The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-03
L title Rag-a-Muffin.
A STORY FOR WEE ONES

- TITLE RAGA-MUFFIN lay on the
floor, utterly miserable. She lay
face downwards, so that she could
Il not see anything that was going on
about her. But she could hear.
And that was almost pity, too, for the
things she heard made her more and
more unhappy.
Rag-a-muff1n was nothing more or less
than rag doll, and a very soiled one at
that. She had been In existence about
six months, which is quite an age for a
doll. But now, In the sixth month Of
her age, came the first real sorrow she
had ever known. She had rival. And
n most beautiful rival, too. A rival with
a hard, pink china face, hands and feet,
and with honest hair on her head. And
this rival had only come on the morning
of my story. Indeed, it was the rivals
appearance which had thrown Rag-a-
muffin into such despair on the floor, face
downwards.
But to go back n bit; It really was
not little Bee Davis fault so much as 1t
was the fault of Bees grandfather, for
1t was that old gentleman who brought
MISC China Face to his little grand
daughter. 1t was Bees fifth birthday,
and granddaddy thought it nice to fetch
her fine china doll for birthday gift.
ne nluSl uuNt lOTkOtteu dDOut poor huS u
muffin, for he certainly was old enough
to know that little girl can love only
one doll at a time, and the last arrival
nearly always throws the first dolls in
the shade, so TO speak.
Well, when Bees grandfather opened a
long box and produced from it the beau
ti-fu china doll, with the honest hair
all tied up in a brand new ribbon, Bees
face was all expectation, and she ran
to granddaddy, crying out: "Oh. is she
for ME, granddaddyf"
And then, when granddaddy said, 'It
certainly Is for the sweetest little girl
in all the world" Bee knew it was for
her, and ko-plunk on the floor went Rag
a-muf1n. face downwards.
And there the poor one lay, so unhappy
that she did not care to exist And she
was only six months old, mind you! And
as sho lay grieving her poor sawdust
heart out she heard her little mother,
Bee, saying such lovely things to the
new china doll. And evidently Miss
China Face was enjoying the caresses
that had formerly belonged to her, though
she, poor rag thing could not see what
was going on, her eyes being fixed against
the carpet. But she heard!
'Oh, you beautiful dollyl' Bee would
say. Then Rag-a-muffin could hear her
kiss the hard-faced doll. Oh, the pain
that shot through her heart at this T.
OF transferred affection.
You are the lowest Dolly l ever had"
said Bee, tenderly. See that rag thing
on the floor? She was my best Dolly
till you came"
And this almost broke Rag-a-muffin's
heart In dozen pieces. Only one poor
little hope kept her from just dying Of
sorrow.
That same evening Bees mother picked
Rag-a-muffin up and carried her to Bees
room. There she put her on a shelf just
above Bees white little bed. On this
shelf lay many forgotten toys, some in
a MANNED condition. There was wagon
with wheel gone. There also lay tin
soldier with his head smashed into the
funniest shape one ever saw and his
sword off. A little Noahs ark, without a
single animal, rested on pasteboard box
filled with odds and ends OF all sorts Of
little toys.