The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-07-21
DEcoRATlN q A cliNANlAN.
Tiny Miss on Railway Train Plays
i: Funny Little Joke on Mongo- I
- :" Han Passenger. @&E f..

Among the several family parties en-
route to the Pacific coast in ..tour-
list" car not long ago was one con-
sisting OF father. mother and three
children. The youngest child, writes
Frank B. $Welch, in the Chicago Rec
ord Herald Sunday Magazine, was
br1ght-eyed, restless little girl of five,
who soon made herself thoroughly at
home with everybody in the car, go
ing from one section to another at her
own pleasure and contributing largely
to the entertainment: of the :. train
weary Travellers. Little Miss Busy
they called her, and she certainly was
the busiest wee woman that ever kept
carful of all kinds of people on the
| move ~
Through New Mexico and Arizona a
number of cowboys and Indians came
into the car and sat apart from the
through passengers, in seats given up
to their kind. AS soon as settled in
their seats, each in turn was visited
and closely inspected by Miss Busy.
Fearlessly she shook hands with the
notwithstanding redmen and perched
contentedly on the knee of one and
then another of the big cattle men.
At one of the first stations on enter
ing California four Cinnamon entered
the car and took up quarters as re-
mote from the other occupants as pos
slble, where they snapped vowels
among themselves, after their own, Pc
culiar manner, to all appearance utter
ly oblivious of the presence of others
in the car. Not long we're they left
| to themselves. Little Miss Busy soon
was in their midst, round-eyed with
wonder over their talk and queer
dress. I
Halo, littee baby" greeted one of
the orientals, with an expansive Mon
golidn smile and a friendly nod. you.
likee look see Chinaman? Heap good
Chinaman! Like littee baby allie same
Mclean man papa. My gottee two,
tlee littee baby gal, all same likee
you, China side"
All this appeared to be perfectly I'm
derstandable to the tiny woman. At
any rate, she proceeded with utmost
composure to learn all possible con-
corning the 1.-TWO, tlee littee baby gals
| ever in China. She came and went
among the passengers with .preoccu-
pied manner, something of great i'm
port engaging her mind. Quietly she
slipped about, escaping the attention
OF everybody and not until the China
man left the car did the secret of
her sly missions come out.
/ Filing out singly, as is their manner
OF travelling in company, the China
men, with the papa of the 'littee gal,
China side," in the rear, left the car
at one of the principal stations along
the line. When they reached the
platform there arose a tumult of
mirth in which everyone in sight
soon Joined. Papa Chinaman was the
perplexed center Of the commotion.
when one of his companions with a
laugh seized the bewildered "chink's''
queue, which he had neglected to re-
arrange when he left the car, and
threw it over his shoulder. Catching
it in his hand, Papa John held the
'pigtaiP' >aloft, and good-natured
grin broke over his face.
'Hi-yah!" he gurgled, catching
sight of little Miss Busy's laughing
face at the car window. "Littee baby
gal makee Chinaman all same foolee!
Me ketchee you, takee you China side
way off,"
All the way down his long queue
at intervals of few inches there were
knots Of doll ribbons of every hue
and color, surreptitiously tied there
by the busy little girl as the neatly
braided appendage hung down over
the back of the car seat.
Waving his gaudily decorated head
tail before him, the jolly Chinaman
marched proudly away with his
friends, turning at every few steps to
shake the beribboned queue at the tiny
author of the joke, and calling back:
me ketchee you, takee you China
side!" receiving for answer 4 wave
of the baby hand
n