The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-07-21
after the way of southern


self at the back of the tree, and Georgia
always knew that when he came out
among the others there was mischief
brewing. Sometimes she walked slowly
away from the tree gathering leaves and
grasses as she went, and then, as soon
as she could slip away from herself,
hurried stealthily back, pulled the for
eigner out of his corner, dropped him
among the other dolls, and ran to her
leaf-gathering again, so that she might
be surprised when she finally returned
and found how he had been romping
up and down among her mountain peo-
pie. "Oh. happy kingdom!" she always
cried when she caught sight of him, "he
have come agin, and oh, how he do have
been a-layin' waste the land!"
One day, as she stood with her hands
held up in horror at a row of mountain
people who had fallen PROSTATE round
the savage foreigner, real stranger
came out from the thick forest and
stood at the edge of the natural OPEN
ing around the playhouse tree. He
saw her at once, bare-footed, red
checked, with her figured bandana
knotted at her throat, and he could
hear her speak; but she, who should
have been as quick-eared as rabbit.
being just as shy, was too intent to no.
tice the stirring of his feet in the
sparse, dry autumn grass.
"Folkses! fo.kses!" she cried out,
ives obleeged to run him off the
,,,o,nfipmt ua,c fura;o,ar -, -
amt got no right hyar. We's obleeged
to run him off the mounting"
The man who listened drew little
closer, trying not to make noise. He
knew that he himself was ''fureign-
err" and he wanted to hear whatever the
girl might say; but he laughed right
out when he saw that she was pointing
at corn-cob doll. Georgia jumped,
gave single glance over her shoulder
and ran. 1t was one thing to plan raids
on an intruder whom she had dropped
into the playhouse behind her own
back, but this-this was another thing
Only a little way from the tree there
hind it. Georgia knew that it wound
for long way between a detached rock
and the main bluff, and she slipped into
it with such a sense of protection that
she stopped moment to wonder if she
had been cowardly to leave her noun
tain people to the two foreigners. and
to listen if anything was going on.
What she heard was the stranger talk
ing.
Now, if 1 were you," he said. 81
should just go back where came from
and not disturb a respectable commun-
ity like this" Georgia peeped round
the edge of the rock. He had picked her
foreigner up, and was smiling into his
evil eyes. $50 you won't tell me where
you came FROM he said. ooh, well,
then, | 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. eff 1 see you try
ing to walk off with that calaboose
while I'm building the JAIL he went
on, threateningly, 'Fll just inform you
that your name is Dennis, young man,
from that time on"
The sun, which had been an impair
tiai 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 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 Swallowed 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
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, a-pa, and their clothes"
Georgia'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?'
NO." said Georgia, shaking her head.
A shadow passed over the neighboring
mountains. They had missed all such
marvels too.
Il 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 l
never seed man playin' with dolls
afore, either" she added Doesn't
you-uns have no work ter do?"
The man had taken off box and
bundle of queer-looking sticks which
had been slung from his shoulder. Now
he left the Jail and began christening