Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-13
BABE STARTS TO
SCHOOL; LOST
LITTLE RUTH CALLAHAN
"G0ES TO CLASSES"
WANDERS AWAY AND FINALLY
MEETS KIND FAIRY
is Given Food, Tucked Away In Bed,
but AWakens, and Her Cries
Are Heard by Passing
Mother

With an old dictionary, which she
had wrapped carefully in a piece. of
paper, and q pencil clasped tightly in
/ her hand, Ruth Callahan, 21s years old,
| stole away from her home at 952 Birch
street yesterday morning and started
on her way in search of a school. She
was missed shortly afterWard, and her
mother, after a hurried search, notified
| the police and intimated that the child
might have been kidnapped by the fa-
ther, from whom Mrs. Callahan OBJ
| tanned a divorce some time ago.
The child lives in a neighborhood
where a number of school children are.
| She often heard her older playmates
! talk of going to school, and since she
| has been able to understand her sole
ambition has been "to go to school,"
The child frequently was observed por-
ing over the pictures in an old dictlon-
ary with which her mother, Mrs. Mari
am Callahan, allowed her to play
With a pencil which was given her by
her grandmother the child scribbled in
an old tablet.
Joins School Children
Yesterday morning the little girl
sought her book and tablet as usual ana
began her morning studies" While
| looking at the pictures III IilO pooh on
glanced out of the window and saw
children on their way to school. With
out asking permission from her moth"
er the little one carefully wrapped up
the hook. got her pencil and sailed
forth in search of school. She followed
the older children, but was unable to
keep up with them in their hurry, ana
soon was left far behind.
About an hour later the mother, who
| Hnpide6 tn EPA
| how the little one was getting along
| with her studies" She made search
] of the house, but was unable to find
| her. then she began to look for the
child in the neighborhood. After look
ing for the missing child for more than
an hour Mrs. Callahan reported the
matter to the police and told the de-
tectives that she feared her husband,
from whom she was divorced recently,
had kidnapped the little tot.
In the meantime Ruth wandered
about the streets, seeking place that
| looked like a schoolhouse. She was un-
able to find any of her playmates, but
had hope and wandered farther away
| from home When she reached Elgh-
teenth street and Hooper avenue she
despaired of ever finding the school,
and being hungry, sat down on the curp
and began to cry.
| Ruth Put 10 steep
A kind-hearted woman living in that
neighborhood heard the cries and took
| the little one in, and after Ruth was
given a hearty meal she lay down and
| went to sleep with the precious die
tionary and pencil clasped tightly in
her wee hands.
Two hours later Ruth awoke and
cried for her mamma The efforts OF
| those in the house to quiet her were of
no avail, and finally Mrs. Callahan, VINO
had been searching tirelessly for five
hours, heard the cries, entered and
found the missing child.
81 only wanted to go to school, said
the child when it saw its mother. Mex,
time, mamma, 1 want you to go WIZ
me-"
With her loved one clasped tightly
| to her breast, Mrs. Callahan hurried
home and then notified the police that
| the lost had been found.