The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-08-08
D~0R0THALINDA'S FAMILY.
BY LUCIEN G.. CHAPLIN.

My little friend Dorothalinda has a
marvellous collection OF dolls. Marvel
GUS to me, I mean, in their number and
variety. To Dorothalinda they are not
at all remarkable, and to her they are
the natural and proper family" Of a
small girl. After the manner of her
species, D%orothalinda is extremely fond
OF her collection, and she was quite in
dignant n day when 1 jestingly referred
to it as a ''menagerie." At the same
time, l have detected degrees of intensity
IN Dorothalinda's affection for her vari-
Gus dollies.
For example, she is very tender and
delicate and polite in her treatment Of
and in her conversation with a great
s~tarlng-eyed, wax-faced creature, sup
posed to answer to the name of Lady
Don" who is attired in gorgeous fash
ION, with silks and satins and feathers
and furbelows, but who is, to my think
ing, exceedingly Indifferent to all this
magnldcence. Dorothalinda assures me
that this is not the case, and that Lady
Don is a very proud and 'ristccratic"
lady, fully conscious of her superiority
III point Of birth and apparel to her
sisters in the collection. Perhaps this
is so.
Certainly Dorothalinda's M paid
enough for the superb creature to get
some sprlnkling of brain with it, and l
remember it was not taken at all kindly
when l pronounced the purchase a fool
ish extravaganza. Curious how an old
bachelor will put his foot in it. What
do | know about such things?
Descending from the lofty plane of
Lady Don, there is a Maude, a Made
lame, an Evangeline, a Marguerite, all
A!rabella Estelle, an Ethel, and others
in the Dorothalindian collection needless
to mention, toward whom l have OBJ
served, as l said before, my little friend
assumes quite a different attitude from
that she always maintains toward the
proud LADY, first mentioned.
win some of these more humble
creatures she is positively familiar. She
upbraids some Of them in very decided
language for their offenses against Ell
quette, or their d~isobedience of her COM
mands. With some the affair goes even
to the extremity Of severe corporal pun
!shment or angry dismissals from imag-
OF them she is a perfect tyrant, though
she has confded to me privately that
she doesn't REALLY mean" her sternness.
but is compelled to be very strict for
the good of her family" Bless her dear
little heart!
'" No"A al iuc DOllOm OF the l1Sf.
as | should say, though D%orothalinda
would not, there is a Miss Susan
which, in spite of Dorothalinda's pro-
tests, l am forced to say is the most
disreputable, the dirtiest, the ragsedest
rag of a ragdoll that ever was. Miss
susan Is without form of voice, one of
her painted eyes has disappeared entirely
under the stress of much handling and
many "lovings,' she has no arms or legs
to speak of respectfully, and her gown IS
Of the cheapest calico. Yet Miss Susan
leads all the rest.
1t is Miss Susan VIII. lies cuddled MP
IN Dorothalinda's fat arms when she
Wynken and Nod. Miss Susan is A the
chosen confdante Of all her minute
troubles and of her most private family
secrets. Miss Susan. gets the choicest
m!orsels at Dorothalinda's elaborate doll
dinners and the sweetest Of her kisses.
IT Miss Susan is soiled and rumpled. it
is the legitimate result of her "mother's'
%tireless and demonstrative affection.
Somehow Dorothalinda's collection Of
dolls reminds me Of my collection of
pipes over in my bachelor quarters,
Like her dolls, my pipes are numerous
and various, and l regard them with dit
ferent degrees of fondness. There are
some other points of resemblance.
! have M Lady Don" pipe. Meer-
schaum, of course, a sumptious piece Of
clay, costly to the point Of extravaganza,
colored-well. nc one but an old pipe
smoker could appreciate how that pipe
is colored. 1t ought to be. What it cost
burned, in "buttons," in boilings, in ex-
pensive brands of tobacco, in sore
tongues, in heartburn, before it reached
its present glory Of polished blackness,
no one can know but one who has under
taken to color a meerschaum properly.
Yet I can't say that I care very much
about the pipe now: 1t is too fine and
careful Of it to really enjoy smoking it.
1t hangs usually on the wall. It is my
show pipe.
Then comes the rest Of my collection.
Cheaper meerschaums, briar-woods,
clays, none Of them very costly. but
good everyday pipes, all Of which get
smoked now and then in their turn by
myself or my friends. No particular story
about any of them. Most Of them I
bought. and some few were presents. I
like them all about the same, the matter
of my fondness for any one being in
spiIed. by, the mere fact that it Smokes
WELL and keeps sweet"
1 have a ~favorite, though-a plain,
cheap briar-root. without even an amber
m~outhpiece, and not a specially good
piece of briar. The horn mouthpiece
shows that the pipe cost next to nothing,
and if I am not mistaken I got the pipe
as a "prize' with some new brand of
tobacco a dealer induced me to try.
Nevertheless I am very fond of that
pipe. I smoke it more than any other in
my collection. That was the pipe 1 had
with me at Narragansett Pier the sum
mer she was there, and wrote met a little
note telling me how nice it was. and
saying she wished I could spend a few
weeks there: She was certain 1 would
have a good time. l did have a good
time as long as she was kind and seemed
to enjoy my taking her about. Who was
she? 1t isn't necessary to know that.
Down on the sands one day 1 Offended
her beyond repair by smoking this very
pipe. Yes. she had some queer ideas in
those days, and l remember she told me
no gentleman should smoke in the pres:
Sence OF rladies. There were lots Of other
fellows all around us smoking pipes, and
I thought it would be all right.
But it wasn't, as far as she was con:
cerned, and a GOODNESS came up between
r1H f4-1 r -~~-A -. - - a "Yl--L%s.