The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-30


nestled close by the bank of the foamy
river. alive with shiny fishes. A shady road
hillside was clearing, set thick with appe-trecs'
peaeh-trees and and the like; and loaded down; whle
great dark trees up and down the steep mountains
was musical with the song OF birds,
Dot and Puss and Dimples and Pudge-these
were the of the four little girls who lived in
one but their father could tell.
1t was ten miles through the thick woods to the
next house it quite far to their first neghbor
in the other direction: and this sort OF
stoppins-pace for the very few travellers who vent
ured on horseback this portion OF the Oregon
Sierras, drew rein at the door and shouted: Hello
the housed
door-rosy. round-faced. brown-faced, unnyh haired,
hearty, happy. Beautiful? They looked as they
might have escaped from the upper world and slid
down the great snow-peaks to that little home by
the beautiful river
might | stay7" There was a welcome to the
tired stranger in every YES. four pretty mouths
Dot, the eldest strong sef-relant little girl
of ten years. led my horse the stable across the
road Dmples led into the cabin; Puss brought
water from the spring; little Fudge brought her
apron full of chips from the wood pile in the back
yard and all four soon BIZ. preparing supper
The father came home. weary man. tall and
strong, lonely-looking and very silent, and swung
his gun and pouch on the great elk-horns
over the fireplace
We had supper by the freight; Dot with her
little hand; kept piIns on the pine knots till the
After hearty meal on wild meat, Indian corn
and fish, the little girls cleared Oft the table and
then grouped about it with their books But
they could read. They wanted to hear about
the great big world-the world that was to them
like faryland | told them many wondrous things,
the half-sad and very silent father sitting all the
time back in the dark and alone.
By and by asked them to tell me something Of
mixed, All history, the Arabian, knights novels
heads together. Yes, their mother, they said in
whispers. as they glanced back at their father, had
taught them ever SO much, They had never seen a
schoohouse or a church. Once they had been to
camp-meeting. Yes, mother-when she was young
woman-had come from far-off country-trom
Boston-had married, settled in the woods there,
died.
Seeing his children were now sad himself,
as they thought Of their mother, the came
forward kicked the FIRE till it blazed up cheer
fully and suggested to the children that they should
tell stories in return for mine.
And oh, let's make EN- up ourselves" shouted
Puss, she clapped her dimpled hands and hitched
up her chair did all the others, with their elbows
the table and their bright faces all at once as
merry the May.
'en up all by ourselves; and you shall tell the first;
little Pudge" And With that Dot put an arm about
Fudge and drew her close to her side; while Fuss
smoothed down her little gnsham apron hitched
her chair again, and, clearing her throat, gravely
began:
'Once upon time in Arabian Arabia-where
where all the giants born and brought up and
educated, there was great giant who had castle
and set out to walk and walk till he could find a
great castle where he could put people in and lock
'em up and-ahem--and eat EN- Well. he walked
and he walked-ahem. And he was barefooted and
he had no shoes at all And he bareheaded and
his hair long-ahem, ahem. And he walked and
he walked till he to great high mountain.
And he went up to the top Of that high mountain
for he thought it might have castle it But he
found there only great big fiat rock on the edge
of great steep precipice, with-aheu-with rail
road running along in the valley below. Yes the
the-ahenl-the Erie Railroad. Well he lay down
on the fat rock and to sleep, and in the night
he walked up and went down in the valley to get
something TO eat. For-for like all great and good
giants he -ahenl--always hungry. Well, ha
found milkhouse, and he drank up all the pans
OF milk and he up all the fresh butter,-ahem--
and he couldn't find any bread and he hurried back
10 his big fat rock the mountain abovc the prcc-
piee. for he was getting very tired And he lay
down or his back the big fat rock, with his
hands s-ho!dir tight his head, for he fclt-ahen1
Very que-r Well. ty ard by he heard rHn1hlin
--oh such rlr,b';n'! And lie was. OH so eerta;l
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