Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-13
SISTER soHM's FIRST DOLL.

SISTER SOlIM > F1RSI DOLL.
Lizzie Sohn in Storm Lake Vidette:
The bazaar was To blame The girls
had made some of the handsomest dolls
that mortal eyes ever saw, and VINO
could help but stop and inspect them.
1t was on this account that we were
led to confess that we had never had a
doll and that the longing to possess one
had never entirely left us. This state
ment WAS repeated when we were as
sisting Editor Gordon's little daughter,
of Newell, with the care of her family
of dolls. Christmas came and with 1t
two dolls, one from some of the best
and kindest hearted ladies OF Storm
Lake. the other from Editor Gordon
and wife And looking at the dolls we
forgot; forgot that the pleasures of
childhood were no longer ours; forgot
that we were old enough to have chill
dren for which tn make dolls: forgot
that we ever had thought the world Il
battleplacc: forgot that our trials now
We're how to scrape together from 800
to $500 every month for the expenses
of our business: forgot that our main
ambition now is to get out the best
paper we can under the circumstances
and to work hard enough to pay off the
debts on the pla'1t and some day call
1T "mne:' forgot that articles are
written unintentionally for which we
are cusscd Intentionally: forgot that
twelve hours a day are not long
enough for a working day; forgot that
one by one the dreams of school days
had been crushed and faith in humans
ty Destroyed; forgot all the bitterness,
all the sorrow and only remembered
the longing of tie child.
We remembered the Christmas sea-
son of childhood, when night after
night we had begged the Christ-child
TO send a dolly for Christmas; remem-
bcred how we had stood before the
shop windows and looked at the mag
niiicent display of dolls and then gone
home to breathe over the same prayer;
we remembered how once we had seen
a doll that could open and shut its
eyes that wore a blue silk dress and
that had real hair how then and there
we had prayed for the doll, but how,
when night time came, we asked the
Christ child to forgive so unreasonable
wish and bring instead the little
china doll with painted blue eyes; we
remembered how we tried to do our
daily tasks AND "be good" but never,
though year after year we tried and
tried, did the Christ child ever bring
the much wanted dolly. The years
came and went, the dolly was no longer
wanted, but the pain of never having
received 1t was still there even long
after we realized that no matter how
naughty we might have been, the
Christ child did not discriminate
against us.
And thus the dolls received this
Christmas We're Il gift, valued not only
for the thoughtfulness and love that
prompted the tift, but for that quality
in mankind that did understand a child
ish longing that can leave a scar long
after childhood is past The doll will
be treasured IS much by us as many
another doll is treasured by little girls.
We will not nave time to play with
them, nor to derive the pleasure 1t
would have given twenty years ago,
but we hope that every time we look
at the dolls we will thank God for
health and strength to work and be
able from year to year to help to make
Christmas brighter for some child or
other May we not close our heart to
the many homeless little ones. and may
some of them be the happier in that
we lived