The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1904-04-14
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POPPY BOAT j:
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| OAS"nio' AhoihuS nao ouSH Nuctr llu'
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. $40
"And I'll wait for you at the Bridge"
be 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
10 go on without them. .- M
thought perhaps he would not wait
for me tonight, because first had to
talk 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 jourhey-and 1t was
late-O! SO late-before l came to the
Bridge.
But although Thomas was impatient,
he waited for me.
"And where are we going first" l
asked him.
$40 the Baby Land he said, his
face aglow, "to find a baby sister,
And SO we started off.
The Poppy Boat is like q poppy
flower. You sit in the middle, and
then, II 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 II. One
Of them drlfted up by us. In the mid.
die Of it was something very tiny and
very fair. | held my breath when l
saw what it was. Thomas" l whls-
pered, "she's 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. | wish you could have
seen her boat. 1t was pink-not red,
like ours--and the petals were soft
and satlny and so delicately shaded,
And they were drawn up close around
her, as if she felt that the night was
cold.
Thomas leaned over gently and
pushed the petals back. Are you d
baby sister?' he demanded; eagerly.
She nodded baby head at him.
"lm just going home" she told him.
"Weare 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.
shes around here somewhere"
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 drlfted on. ll
DO You know where your mother
goes In her Poppy Boat!" asked
Y Thomas.
He thought q 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" FT
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" ,n
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?' I asked the baby
sister.
Yes, she did, and II we wanted to 60
there, all we had 10 do was to say,
Dresses! Three dresses! 10 dresses
want to go!' mud then we'd be there;
but II we didn't say it just right--if we
should get 1t all mixed up and shy, for
instance, Dresses! Two dresses
Three dresses want to gol" Or -Four
dressesF' or anything like that, there
was no telling where you'd 80 to, the
baby sister said.
Thomas picked 1t up Immediately,
without bit Of trouble, and before
she had fairly finished telling me about
II, he had said the wnole thing, Just
exactly right, and was drifting away
from me In his boat and was floating
away from him IN another boat which