The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-04-07
CHAPTER III.
A Little Pretendcr.

As much as is necessary 20 be known
Of Thomas Dexter's early history be-
| ing disclosed, Little Makc-Bclieye
| claims attention.
Come, then, into the light, flower Of
the gutter, and show yourself to unac.
CustOmed eyes. Those that are in the
| habit Of seeing you take so little notice
Of you that the doubt may well arise
whether, as n study, you are in any
way interesting. You are so familiar
a figure that, like the rising Of the
sun, but small regard is paid to you.
A grand simile, Little Make Believe:
be proud Of it, If in your humble soul
you can find room for pride in any.
thing.
But here and there, young child, there
beats a pulse OF tenderness for you
which may one day be of benefit to
your sister flowers, of whom there are
myriads. Come, and let the light shine
on you.
To grace such as you by comparing
you TO flower may excite ridicule.
A very weed in appearance, whose
appearance mars the loyelness Of the
garden.
Nevertheless. you began as great
souls began, and there were in you
possibilities of worthy things which
might one day have ripened into
beauty.
No time, however, for idle spccula-
In lp mid 81 81 ~
shams You stand clearly out, a stern
fact. II is the fashion with many TO
call you n problem, and though you
will hardly believe yourself 10 be Of
Importance, you are, in the aggregate,
a most formidable figure in the social
system of to-day.
At all events she was not an indo-
| lent creature; she worked, being, like
Thomas Dexter, general dealer.
But her business was much more
circumscrbcd than his. and lay in
quite a different direction. She dealt
only in one article, being hrimstoncly
! conservative; that article was matches
| one half.penny q box. or farthing
OR anything you chose 10 give her.
A gentleman once gave her siXpence
| for a box, ard when she said, with n
shake of her head, Il amt got no
change, sir" he told her that he did
not want any, and walked away.
This was SO wonderful an event that
she talked of il for months afteyward,
and would often conjure ur Imaginary
si1pences for lima ginary feasts.
Sometimes she had no matches 10
sell. Then she went about pretending.
But. as you alrecdy know, she did that
at other times, as well.
She had a father, who was such a
favorite with publicans and policemen
| that they very rarely let him out OF
| their sight.
They played with him as they would
have played az trap, bat and ball.
From publican TO policeman, when the
publican was done with him. and from
policeman 20 publican. when the police
man was done with him. was as regu-
larly 10 be depended on as the chang.
ing OF day into night and night into
day.
Which suggests comparison be-
tween Little Make Believes father and
the earth, the observable difference be-
ing that when Little Make Believe s
father turned round on his axis IL was
with more eccentric motion than We
attribute TO the earth Generally in
his movements. and especially when
the publican passed him on TO the po-
.N ]
conspicuous 10y their absence. when
the policeman passed him back 10 the
publican he exhibited a more improved
method. which. as a rule. lasted no
longer than an hour.
] Speaking in comnrebepsiYe sense.