The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-09-10

Tile cuSG VI lucIOCh. lie udu DlChep ueT
foreigner up, and was smiling into his
evil eyes. so you won't tell me where
you came FROM" he said. "Oh, well,
then, I don't like to, but I'll have to
build prison and put you into it." He
took his hat off and put it over the
corn-cob foreigner. IF 1 see you try
Ing to walk Off with that calaboose
while I'm building the jail" he went
;n. threateningly, I'll just inform you
that your name is Dennis, young man,
from that time on"
The sun, which had been an impair
tial witness of this arrest, beat down
amiably upon the little mountain peo-
pie with their queer, natural faces, upon
the calaboose, and upon close-cropped
black head, bent to the building of a Jail
from jagged bits of stone. And it fell
on Georgia's eager face and figure. for
bit by bit she had come quite outside
of the shadowed crevice so that she
might miss nothing that this strange
man did and said. But he did not look
her way; he was too busy building up
his Jail
Most disgraceful thing ever heard
| of" he declared. nodding toward the
captive under the hat. You call your
self foreigner doll. do you? Don't you
know that up where the foreigners
come from the dolls have long. curly
hair. and eyes that open and shut, and
red mouths and pink cheeks, and arms
and legs that bend just as well as mine
do. and they wear fine stockings and
shoes, and some of them walk about and
say mamma, papa, and their clothes"
Georeia's breath was coming fast;
her lips were parted and her eyes
shone The young man who was build
ing the Jail happened to look up from
his work and saw her. ITS so." he
said, with little nod. did you ever
see any like that?"
mo" said Georgia. shaking her head.
A shadow passed over the neighboring
mountains. They had missed all such
marvels too.
81 have" said the young man, Gin the
toy-shop windows; but suppose you've
never seen the toy-shops?"
NO" Georgia said again. She came
up to where he was building. "And
never seed q man playin with dolls
afore, either" she added. Doesn't
you-uns have no work ter do?"
The man had taken off box and a
bundle of queer-looking sticks which
had beenslung from his shoulder. Now
he left the Jail and began christening
the box. Perhaps you'll think my work
good deal the same as doll-play," he
said He took two or three boards with
pictures on them from the box. and
leaned them up against the tree.
"Oh-h!" breathed Georgia.
Those are the dolls make" he said.
But that's the livin' face Of jackson
Barker" she cried. pointing to one of
them. "Do you-uns claim terha' made
hit ter look like that?"
| "Yes," he answered.
81 whist you'd tell me how"
The artist smiled. ITS just by try
ing-a good deal as it is with you in
making dolls" he explained.
She bent up close, and looked ut the
board with its bit of canvas tackled on
it. Then she turned a puzzled face to-
ward him. But this hyar's fiat" she
said. nan' yet It looks like it was stand
in out. | couldn't do that. 7 couldn't
noways make doll out'n fat piece o.
wood"
Would you like to see me do it?" he
asked.
She nodded silently.
Then We'll begin with the foreign
sr," he said. 81 suppose there's no
danger in letting him out now that
you're here to guard him while paint"
He lifted his hat gingerly with his
finger and thumb. and he and Georgia
both laughed as they saw the helpless
way in which the corncob doll glared
up into the sunlight. Georgia set him
up against tree in the severely upright
position which his construction de-
manded, and then stood by the stran-
gers elbow, watching His bunch of
brushes. the shining tubes from which
he squeezed dabs of color on to his
palette. the jointed easel which he put
together and set up so quickly, and the
ramp-stool on which he seated himself,
were all fascinating accessories to the
making of dolls, either flat or round,
and she forgot to be afraid. The artist
glanced at the corn-shuck clothing of
the foreigner, and matched it with
mixture of paint which he blended
back and forth with brush, while he
asked Georgia questions about the
people on the mountain. When he be-
gan to paint she drew closer and closer
until she was leaning at his very elbow.
Suddenly she caught her breath.
Happy kingdom!" she murmured;
you begun it fiat, an now you've made
him look ter be a-standin' out, an / was
keepin' watch an yit 1 didn't see you
when you did hit!"
lie turned reund to laugh at her, but
when he saw that her face WAS not eRly
surprised but frightened, he did not
laugh. "Pll paint another and paint 1t
slower" he said, land then perhaps
you'll see;" and, STOPPING, he picked up
The gayest of her dolls. 1t was dressed
in dark-red oak leaves slashed with
sumac, and it's head was a hickory-nut
on which she had traced features with
the faint red juice of berry.
"I'll try to keep a pearter watch"
she said, gravely, as the young man
touched the oak-leaf dress upon the
canvas. In spite of his promise he was
tempted to work so fast that for O Sec
ond time she would miss seeing him
do it," but he was afraid that she would
run away, and so he began explaining
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