The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-07-18


Giving Up the Dcns.
May was getting SO tall that 1t
looked perfectly silly for her TO be
playing with dolls. So. ut least jess
! Mays sister. sald--and Jess was ID
years old. and ought TO have known
what was proper and what wasn't
May was such little mother. and
loved her dolls so much that | don't
believe that Jess alone could ever
have made her give them up; but
even mama began u hint strangely
abou, patchwork quilts aud ''useful-
ness, and when at last she came out
with brilliant offer OF "A set OF gray
squirrel furs for the next winter II
Nav would give up the doll babies.
aud 'sbe woman May couldn't
stand out against so much. and she
went up stairs that night with her
mind made up.
She took all the dolls she could find
! handily into bed with her. and be-
I lieye she cried n little as she Rugged
them up close. and thought II was the
I last time.
The next morning was bright and
sunny and May went around the
house gathering up her children.
Her mother had suggested TO her
| that she might keep one or two OF the
best ones. and throw aside the others;
! but May didn't intend 10 show any
partiality.
She gathered up every baby, from
/ Pet Rosa. with her sweet blue eyes. To
/ the small. no headed darkey with his
! cunning little coat and vest
May went through the lots, and
crawled up on fences. till she came TO
the big sheep pasture.
he went behind large stone. and,
scooping out hole in the sandy
4 earth with her hands and a stick, she
/ puG in the box Of dolls; then covering
! it up she sat down by the little mound
and had "A good hard cry. while her
\ dirty fingers rubbed streaks all over
\ her face.
Then she went home. and, locking
1 herself up in the spare chamber,
waited until all traces OF tears were
gone from her face before she let her
SELF be seen.
4 SO the dolls were buried, but that
wasn't the last OF them.
can't tell you exactly how many
4 time, In the rext TWO or three weeks
May took them up.
She didn't play with them-she was
I too honest for that--but she just
\ wanted TO see how they looked
! She made cunning little bouquets
7 and put into their hands and into the
darkey's button holes, and once or
T twice she carried fresh changes OF
clo5bes for Rosa. but always she
would kiss all round, and bury them
\ up carefully again.
i But as the summer wore away,
7 Mays visits became less frequent.
/ Her mother had got together such u
1 quantity OF bits OF bright silk that
May could hardly lose n moment from
her gay patchwork.
The year rolled over. and brought
summer around again. and one Satur-
( day afternoon May went down to the
1 big rock. and 'Just for fun" dug up
( The dolls once more.
They had been soaked through and
/ through by the rains. and were now
mess OF dirty, streaked, pitiful looking
+ objects
4 May did not cry this time. she only
sat down aud laughed. She was 80
very much older than she was last
\ summer.
She had an intimate friend now,
I and took music lessons. aud wrote
noes, what did she care for dolls?
She felt a,sort OF pity for the May
/ OF last summer who had buried an
cried over these silly things and ,or
1 her sake she covered them up again
out Of sight, and then the May OF this
summer went home and thought no
/ moro about the dolls.
Next summer. probably. n good
many OF this summers little interests
will drop out OF her mind. and bigger
1 ones come In, and so May will grow
4 10 be "A woman.