The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-30

TAaso are mAny dolls which are
sotsA fer thair sweet cisposiuons and
their Willingness to sit stu By the
hosu ,sAA Dc exactly a. they a~s told
DNt hess virtues ars negative In
tAsr nature. and one would not e1-
psot coll. ~ natter hew AmiAblA.
to bsoono az ssot1vs philaNthroDist.
AID besides helping to support fam
ly. to 80 % far Is to send young
naa through college. Bat that il Just
what oae deli &c.
BAs came into being htt1s before
Christmas. 1t had bson difficult
problem for q certain widow. whose
Name nAAl ~ Leighton. to provide
enough CAdstmas xtfts. and At the
Last vhe1 saly . woek remained. she
suddenly reoollected that her niece
Alice had sssn forgotten. She could
afford to buy nothing moro. so she de-
tor1nIned to make something with her
own hands. ana in recollection Of her
own gtrlhooa. decided that 1t should
be \ rag doll.
The proportions wero exceedingly
senerous-more than two feet long.
as large As real baby. For mater
ial nothing vac needed except some
pine savdust, easily procured from
the mill. and some strong. new cotton
cloth.
Patterns were hrst cut from tho
tough paper which hardware dealers
use. and were tried and modified I'm.
til they seemed right The head and
body were Of one piece. and each limb
was made separate.
When tho patterns were satisfac.
leaving openings for introducing the
stufing Of sswdust. which was caro-
fully sifted Hzst
Then the arms and legs. brought
to thin edge at tho upper ends. were
sewed on In such q way ~ to allow
them to move freely.
The head was tho greatest triumph.
Mrs. Leighton could draw creditably.
She procured some oil-paints. and
gave Arabella's herd . generous prim-
ing OF whito lead aud oil When this
was dry. = second coat was laid on
over 1t, AID over that again coat of
desh-color. On the back were paint.
| ed rtnClet1 Of brown. and on the front
q charming faes. with rosy checks
and vide blue eyes and calm and
placid hrs1le.
Her profile nay not have been all
that could Do desired. It 10 certain
that she toed out, and that her fln.
gers were merely divisions Of . "blub"
Of cotton cloth marked out by rows
OF stitching. Never mind. Properly
dressed. sho made her appearance at
Alice's home on Christmas morning.
and became A. once the most impor.
tant parsonage in the house.
Three days later q carriage stop
ped at Mrs. Leighton's door. and .
well-dresssed woman got out.
She announced her errand at once:
MY l!ttlo daughter has seen the
doll you made for your niece, and is
perfectly delighted with it. She can't
talk of anything else. called to see
II you would DO willing to make her
one just like It Could you afford to
|
gladly pay that"
Yes. Mrs. Leighton could make one
for that price. and would. But before
she had finished 1t two other women
had cone with similar requests, and
in the light Of the nrst offer. Mrs.
Leighton had courage to name Ave
dollars az her price to them also.
That vas tho beginning. Order after
order came IN. and then came letter
from wealthy woman. who wished
to mako contribution to hospital
fair. and wanted to know II Mrs.
Leighton would undertake to make
nfty OF the dolls to be put on sale;
and she offered tho same price,
This commission decided the cues.
ton a. to whethor or not the only
son should &C to college. He had de.
eided to SO to work. and the idea of
being supported for four years by q
rag doll cid net please him. Finally
however. bio mother persuaded him
that 1t veg 8 duty which he owed
both to himself and to her. and he
went
Advertised by their friends, the rag
dolls continued to sell until the
young man had finished his college
course. end the Masking Of the dolls
was no longer necessary.
What was the reason for the sue.
cess OF this simple Industry Rag
dolls are as old as history, and there
was nothing especially novel in Mrs.
Leighton's Arabellas The secret
probably lies in tho fact that these
dolls were we'll made. and had pleas.
ing faces, which could be washed,
and were not easily marred, and
which wore. moreover. the expression
that little girls like.
Rules for Ironing.
iron lace and embroidery on me