Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-26
WHO'LL CURE DOLLS NOW.
Anxious Mothers at the Door of
Their Family Doctor.

and left her there to recover her speech
which she had lost temporarily owing to
blood-clot on the brain. They told the
hospital authorities that Mrs Leib was a
widow, who made a good living as a dolls
physician. Now. dolls physicians are of
the nature of phenomena in a world of
commonplace professions, so a Sun re-
porter went up to Mrs. Leibs house, at
81 Seventh street, yesterday TO find out
something about her practice. Entering
the vestibule he found therein an UNI
brella Of considerable magnitude. From
beneath 1t came voices-small, girlish
voices.
"Sposen," said one voice. "sposen she
should die?"
why Freda Orser." said the other
voice. in tones Of Mortified reproach, "ain't
you ashamed to even think such things
Whatever would become of my dolly?"
Mine, too?" said the voice which was
addressed as Freda. She's had whooping-
cough and measles. and consumption. so
that her sawdust all began to come out,
and --"
Il beg your pardon, ladies'" said the re-
porter.
There were two little squeaks Of sur
prise and dismay. and the big umbrella
tilted back, revealing two tots, mainly
distinguishable by the fact that one wore
her back hair i'm two perky little pigtails,
whereas bang ornamented the fore
head of the other Four round eyes sur
veyed the intruder intently.
rs this where Mrs Leb lives?" asked
the reporter.
yes" said the little girl with the pig
tails. Have you got a sick dolly?"
mo, 1 haven't" the reporter was
forced to admit Have your
Gravey the tot drew out from under
her little cape a most dlapidated rag of
dollhood. If there is any such thing as a
dead doll, that doll was one
This" said its owner bestowing a
fond glance upon the wreck, us my ia
vorte daughter, Candyetta Orsler I'm
Freda Orsler. l call her Candyetta," she
explained because she's so sweet. She's
sick, and / brought her to Mrs. Leib TO
be cured"
Il brought mine, too" put in the other
little girl. producing a phenomenon OF
personation from under her arm. Her
names Imogene, because she's got red
hair"
"Why should you call her Imogene on
that accountY' asked the reporter, feeling
himself on the verge Of an interesting dis
covery. But disappointment was his por-
ton.
Il don't know" said the little girl.
bankly. "They named me Cora. and my
hairs brown" she added, thoughtfully.
Amt it too bad about Mrs. Leib?"
said F'reda, socially. Her talker won't
talk, and they took her to the hospital
to mend it,"
"She says she's the grandmother Of all
the dolls on the east side" said the other
tot, "and what our dollies will do without
her I'm sure L don't know. I never could
have brought Imogene up but for her.
She's such a delicate child"
Mrs. Leib will take the dolly and look
at it and say: What's the matter with
the little dearie this timer Then she'd
take care of it, and the next day it
would be almost as good as new" said
Freda.
"And great deal nicer" added Cora.
1T was awful nice the way she talked
about 'em; just as If they was real" said
Candyetta's mother. And now she can't
talk at ALL"
Maybe she's like the big doll from the
store a little girl brought her once" sug-
gested Cora. 1t could say Papa and
Mamma and Thank you, and be real
polite but it's talker got broke, and when
Mrs. Leib tried to fix il, it got fixed
wrong and called her all kinds of bad
names"
"oh-h-h-h! D'you b'Iieve thatY said
Freda, wagglng her pig-tails
Course / do" cried the other indig-
nantfy. Didn't Mrs. Leib tell it TO Mamie
Ausbach, and Mamie tell 1t to Mary
stern, and Mary tell 1t to 'em. / guess
Mrs. Leib wouldn't say it If it wasn't
true"
well 1 don't believe IT," declared
Freda so positively that the reporter
FASTENED TO interpose.
whats the matter with Imogene?' he
asked that strange creatures natural
protectress.
Cora held the doll up to view again.
one Of its cheeks was very red and the
other very white, and 1t had a strange
glare. due, perhaps. TO the fact that one
eye pointed northeast and the other
southwest.
ITS got something wrong" she said,
sadly. MY brother Tom says it's got
the willies."
brothers are horrid" declared Freda,
with conviction. Mine broke my other
dollys legs or. and pa licked him good"
'Imogene looks to me-" ventured The
reporter las If she painted"
Don't eitherw replied Cora, with in
dignation. shes got fever, that's what
makes her so red Rachael Enteman
used to have a skirt-dancer doll and she
painted"
Oo-oo-ooh," said Freda, that amt re-
spectacle"
We'll I'm going to take my Imogene
home before she catches cola" declared
the other little lady. There amt any,
body inside. because I've rung the bell,
and they didn't answer"
I'm going. too" said Freda. There,
don't cry. Candyetta. Mrs. Leib viii
come back by-'n'-by
Il hope your dolls viii recover, ladies'"
said the reporter, as he stepped out TO
give free passage to the big umbrella.
THANK you" said the two mothers,
and the umbrella began stormy voy-
age down the street in the teeth OF the
sportive wind.