The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-05-13
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4 THE:
POPPY BOAT.
Observation-Disclosures

SkoE. HOMAS had turned to
4 vu~ y leave the room with his
6 IT & mother, but he looked back
n Il + at me over his shoulder.
NCE "You may come with me
IN Che Poppy Boat" he said, gracious
ly. The Poppy Boat is his, and it tray
els between here and the Land of
Dreams. Thomas has such queer no.
tons about dreams. He thinks.
among other things, that you can al
ways choose the people who are going
with you, and he never fails to make
up his own party every night. This
night he chose me, which was a great
honor.
And I'll wait for you at the Bridge"
he added, as his mother drew him out
of the room. The Bridge is just where
you begin to think that in a few min
utes you will be asleep. Thomas al
ways plans to meet his Dreamland
guests at the Bridge, but sometimes
they are so long in coming that he has
to go on without them.
for me tonight, because first l had to
talk a little with his father, and then
his mother came and talked to me; and
after all that had to go home and
get ready for the journey-and it was
late-O! so late-before 1 came to the
Bridge.
But although Thomas was impatient,
he waited for me.
"And where are we going first" l
asked him.
ITO the Baby Land he said, his
face aglow, ito find baby sister,"
And so we started off.
The Poppy Boat is like poppy
flower. You sit in the middle, and
then, if you are cold, you draw the
petals up over your head. The river
is blue and quiet, and there are many
other Poppy Boats which are gliding
around here and there all over it. One
Of them drifted up by us. In the mid
die Of it was something very tiny and
very fair. l held my breath when l
saw what it was. Thomas" 1 whis-
pered shes from the Baby Land.
Perhaps she's little sister"
Thomas waved his hand to her, and
she waved hers back very prettily. SO
Thomas guided our boat until it came
closer to hers. l wish you could have
seen her boat 1t was pink-not red,
like ours-and the petals were soft
and satiny and so delicately shaded.
duo o1nc nd
her, as if she felt that the night was
cold
Thomas leaned over gently and
pushed the petals back. Are you
baby sister?' he demanded, eagerly.
She nodded baby head at him.
'I'm just going home" she told him.
'We are just going there, too," he as
sured her. "Come on along home with
u.s." She said she would, and Thomas
clapped his hands.
Lets find my mother and tell her."
he suggested
And Thomas held his hand out to the
little sister, who put dear baby hand
into his. And so the two boats came
together, and we drifted on.
do you know where your mother
goes in her Poppy Boat?' l asked
Thomas.
He thought moment. Sometimes
she goes with me- he said, land some
times with father. Sometimes she
goes where they build houses, and
sometimes where they make dresses.
and sometimes"
IF she goes to so many places, we'll
have to hunt all over to find her." l
said, land so we better begin right
away"
Thomas drew his forehead into
FUCKERS. which means that he is think
ing hard. Dresses first" he an
nounced, finally; "she's been talking
about them"
Sure enough, so she had, and to me.
that very night. "Do you know where
they make dresses?' asked the baby
sister.
Yes. she did and if we wanted to go
there. all we had to do was to say,
"Dresses. Three dressesi TO dresses
II want to go.p and then we'd be there;