don't put poor Bessie in the /
fire, papa" And if he starts to brush 1
his hair. Kathrine puts ont her lower 4
lip and says: Il want my Susie"
What is papa to do in such cases2 He /
does not want to build a FIRE with dol /
lies, nor 20 brush his clothes. nor to dig !
in the garden with them But how IS I
he to ow when he is using a dolly /
and WHEN be IS not2 The little girls