The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-02
DIMPLE AND DUMPING.

There was only one chair vacant IN a
down town barber shop the other day
when tall young man, accompanied by
a lady and lovely little girl of five, en-
tered, and calling the head barber to one
side gave him few explicit directions
Then the little girls hat was removed,
and the barber enveloped her in one OF
the big white aprons The young man
lifted her up into the BARRIERS chair with
a whispered word Of reinsurance, and the
lady, after kissing her, passed her hands
caressingly over all the beautiful golden
brown curls. Then she sat down in a
corner, where the child could not see
her face, and pulled out her pocket
handkerchief.
By this time the occupants of the five
other chairs had become vastly interest
ed. All eyes were fixed on the sweet
baby face with its curly halo. 1t was
pale little face, and there were no rose
buds on its cheeks, but above them were
two glorious gray eyes that shone like a
pair of stars. On each side of the little
face rested a particularly fat curl The
child placed her hand upon each as the
barber advanced with the big shears,
and gazed beseechingly up into his face.
"Now, Mr.. Barber, | want you to
leave Dimple and Dumping until the
very last. Cut all the rest of them off
first, please. l shall miss them dreffully.
you know. Me and Dimple and Dump
ling has always been such friends. Dim
pie is going out to my papa in letter.
My papa is way out in Ceylon, you know.
You haven't got papa way out in Cey-
Ion, Mr.. Barber?"
No, miss; / amt got none at all"
"And haven't you got mamma, Mr..
Barber? My mamma is going to put
Dumping into her Don't You Remem-
ber' box. Did you ever see a Don't You
Remember box, Mr. Barber"
mo, miss, never did"
Mammals has got such a funny lot Of
things in it. There's little bit Of orange
blossom and a little pinafOre that Alec
used TO wear. That's Alec over there
by the window. And there's a little red
shoe that was our little bruffer's His
name was Robin, and he died before
any Of US was horned, you know"
At this moment the mother stepped
forward and whispered to the little girl.
There was an old gentleman with very
red face in one of the chairs who shook
like a veritable jelly at the child's re-
mark. Big brother Alec was blushing
furiously and the whole barber shop was
all agog.
There was silence for a moment or
J two, while the scissors went snip, snip,
snip. Then the little prattler broke
! forth again.
Mamma says I'm talking too much,
Mr.. Barber; but if don't talk l shall be-
gin to cry. Icried awfully yesterday, you
know; so did mamma and nurse. That
was when the doctor came and said
they'd have to be cutted off. We all
cried-'cept Cecil. He's eight years old.
He never cries-'cep1ing when mamma
spanks him; then he bowls. But at last
! | stopped crying, for Alec said he'd take
me to lunch with him when we came in
to have it done; nurse said she'd let me
sit up till half-past for whole week;
mammals going to get me a silver
thimble, and cook is going to have
waffies for tea when we get back. Do
you like waffies, Mr.. Barber?"
The barber replied in the affirmative,
and then there was silence for little
while.
Have you got a sweetheart, Mr.. Bar
! ber?" a litter ran around the room, and
the barber turned as red as his pole out
side, but he replied in the negative.
"AlecS got one" pursued the child.
He goes to tea with her on Sunday.
Cecil says he is awfully sweet on her
Cecil knows, too; he was under the sofa
when"-
But Alec waited TO hear no further
He bolted bodily and waited on the cor
ner until the ordeal was at an end. The
lady arose and whispered some further
cautions, but they proved of no avail.
well, Mr.. Barber, if you haven't got
any sweetheart or papa or mamma, you
must be norphan. Are you a norpaan,
Mr.. Barber
The man nodded his head and then
asked his questioner 10 keep her head
still, like good girl.
Another pause. Then:
Mr.. Barber!"
Yes, miss"
If you is norphan what does you
say when you go to bed? You can't say
God bless papa and mamma any more,
I'm very glad I'm not norphan.
There was a dead silence in the room
after that until the redfaced old gentle
man blew his nose. The BARRIERS task
was almost finished now.
Whats the matter, mamma: You're
cryin'."
why, no, I'm not Lena What
makes
oh, but yes you are, mamma. 1 can
hear you shifting, and besides, l can see
your face in the looking glass. There's
two big tears running down your nose.
Now, miss, just please sit steady
minute"
The scissors gave snip, and poor
Dumping fell down into her lap. Dim
/ pie followed an instant later, and the
child gazed ruefully at the two beauti-
full severed curls.