Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-09-19
THE POLITE DONKEY


shop window. He wore a russell
leather bride and red saddle. He
had plenty of bright green hay to be
eaten, though, as a matter of fact, he
never did eat; for he rather liked
having gone feeling in his stom-
ach. You see he always had had a
gone feeling" and he was used to
1t: If he thought about 1t at all, he
supposed that all donkeys had it.
The other animals who lived in win
dow were made all in one piece, and
stood quite still, staring out into the
street with their round eyes. But the
little gray Donkey had his head hung
inside of his neck, on a neat gilt
hook; and, as he was very polite
Donkey, he bowed gently, all day,
to the passers-by.
But no one ever bowed to him in
return, and the little gray Donkey
finally became quite sad. e
Why are you SO sad, little gray
Donkey?" said his friend, the Jack
in-the-Box, one day. You have a rus
set bride, red saddle, q pile Of
bright green hay, and your head is
hung on shiny gilt hook. Why are
you not happy and gay, as am? /
feel like Johnny-jump-up in spring
time!"
And the Jack-in-the-Box stretched
himself up, as far as he could to show
how springy he felt.
%bo rx,,.,,
"all day long bow politely to all our
window; but no one ever bows to me
in return, and this makes me feel
lonely and neglected"
And he wagged his head up and
down very mournfully
1t was just then that little Edward
and his nurse stopped before the toy
shop window.
Little Edward wore a white furry
coat and a white furry cap. He had
curly yellow hair and pink cheeks
and big bright eyes.
ooh, nanny" cried little Edward,
"see the little gray donkey! See him
wag his head! He is bowling to me-"
Now Edward was q very polite
little boy, and, when he saw that the
little gray Donkey was bowling, he
bowed his own head In return. The
little gray Donkey was delighted. He
felt very sure that this was the pref
test and most polite little boy in the
world, and so he bowed again.
So they stood bowling to each other
for some time. and little Edward
bobbed his head up and own till his
yellow curls flew up In the air and
the fury white cap slipped down over
his big bright eyes. And the little
gray Donkey wagged his head faster
and faster, until at last he wagged
1t off the gilt hook entirely, and there
lay the little gray Donkey's head on
the floor, in front of himself, with one
ear broken off.
Mamma" said little Edward to his
mother when he went home from his
walak, "a little gray Donkey bowed
to me, and bowed to him, and l
bowed my cap off; but the little gray
Donkey bowed his head off. 1 think
he was too polite, don't you?"
And, whenever. little Edward
thought of the little gray Donkey af-
ter that, he felt that the Donkey had
been too polite.
But the little gray Donkey was
quite happy on the shelf where they
put him away, after they had hung
his head again on the neat gilt hook,
because he remembered that, when
he made his last bows, little boy
with yellow curls and pink cheeks
had bowed to him in return; and it
never once occurred to him that he
had been too polite.
And the Jack-in-the-Box went on
feeling gay and springy like John
ny-jump-up.-Mary Mitchell, in Little
Folks.