The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-04-14
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for her.
During Saranne's lonely hours one
| idea warmed her. comforted her: my
Little Make-Believe will soon be
homer
Crooked, Ugly, pock-marked as she
was, Little Make-Belleve had a con-
| stitutiOn Of iron
Otherwise how could she have stood
the wind and the rain and the snow
which beat about and played their
cruel pranks upon her thinly clad body
when she was in the streets?
Frequently for fourteen or fifteen
hours out OF the twenty four was she
| Tudglng up and down, hunting for
| bread for Saranne and feeding on
dreams herself.
Her usual clothing consisted OF n
skirt and frock-nOthing more, hail,
rain, snow or blow.
Had she been presented with n fan
mel pettcoat IL Is not unlikely that she
would have gone with il to q police
man and said, Somebody's made a
mistake"
probable she would have acted in this
way.
She would have taken the flannel
petticoat home to Saranne.
Little Make Believe and Thomas
Dexter became acquainted in the fol-
lowing manner
Standing at the door OF his shop one
evening, there marched past him on
the pavement the queerest procession
Of children he had ever seen.
He had not many idle half hours,
but this happened TO be one.
There were In all some fourteen or
fifteen children, the poorest in Clare
Market, and you may be sure they
were not dressed n silks and satins.
Their garments, except in the matter
Of value, resembled the stock in his
shop-they consisted OF odds and ends.
Perhaps half a dozen had caps or
hats, one Of them woman's old bon
net several sizes too large for her,
fathers worn-out trousers cut down,
some too short some too long, mothers
three or four with one boot and one
shoe; ragged regiment indeed.
Each OF them carried a stick with
piece OF paper tied to IL 10 represent
a fag.
At the head OF the regiment marched
ing designated by the color of her pa
per flag. which was blue, the others
being white.
1t was the first week in December,
and the day had been cold and fine-a
common phrase, which had something
of mockery in ii in connection with
these poor children.
Cold they knew it to be; that 1t was
fine they would have vehcmently de-
MED
They were shivcring now as they
passed Thomas Dexter's shop.
There was n spice of comfort in the
| circumstances that ii was evening. and
that the shops were being lighted up.
Thomas Dexter had seen Little
Make Believe hundreds and hundreds
of times without noticing her, ms in
the old days he had seen Polly Cieaver
hundreds and hundreds of time with
l out noticing her, and il is likely that
the ragged regiment would have
marched past him without attracting
his attention had not man accosted
| them in his bearing:
81 say. Riddles" cried this man,
what are you up TOP
Were going TO 1ght the savages," !"
was the reply.
"Hai no" laughed the man. "Going
TO fight the savages. are YOU? Well,
mind you give II 'em hot, for the glory
of Old England. Hit 'em hard, they've
got no friends! Who's your captainY"
He put his hand under the girls chin
ana raised her head.
"Why, it's Little Make-Believew
When the old man told the children
to give ii 'em, for the glory of Old
England" he spoke satirically.
But what he said in bitter Jest, other
and greater authorities were repeating
in triumph, for had not the whole ma
ton been ringing that day with the
accounts Of n grand victory gained by
British soldiers and British guns over
a wild band of naked savages?
To judge from the paens sung in the
newspapers. not ancient Rome or
Greece could supply instances of such
prodigious valor as that displayed 10y
our troops in what was at best but Il
miserable skirmish.
March" cried boy. and the ragged
regiment with Little Make-Belleve at
its head. disappeared down the street
This boy, who was nicknamed Dot.
| and-carry-one because he walked with
limp, was the real head OF the expe.
dition
IL was an expedition with n serious
object in view. for which Dot.and.
carry one was responsible.
IL had not escaped the attention OF
the man who had accosted the chill
dren that Little Make Believes face
was whittier than usual, ard that she
exhibited symptoms OF suffering sin
gularly at variance with the exaltatior
with which her position and the blue
paper flag she carried should naturally
have filed her soul.
But in the very whirl OF the highest
} forms OF mental rapture there are hu
man feelings which will not be denied
, Hunger is one.
Little Make Believe had been select
r ed TO take the supposed command o.
q the expedition 10y virtue of the reputa
! ton she had gained by always pretend