The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-06
:: DOLLY. A BAKE SHOP IDYL :.

ing head over the pile of sugared buns.
OF course. as they sat at breakfast
Dolly became the object Of their
glances and the subject of their con-
versation. which before had been fxed
on the prettiest chance customer. They
soon found that she had two young
companions behind the counter. besides
the fat cashier. who turned out to be "A
tyrannical ruler Of her small house
hold. There was a girl of about DolIy's
age. rather tall and angular, who WAS
dubbed The Farmers Daughter" and
one a little older. rotund fIaxen, and
jolly, who from her apparent occupa-
ton became affectionately known as
THE B0ol5keeper.'' Fiaally, in a moment
of inspiration when the fat cashier was
rapping sharply on her desk, they call
ed her Speaker Reed" and the family
was completely named.
The breakfast conversation during
those blissful days had il been over
heard. must have sometimes seemed to
those around the acme Of insanity. Two
well dressed. intelligent young men. sit
ting down TO their eggs and coffee,
would enter into an apparently bitter
dispute.
oh" one would exeIaim. Dolly is
perfectly divine this morning, and she
looked at me and smiled She didn't
smile at you.
she did, the other would reply.
You are always appropriatinS every
glance meant for me. II / weren't here
she wouldn't look within mile of this
table"
Your the other would contempt
ously remark. Why. even The Farm
er's Daughter laughs at you!''
But the careful observer would have
noticed that both OF them, in perfect
good will, looked then at Dolly. and
two faces lit up happily if she smiled
back impartially on both. Indeed. their
testing quarrels meant nothing but
desire in each to cover up the influence
that their little Dolly was exerting over
him. Every morning. on rising. they
FASTENED eagerly to breakfast cheered
by the thought that they should see her
glowing. Sirlish prettiness, and sweeten
their day with the delightful thrill that
came to them across the bakeshOp in her
smiling glance of recognition Some
times. as they dropped off to sleep at
night, one would ask the other, DO you
think Dolly will wear the pink or the
blue waist tomorrow Perhaps she
Will have a new one" the other would
appeared with her hair done down her
neck. after the latest RialtO fashion.
they were greatly displeased, and told her
so by eloquent gestures. She ran out her
little red tongue at them; but the next
day the hair was arranged in the old,
ideal fashion. Neither openly expressed
to the other how much this pleased him;
but the whole incident was theme OF
conversation between them for days.
Ii would be indeed strange IL by now
some reader had not asked, We'll, why
didn't they speak 10 Dolly. take
her. perhaps. TO jolly little dinner? II
would have pleased the miss. Per-
hans. dear reader; but they were not
men ike you or me. They called such a
direct. practical, New York fashion Of
doing things by the blunt term. Phil
istfnistfc:" at least one of them did
when the other limited that thcy speak
with Dolly. And the other readily
agreed, and made humble apologies
They would not even be on hand TO
watch Dolly come forth from her days
work. to see whether she went to her
home. not because they would have
cared where she might live, but because
they would not run the risk that lay in
seeing her feet
Think" they told each other. "our
Dolly, the ideal maid, may have feet
that are anything but ideal We never
see them now; a kindly counter hides
them. OF course they may be-Very
likely are-perfection, like the perfect
parts Of her we see. But let us not