Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-16


he happy. Just happy enough to go out,
perhaps and break the toy into smith
Greens, and know mighty we'll that dad
would be along soon with more of the
coin of the realm.
Priced His One Block.
But the boy with one building block has
held his little WORKOUT thing close to his
own little boys heart all these weeks.
At night, sometimes they let him take it
to bed When they do, this little boy
makes believe it is all sorts of things. for
he has more of an imagination than most
boys of his age They say he calls 1t his
'tOo-too car which is early English for
Choo chOo car Once he saw brand
new cast-iron Pullman trailed along by
young millionaire-and he never forgot 1t.
Sometimes he calls it his horse, and on it
he rides away to a land of dreamS-whlch
are probably very much different in an
orphan asylum from those in a home
where real mother comes and tucks her
children into bed and starts the dream
voyage off with wonderfully soft kiss.
Once they say he made believe it was an
other little boy. Somehow the busy peO-
pie who have fifty other children to
watch realized that the lads little heart
yearned for some of that needful COM
partnership that even the best of orphan
asylums with their proper fire escapes
and we'll conducted schools cannot give.
That night a nurse broke the rules and
went in and sat by the boy long time
watching him as he clutched his WORKOUT
building block close to his nightgown.
Bereft of His Treasure.
with one building block the little fellow
had been bad. and they had punished
him. The worst thing that can happen
rt~i,
long and dreary room without sign of
furniture. Not a picture on the wall and
not even chance to look out of the
high windows. 1t is a dreary. dreary set of
high windows. 1t is a dreary, set of
walls, painted gray. Really a most dis
NAL place for any one to stay even five
minutes, and a prison for a bright little
fellow Of almost three, who had to stay
there ever SO long-without his lone build
ing block.
Two women were showing the interested
man through the building, opening doors
to show how clean the rooms were and
how nicely the linen was kept, and how
complete the dormitories were with their
row of small iron beds. complete in every
respect-except that there was no real
mother. Then they came to the door
of the prison-when it was opened there,
was the boy.
'.Oh, yes. here is one of the bad little
boys. We'had to lock him up. He hates
it, and it's the best way to punish him.
There were tears smeared all over his
face. He looked at the opening door
very hopefully. He was very much of
a baby then. and perhaps his mother who
has been dead nearly as long as the boy
has been alive. would have stopped down
then and comforted him with mother
talk The two women simply led him out
and turned him into a playroom. where
ten or a dozen little boys were play
ing. each with single worn-out toy. And
the boy with one building block ran
straight to a little shelf wherein lay
one Object-his block. Grasping it firmly
he started off to play in a corner by
himself. That one block is his entire
treasure
Over a Thousand Others.
He is not the only one. There are over
a thousand others. The orphans in asy
lums whom no one has adopted. Not all
asylums. mind. but some of them. The
people who conduct the asylums say that
toys are the greatest help imaginable.
They keep the children satisfied. And yet
only few NJ the hest infpntiOnp1 neOn1e