The Lamar register., 1892-05-07

oClDUeE.
The poor child, feeling that she was
no longer a daughter tried to console
herseit by imagining that she was the
mother OF her doll. Shelavished upon
~ al, the love she formerly had for her
mother: She was unwilling to be sep
arated from it even at night, and the
poor little brain had conceived a sing
ular idea-it was that she was not
SICK, but that it was the doll, her dear
Mini"
she has coughed all night" she
would say to Mother Gerard when she
had passed a restless night herself.
You suffer my dear Mini, but / will
cure you. We will cure her. nurse.
VIII we not? How feeble her voice ispi
she would add listening to the weak
sound which the doll made, because
the pressure upon the spring grew
weaker as helittle hands grew thinner.
Hour by hour she would tell her
own sufferings, but always attribut-
ing them TO the doll. At times she
would yield to an indefinite despair.
she did not know what death meant,
but she would cry out with indescrib-
able anguish: mo, do not want to
die, even to go to heaven"
She never spoke of her mother to
her nurse; but sometimes, when she
thought herself alone, they would
hear her murmur to her doll: "If
mamma would come back Mini would
be WE'LL"
In the village the arriva! of the talk
ing doll had produced a great sensa-
ton. All the children wished to see
1t, and Sunday most of the little girls
came to admire the marvellous toy.
To 90 to see the little girl from Paris
and hear her doll talk had become a
sort of fete, and then Mini was so
sweet, so caressing to all who showed
friendship for her or who loved her
doll that she had become the idol of
the whole village.
The vicar came to relate to her
beautiful stories OF heaven, where
there lived mamma marvelously
beautiful and adorably good.
The good sister who had charge of
the village school brought her little
images OF saints and angels.
One of Minis greatest pleasures was
to see all little friends come with their
dolls-dolls OF wood, OF cardboard, OF
rags; but she thought them all charm
ing. and talked to them in the most
delightful manner, and as ifthey could
understand her, and replied to her.
The 18th of August was the dolls
birthday. and all the little girls came
with their dolls and brought the doll
Mini a bouquet and one for the real
Mini. What a merry day it was for
them ALI
The bed was covered with flowers,
and the doll was so happy that she
said again and again, Mammal"
Alas the care OF Mother Gerard,
the love and cnrresses of all, the
healthfuI air of the country had been
able only to prolong the days of the
little sufferer, but all together were
not able to cure her.
They began to count the weeks, then
the days that she could be with them.
''She is very i'll, mammals Mini,
she said, eRressing the doll. "She
suffers greatly there" she said, touch
ing the dolls chest.
One evening she sat up suddenly,
seized her doll in both arms, looked
at it with yearning, shining eyes, and
tried to press the spring. The sound
came feebly and weakly articulated,
Mamma
i ne Cllllu EtJttNti lhhlDhia WIN
"A voice still more feeble. and fell back
on her pillow, but still clasping her
doll.
She was dead.
And singular as it may seem, the
spring in the doll was broken the doll,
too, was dead
During all the mex day the two
Minis, the two little dead bodies, were
left with uncovered faces, surrounded
with the last flowers OF autumn, white
and yellow, mingled with branches oi
red leaves.
When they dressed little Mini for
the last time they found they would
have to use much force to take the
doll from her grasp. Mother Gerard
would not permit it. She kissed the
child once more, and, without trying
to account for the strange impulse,
kissed the doll also. Both were put
into the coffin with all that belonged
to them-dresses and bonnets, little
shoes and stockings, and playthings
of all sorts.
Then upon the bier, carried by the
strong little girls OF the village alasl
it was not very heavy-they put all
the flowers they could find; and it
was the strangest funeral that one
could imagine, All the little girls of
the school marched behind, two by
two, holding their dolls; and on the
way they were joined by Others and
each new arrival had her doll. Those
who had two dolls gave one to those
who had none. All the dolls were
dressed in their finest clothes.
When they arrived at the cemetery
The children formed a circle around
the grave, with their dolls in their
arms, and listened to the last prayer
or poor Mini. Among the children
who had come to bid n last farewell
10 their little friend and the talking
ioIl-for they regretted the wonderful
loll quite as much as they did Mini
there was one who had been a partic-
llar favorite OF the little invalid.
1t was sickly little cripple, nearly
ner own age, with sorrowful, pale
ace. She almost adored the doll, and
when Mini permitted her to rock it she
was perfectly happy. She, like the
others, had doll which she loved de-
-
No one can know what thought
passed through that little brain, but
at the moment that the sexton threw
ha first spadeful of earth upon the