Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-12-11

bureau had spun across the floor like top, and they had crowded ill. Then she had done something to quiet tue children. It was queer that she could not remember what it was when every thing else in the dream still lived with in her. horribly distinct and real
 What fool she was, with Jim asleep in the next room. She would not think about it another minute She began to dress, but her fingers were heavy, and the vague oppression of nightmare bloc ked her efficiency
 She called the children. but the sight of them, happy and flushed with sleap did not reassure her
 "MAmlny.' said Topeka. eldest of the family and lately on the invalid list, the victim of q cactus thorn. my toes all well Can I go barefOot?''
 Topeka Rodney, what kind of feet Ho you expect to have when yon are q young lady if you run barefoot now?'
 Topeka. sitting op the side of the
 bed, with tousled hair. put her small feet together and contemplated them. ] The toe was still SuSpicOusly infamed fer perfect convaIescence. although To peka with Spartan courage that won ! her q place ill the annals of household valor, had the day before allowed her
 mother to pick out with q needle tue ! torturng cactus thorn. seorning to shed d tear during the operation. { though afterWard she had taken the piece of dried apple that was offered her and devoured it to the last bite. as only just compensation for her suffer
 ings
 'Dimmy dot a tore toe too But
 Jimmy showed strange fetlcence about offering proofs of his affllction At .he peril of bis equilibrium he cIa2p
 ed the allegedly injured member in us
 chubby hand and rolled oyeI pu tle bed in apparent anguish
 ''Less see Jimmy" asked his mothei anxiously.
 ''Dont bleeve him. uanrny. He ain, ever cried He'd d cried for sure il his toe was sore At the age of fiVe
 little Judith. n;.:leS;k2 of her auns. was something of q doubtng ThoMlas
 Let mammy see, jimmy" And All da bent over her son and heir
 Doth Dimniy det any app!e% Ih9 s,e ee man sometimes succeeded ill mat. ing terms With his mother when tlls
 other children were not present
 She strugg ed with the temptation t3 give him the apple. He had lifted the. . horrors of Ter dream as nothing els could E;v" done. but she allswerea , him with quiet tirinness: Jimmy must not tell stories. Less sec" insisted Topeka. q He dasscnt." affirmed Judith iuuiot of little faith
 2 Ut hgrtAs me And Jimmy tried :o squeeze out d tear. 1t hurihs me. mI s tore toe''
 His mother tipped him over on hi- fat little back and opened the chubby z hand that held the trump toe. It Wa 5 white from the pressure applied by tle \ infant dissembler. but there was no < trace of the treacherous cactus thorn q She gave him an atfectionate spank and went into the kitchen to make N coffee
 @ Il with had tore toe,'' he crooned. @ quite mahasfed at the discovery of IAhis deception. ''I With I toud det q 4tore toe 'thout the hurt " But tho horror of the dream gripped Ssher when she found herself alone in ssasthe kitchen. and she remembered she SAhad not told tie children not to % sSinto the room v'!ere their father was 4Asleeping. She went back and found Nthat Jimmy had not left his post on the side of the bed. where he still re- gretted that his perfectly we'll toe did 2anot entitle him to gastronomic con- saelderation. Topeka, who had arrived
 at an age where little girls, in the first @subconscious attempt at adornment, BSgknow no kcener delight than clustering Sther heads with wet hairbrush till < tney present an appearance of slippery Sfotundlty equaled only by peeled on- 1On, put down the brush with guilty Haste at sight of her mother. aaa8 "l'm goin' to dress him soon as I've sAd0ne my hair."
 IgM "Any one think you was goip' to be
 married, the time you've took to it." a aa4 Its gettn' so long," urged Topeka. T wouldn't give it chance to grow x no longer while Jimmy was waitin' to get dressed. And don't go into tbe fstfont room. Your fathers gettin' his
 deep out.'
 Topeka opened her round eyes
 1here was always something suspi-
 c1pus about that sleep her father had to
 ot out, but she felt it was something
 LIZ must not ask questions about. Her
 Mpther fingered. She dreaded to he
 alQne in the kitchen. The little. fa.
 mAlar intimacies between herself and
 hee children scattered the horrors of
 the dream which would come hack to
 her when she was again at the mercy < Of her thoughts. udy, s'pose you dress Jimmy this {. Wnlng. l want Topeka to heln mo
 8a breakfast"
 essum," said Judith dutifullv .Is .H &SFo have his face washed:" ie certainly is, Judy. Is ashamed lsaIg ave you ask such question: Ain't h9ln