Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-01-17
VOLUME XXXVI.

impress upon Little Make-Be1ieve tl!ar
if she wished Saranne to grow strong
it was necessary that the child should
rest great deal until she was nine or
ten years old: she was not to be al
lowed to run in the streets or carry
weights; then there was a chance of
Saranne getting over the weakness in
her back, and of her not being Grip
pie for life.
He had some benevolent idea re-
specting the children, which, had he
lived. would probably have been
benefit to them, but death stepped in
Nd prevented it's execution.
Little Make-Believe cheerfully took
up the burden, and was sister. mother,
and father to Saranne, who lived life
of idleness while her brave sister tOiled
for her. ;
During Saranne's lonely hours one
idea warmed her, comforted her: "My
Little Make-Belcve will soon be
hOmew
Crooked ugly. pock-marked as she
was, Little Make-B Believe had con-
sttution of iron.
Otherwise how could she have stood
the wind and the rain and the snow
which beat about and played their
fuel 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
trudging up and down, hunting for
tread for Sarannc 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 a fan
nel pcttcoat it is not unlikely that she
would have gone with it to police
man. and said, Somebody's made a
mistake"
On second thought, however, it is not
probable she would have acted in this
way.
She would have taken the flannel
pctticoat home to Sarannc.
Little Makc-Believc and Thomas
Dexter became acquainted in the fol
lowing manner.
Standing at the door of his shop one
evening. there marched past him Oh
the pavement the Quecrest procession
of children be 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 in 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 dozen had caps or
hats. one of them a wOman's old Don
net several sizes too large for her,
fathers worn-out trousers cut down,
some too short, some too long, mothers
worn-out gowns similarly adapted,
three or four with one boot and one
shoe; IL ragged regiment indeed.
Each of them carried stick with
piece of paper tied to it to represent
Il flag.
At the head of the regiment marched
Little Makc-Believe, her high rank be-
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
bf mockery in it in connection with
these poor children.
! Cold they knew it to be; that it was
fine they would have vehemently de-
MED.
They were shivering now as they
passed Thomas DeXter's shop.
There was spice of comfort in the
circumstances that 1t 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, as in
the old days he had seen Polly Cieaver
hundreds and hundreds Of time with
out noticing her. and it is likely that
the ragged regiment would have
marched past him without attracting
his attention had not man accosted
them in his bearing:
q say, kiddies," cried this man,
"what are you up to?'
Were going to fight the savages,"
was the reply.
"Ha. ho!' laughed the man. "Going
to fight the savages, are you? Well,
mind you give it 'em hot, for the glory
of Old England! Hit 'em hard, they've
got no friends! Who's your captain?'
He put his hand under the girls chin
and raised her head.
"Why, it's Little MakeBelevew
When the old man told the children
to "give it '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 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 by
our troops in what was at best but a
miserable skirmish.
march,, cried boy, and the ragged
regiment, with Little Make-Believe at
its head, disappeared down the street.
hn. r.rl1. MI a Il Dat