Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-04

a dear little girl years old, for
\ she doesn't live N your state She
lives "a very long, long way from you,
dear little reader. So shall describe
Rosie to you before / go on with the
story in which Rosie is the heroine.
As I have said, Rosie is years old,
or she was her last birthday. And
that was several weeks ago. In fact,
it was on her sixth birthday that Rosie
did something which occasioned this
story. Wen, to return to Rosie and let
the story wait a bit Rosie, being
years old, is not very big, as you must
know, for one is never big at 6. And
Rosie, being such little girl, is not
the world as yet, for very young people
rarely ever know much about the great
big busy world. They only know about
home, papa, mamma, sister, brother,
friends, chumS and school. OF course,
there are many things connected with
home, parents, sister and brother and
chums and school that little folks know
about, but of the mysterious big world
they are ignorant
Now, Rosie has no idea of distance.
She lives in a pretty village, and 1t is
pas store and four blocks to grand
mammals and five blocks to the school
where she goes to learn so many, many
things. And IL is only little way to
every place that Rosie has to go. So
the world is a small one to Rosie. OF
course, she has been out of town on
excursions, going on the train to the
city, which is half a days journey from
her home. Her papa and mamma have
always gone with her on these pleasure
trips, pointing out to her the places of
e interest along the way and taking her
to see the sights in the city itself, so
that the little girl has never realized
the bigness of the city nor the many
miles they traversed in reaching it. The
train has way of getting to a place so
quickly and so easily that Rosie has
never given a thought to the distance 1T
travels in short time.
Well a few weeks before the writing
of this story Rosie's mamma was called
to the city to visit her sick sister, Ro-
sizes dear Aunt Grace. And Rosie was
left at home to keep papa company and
to play Little Red Riding Hood to
grandmamma, for every afternoon Ro-
rie, on returning home from school,
would have Ann, the cook, prepare
little basket of dainties for her to carry
to Granny dear"
One evening as Rosie sat at grand
mammals side listening to funny old
story of how monkey threw cocoa
mt At a squirrel and how the squirrel
caught 1t and said: Thanks, Mr..
Monkl It will serve for my supper"
she suddenly interrupted with: An,
granny dear, do you know that the day
after tomorrow is my birthday? Papa
told me SC this morning. Both papa
and I nearly forgot 1t, for when mamma
is away we forget most everything,
'cept to eat and take our Saturday
bath"
"Ah. and so the day after tomorrow Is
nv baby's birthday?" said grandma
ma. lnusing Surely, and so 1t is.
We'll. had almost forgotten it myself.
Well, wen hope to see your mamma at
home on that day. She would be very
sad to spend her little Rosie's plrthday
away from home"
Then Rosie and grandmamma fell to
nlanniney some little entertainment for
the forthcoming birthday, grandmam-
ma promising to look after everything
in mammals absence
Half an hour later Rosie was walk
ing slowly homeward. musing thus: IF
mamma doesn't come home for my
birthday il won't seem like birthday
at ell. I'd rather put 1t off for week
-or longer-and have mamma here'
Grandmamma would make nice par
tv for me- but not like mamma would
make it. Nobody could make anything
half as nice as mamma can. Oh, 90
wish auntie would hurry and get Wen,
SO nv mamma can come home"
The morning OF Rosie's birthday
dawned, and with the breakfast came a
telegram from her mamma saying that
she would not be home for two or
three DAYS. but wished her little grille
n hanpv birthday After ROsies papa
had finished reading the telegram Ro-
sizes appetite vanished and she couldn't
taste a mouthful of the breakfast. In
answer to her papa's anxious query
Rosie explained that she was Just
homesick for mamma" Her papa
laughed and declared that she must be
cheerful on her birthday and that in
the afternoon her party would make
her forget her loneliness, and that
within a very short time mamma would
be with them again.
After her father had gone to his store
Rosie went to her own room to dress
her dolls for the afternoon party. But
her heart was not in the preparations
for the coming event, which. had her
mamma been at home, would have held
such happy anticipatlons for her. 81
inst don't want a party at all while