Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-05-09
MAKE BELIEVE
PEOPLE
~ GRANVILLE OSBORNE.


When Carter was eight years oil
his mother found him in the attic. be
meath the gable window In the root
through which the sun streame'
warmly and made. upon the dust.
floor. golden patch not unlike tn
limelight upon a stage.
lie sat in a pile OF pink and yellow
and red scraps Of paper. from whiel
he had cut. with unusual cunning.
dozen gayly angular figures OF mel
and women. These Carter had In
duced. by means OF basic arrange
ment OF pins. TO stand upright upoI
the floor: In a sing.song voice he wal
droning out a crude. fantastic nara
tive Of childish imagining TO which
with swift, deft hands. he suited the
movements OF his puppets.
"The prince" he cried. has come
to Stay the wicked fairy-for-er-el
more" And the scarlet princelinf
fell nightly upon the crumbling vel
low fairy.
Carriers mother paused on the
1 thitSuuius tHtfr Was siSh. sSaiSe
feeling at her heart.
"Oh. he's got It. too" she thought
bitterly. Her lips frightened with de-
cision.
Jimmie" she said. sharply. what
are you playing herewith those pa
per-things?"
Carter hung his head shyly. IL
don't know" he faltered.
He some way hated to tell his
mother that he called the game by
name of his own; THE Make-Be-
lieve People. Carter had observed In
his young life that his mother did not
often understand what he meant by a
great many "difrunt" things.
ITS not a nice game for little boys
to play. You mustn't ever do 1t again
do you hear mother? Never again!
You may give me those paper things!"
Carriers chin quivered; he did not
cry. He wanted to save the red prince
terribly. His mother crushed them all
sternly In her hands, and led him
out of the attic.
Carriers mother was Ill on his elev-
enth birthday. Perhaps 1t should be
said here that the lads father had
died-and he had Notwithstanding long
before Carter could frame an image
of him on his baby brain. The boys
birthday was on Saturday. In the
afternoon his mother called him to
her bedroom and kissed him, slipping
a shining dollar into his hand.
You may take old Hannah and go
down town to buy whatever you like,
provided it is not something foolish"
she said. kindly, in the precise tones
she always used to children and serv-
ants.
At the corner, pasted on the fence
around Simpkin's livery stable, they
found villianous, blood-curdling
scene In a road, done with splendor
of coloring and a scorn of conven.
ton, that filled Carter and Hannah
with admiration and forboding. They
gesped.
What is it, Hannah whispered
Carter, wide-eyed.
"A play-picture," Hannah explained.
It's going to be at the town hall to.
day. It's a make-believe.
WAS it-splendid, Hannah?"
1T was just grand"
"A make believe" The words fas.
cinated Carter. They reminded him
of the scarlet prince.
Hannah, we're going to it, he add
ed, conclusively.
The old servant demurred nervous.
ly. But in the end Carter stood
firm.
I've got dollar-and we're 90.
Ing he repeated, quietly. Were 60
ing to see it."
Presently they watched GREATNESS.
ly the curtain rise on the most won
derful thing in the world, so the lad
thought. For days afterward he had
only to shut his eyes and he saw the
beautiful lady who wore day and
night, through all her dreadful trou.
BILE, pale, blue silk gown; in his
ears flowed the plaintive cadences of
some song she sang.
1t made little difference to Carter
that he was kept in his room for two
whole days after the play, and was
not allowed to speak to anyone for
week-he was so sorry that Hannah
had to be sent away. He tried to ex-
plain that 1t was all his fault, but
his mother would not let him tell
her.
In the night Carter heard her pray.
ing:
20 Lord" she said, take away the
curse from him." an he guessed it
meant something about the red
prince
Carter grew UP amazingly fast.
When he was II he entered college.
He had never seen another play
save those he fashioned for himself in
his dreams-for he had promised his
mother that he would not 20 to the
theater until he was 20. Carter loved
his mother.
Somehow he got through the four.
year course-neither he nor the fac.
ulty was quite sure how he did it.
He studied little enough, heaven