The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-10-16
BATTLE OF THE BUTTONS

BATTLE OF THE BUTTONS.
There were forty Of them. twenty
Reds and twenty Blues, marching in
long straight lines across the carpet
with the rubber ruler at their backs.
You might have thought that they
were only buttons, but Willie could
have told you better, for he knew that
they were two armies at war and that
the blue button with the gold rim
was the captain Of the Blues and the
red button, twice as large as the
others. was the captain of the Reds,
and that the fighting was going to
begin very soon.
The Blues were on the table-lanl
made by the rug before the crate and
the Reds were in the valley, where
there came the bunch of green leaves
and purple flowers in the carpet. They
would have liked 10 reach the table.
land. too. but the Blues would not let
them. and that was how tbe battle
started.
Two Reds had come close under the
thEt VI lIt Wltis Il IblIt
sharpshooter saw them.
Bang" came the rubber ruler Gown
upon one OF the Reds, and ii was the
end Of him. for he turned square over
on his little red stomach
Then his comrade fired back.
"Bangw came the rubber ruled down
upon the Blue sharpshooter. and he
never fred again, but turned square
over on his little blue stomach.
And then the Reds came running up
TO help their man. and the Blues came
running up to help their man (only
he was dead. and there was a steady
"bang, bang! bang" until six Reds
and seven Blues had rolled over on
their little stomachs and been taken
from the field.
1t was just about this time that
the captain Of the Blues noticed most
of the Reds in a long, straight line and
shouted (or Willie shouted for him.:
Boys. see there. Give 'em grape and
canister"
So the rubber ruler came down.
Boom along the whole line at once
and three OF the Reds rolled over all
ut one time.
That was n dreadful thing and in q
second the captain OF the Reds shout
ed (or Willie shouted for HIM: Seat
ter. boys. Spread out. Don't let him
do thatsthing again
SO they spread out. and right there
was the turning point of the battle.
One of the Reds (he had n little
white spot Of HIM crawled close up
to the table-land again and took dead
ly aim straight at the captain of the
Blues.
Bang he fired, but it was no use.
That captain only bounced-he never
turned over at all.
Bang fred back the Blues, but
that white-spotted Red never budged.
Bang! he fired once more. but this
time the captain Of the Blues jumped
straight up in the air and fell over the
edge OF the table-land and rolled down
among the Reds and was captured.
The white-spotted Red saw the dis
couraged Blues retreating and with all
his might he shouted Tor Willie shout
ed for HIM: Bring the bridge. Bring
the scaling ladder"
And when three men had brought
the bridge. which was stiff, white
sheet of paper. they set ii against the
table-land. and all those Reds went
marching up.
The Blues by this time had rallied
and begun TO fire again. but II was too
late. The Reds had already climbed
TO the table.land and
And just then little Ruth came run
ming In and tripped over the table
land and sent every soldier flying into
the air. and when they came down
every one OF them was rolled over
on his stomach, excepting that white
spotted Red.
"And what happened them" asked
mamma. when she had comforted lit
tie Ruth and taken up her mending
once more.
We'll" said Willie. 1.-The Reds were
just going to beat. but there came
an awful. awful earthquake and II
killed every man Of 'em but one
Frederick Hall. in Chicago Record
Herald.