The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-12-22

ously.
other street was a pleasaunce trim
med to a leaf, and the garage anC
stables. The Scotch pup had ravisheC
the rag-doll from the nursery, drag
gcd it to a corner Of the lawn, dug {
hole, and buried it after the manner
of careless undertakers. There yol
have the mystery solved, and ne
checks to write for the hypodermica
wizard or f-pun notes to toss to the
sergeant. Then let's get down to the
heart Of the thing, tiresome readers
the Christmas heart of the thing.
Fuzzy was drunk Not riotously ol
helplessly or loquaciously, as you OF
might get, but decently, appropriate
ly. and inoffensively, as becomes a
gentleman down on his luck
Fuzzy was a soldier Of misfortune
The road, the haystack, the park
bench, the kitchen door, the bitter
round of eleemosynary beds-with.
Observation-Disclosures, the petty
pickings and ignobly garnered larg.
esse of great citites-these formed
the chapters Of his history.
Fuzzy walked toward the river,
down the street that bounded one
side Of the Millionaire's house and
grounds, He saw leg of Betsy, the
lost rag-doll, protruding, like the clue
to, Liliputian murder mystery, from
It's untimely grave in a corner Of the
fence. He dragged forth the maltreat.
ed infant, tucked it under hisqarm, and
went on his way grooming a song of
his brethren that no doll that has
been brought up to the sheltered life
should hear. Well for Betsy that she
had no ears. And we'll that she had
no eyes save unseeing circles of
black; for the faces Of Fuzzy and the
Scotch terrier were those of brothers,
and the heart of no rag-doll could
withstand twice to become the prey
of such fearsome monsters.
Though you may not know it, Gro
gan's saloon stands near the river and
near the foot of the street down
which Fuzzy travelled. In Grogan's,
Christmas cheer was already rampant.
Fuzzy entered with his doll He fan
cied that as a hummer at the feast of
Saturn he might earn a few drops
from the wassail cup.
He set Betsy on the bar and ad
dressed her loudly and humorously,
seasoning his speech with exaggerat
ed compliments and endearments, as
one entertaining his Lady friend. The
loafers and bibbers around caught the
farce Of it, and roared. The barten.
der gave Fuzzy a drink. Oh, many
of us carry rag-dolls.
"One for the lady?" suggested Fuz.
~ impudently and tucked another
contribution to Art beneath his waist
coat.
He began to see possibilities in
Betsy. His first-night had been a sue.
cess. Visions of a vaudeville circuit
about town dawned upon him.
In a group near the stove sat "Pig-
con" Mccarthy, Black Riley, and
"One-ear" Mike, well and unfayorably
known in the tough shoestring district
that blackened the left bank Of the
river. They passed a newspaper back
and forth among themselves. The
item that each solid and blunt for.
eigner pointed out was an advertise
ment headed "One Hundred Dollars
Reward" To earn it, one must re.
turn the ragdoll lost, strayed, or
stolen from the Millionaire's man.
sion. It seemed that grief still raw
aged, unchecked. in the bosom OF the
too faithful Child. Flip, the terrier,
capered and shook his absurd whis
kers before her powerless to distract
She walled for her Betsy int the faces