The new enterprise., 1908-04-23
A Queer Little Man.


going to tell a story to anybody VINO
wanted to listen So Dorothy stop
ned CRYING and Bob stopped crying SO
dreadfully lour, because their father
began right away: "Once there was
little mana very little mainland
he had on a green coat and a red hat
and there was something under his
coat that made It poke out at one
side. He was going along the middle
of a country road A small boy and
girl in pony carriage met him.
Dorothy's and Bob's father stopped.
Both Of his children we're quiet, and
they both said now; GO on, papa!
why don't you go on?'
Weren't you foolish to cry?" said
their father.
yes" said Dorothy
fTo cry because It rained," said
their father
but we wanted to go out" said
Bob.
"well, no matterl" said Dorothy,
I'VE don't want to 60 Just please
tell the story, papa"
"Are you ashamed Of crying?" ask
ed his father. And Bob laughed. be-
cause he saw that his father was real
ly laughing, and he said: Yes, daddy,
Now will you 60 on?"
So then the father went on, That
queer little man with the green hat
Twasnt a green hat" shouted
Dorothy and Bob, "redl"
"oh yes,-much obliged,-red hat.
He was walking along in very proud
manner,--you'd be surprised.--stamp-
ing each foot down hard as he went
along He was square in the middle
Of the road, looked as II he thought
he was a whole procession; but he
stared right down toward the ground.
His haiti was really soldier cap
had a large black visor, shiny, You
know what visor is,-to keep the
sun out of his eyes? Yes; wen, he
didn't see those two children in the
pony carriage till they were so near
him that they had to stop. Why, they
felt quite anxious, you know, for they
might have run over himl such a
queer little mani
How old we're they?" Bob and
Dorothy wanted TO know.
six years and four years, just like
Dorothy and you"
In a pony carriage! You wouldn't
let us go, alone, daddy!"
mo. Well, these children were
good ones; they didn't bawl because
1t rained."
mo matter, daddy; maybe they
were half a year older than we are.
Go on, won't you, please?
THAT very little man strutted along
TIL he fairly touched the kind old
pony's nose. Then he seemed much
surprised, gave quite jump. and
looked up. And then the two in the
pony carriage squealed right out and
what they said was, why, Jimmie.
why, Jimmie, where did you get that
lovely uniform2"
"oh, wasn't It an old mani" asked
Dorothy and Bob. "Was it friend Of
theirs, about six years oldY"
"Yes."
did he have a fine soldier suit?y
Grand yellow trimmings-on his
shoulders, you know. and down his
trousers"
Didn't he have any gung'
Z "Gunl No; be was busy doing an
errand"
'Oh! Wasn't he a procession?s
"Yes, he was-had to march ouite
distance; but twas a useful process.
sion. That was what made his coat
stick out on one side-d don't You know
| told your Underneath them he bad
a basket Of sweet peas to take 10 =
lady who didn't have any flowers. And
his mother had said, You can Keen
the sun Of Of them with the corner ~
your long coat can't your Ana ~
said he could That was why be war
looking down so hard that he dldn,f
see the pony cart coming Ana o
then The two IN the cart turned the
pony around and took Jimmie and the
sweet peas together down TO the iaav
that didn't have any flower garden
Susan Perry Peckham IN the Chris.
tian Register