The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-18
est child, and couldn't tell 4 lib II she
I r.ind she didn't heliaYe. = E..sl l...

est ChllQ, ana COu1QI I tteIl q Az - Day
tried, she didn't believe"
II don't userly,'' was Henny's secret
thought, "but, oh, wonder II wouldn't
tell a lie to have that doly?"
The thought scared her so that she
didn't look toward her idol for the rest
Of that afternoon and evening, for HenNys
hours of work were getting longer ana
longer as Christmas drew near. some
times her little thumbs and forcnnEers
were SO sore from drawing strings t,.to
place and knotting them firmly that she
would turn her little shoulders toward
the counter in order comfortably to put
them into her mouth. Her back and legs
achcd from STOPPING and bending over
eyen her eyes ached--oh. most unforeseen
nain!-from very plethora OF gayly deck
ed and highly colored dolls.
When she crept in to bed with her n In
er, late. at night, she seemed to pc lylng
among heaps of dolls. with her heau
nillowed on the finest and most val aple
QUO IN the shop. She would wake win
violent starts all through the night ana
nush the pillow from her. her heart IN
her mouth and the crumpled doll hnery q
vision In the darkness,
s. T2ut the doll. the angel OF the toy shop,
ever came into her tired dreams save 70
soothe and comfort--was her support ~
day and her compensation by night. Elm
ell Barrymore she had named It IN nel
FOND INN gination and ETHEL barrymore
nevcr foiiod her In any way. Sometimes.
iust MS she reached the door OF Deiton's
early. early on those bitter mornings. siie
would pnl,se, her hand on the knob, whlle
ha hcart n,liyored in her breast like
ma ner whirlig,g at the thought that per-
hans perhaps at last had come some
lucker child sufficiently Intelligent 70
prefer dark "l1thel BARRYMORE 10 INC
floss gold beauties surrounding her. nose
were anguished moments There was NJ
roe sihIity If her ever owning tho adored
Image Fifty cents was as far Deyoho
hcr grasp as fifty dollars would have been
heyond that OF a prosperous farmer
child, but just to love and look from
distance-that, oh, that, meant Ch tt''sl
mus" to her.
.,Ethel Barrymore remained suspend,
cd on her blue ribbon, however, "htn
II was actually Christmas Eve. " az tl'e
dclnded children In New York not one
,,.a rca,,zed her charm and SO she gently
s,ynyed. now n it'll eto the right, now
llttle to the left, according to tho dii1er-
cnt doors opened by the shoppers.
~ was very late. Only a few hurry'ns
,,eonle rushed in and out at Intervals
rIcnny sat in tired little bunch on a
drawer that tho reel nicc young iaay,
had kindly pulled out for her and sazed
IN into the dolls beloved face. Her eye
| lids burned, and her eyes blurred now
a,d then, so that tho prlln. wax features
TOOL, on a sort OF life under her culver
in,, stare, seeming now to smile, now to
plead
| er me-" thought IIenny. "Oh. ! visit
Il warn't blasphumous to write letters to
God, like they do to Santa Claus, cause
I b'licve In God, an don't III santa
] Claus, and maybe letterd reach linn
when prayers don't.
round until her nose-y, chin-y little pro-
| f,le presented Itself. then back again un-
+! iii her full face beamed down once more
i upon her deyotce.
4. Henry gazod and gazel. The chatter
| OF tho "salcsladles, - telling of what "he
said and "she said" sounded far away;
i then the doll receded far, far in sort
of golden haze, coming again suddenly
near, then-a strange thing happened.
'"raka mel Take mel" she seemed say
Ing.
Henry started up, rafting the drawer.
staring wildly about her. No one paid
any attention. She sank down again, her
nagnetzed gaze fastened on the doll She
could almost hear it again, but now It
seemed voice In her own breast. She
clutched her hot little hands together,
, pinched them into the flesh over her
: heart and gave a hard little cough
"On II / only could-honey," she
breathcd aloud. And just then another
: thing happened. One Of the floorwalk-
/ crs, an asrachan haired young man with
! an anonymously straight mustachc,
: stopped at the counter TO speak with Hem
nys especial young lady. Henry shrank
together into the shadow but did not
RISE Ghe was too tired,
The other two talked for a moment,
2 then suddenly
'liesl What's the matter with this
. doll?'' said the fioorWaker,
Hennys heart seemed 10 shoot up to-
ward her throat, scorching It's way like a
iightvd fire cracker,
Why there amt nothn the matters
can sec" said Hennys young lady.
she amt n peroxide, an so she ain't
! sold II that's what yon mean"
no, \ guess she amt" drawlea the
IA al. 49,, ~ u.