Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-11-06
leaning
How

ways has felt that she should have
been born boy. you know So come
soon"
1t was with timid obedience TO her
parents urgent directions that Dor
othy, aged four, went forward two
weeks later and gravely gave her Cous-
In Harold a welcoming kiss. saying in
slow and awestruck tones: You can
play with my toys and the attic is all
ready"
We'll, come on" shouted Harold.
Then, pulling her ruthlessly by the
hand, he started up the broad stair.
way for the stories above.
"The dears!" chimed the mothers in
unison. Then the two settled down
TO discuss the various merits of their
offspring, wondering how soon they
might be called upon TO explain to
Dorothy Just what It was that Har-
old meant by his boyish actions.
But there was no sudden summons
to the attic. Two hours later they
crept upstairs to call the children TO
luncheon and to note Dorothy's prog
ress.
Harold was directing operations with
the sir OF general. Dorothy sat near
by, her angelic eyes blazing with ex-
element. shearing wildly her best
dolls hair. About her lay several
dolls of various sizes, mercilessly bar
bered, and on the floor were st.ewn
the curls that had once graced the
bisque heads.
1t was not this sight that mad her
mother start forward with a of
terror and catch up her child IN a fe.
yer of amazement. Dorothys curls
had evidently been the first to fall
They lay intermingled with the
tangled floss upon the floor.
He's been teaching me to play,
mother" cried Dorothy as she strug-
gled free. We're BARRIERS, and he
cut off my hair like his and we've cut
the dolls hair, too, when they had
any"
During luncheon both children were
gravely admonished and though rest.
less to a marked degree they promised
solemnly not to use the scissors and
not to throw anything-Harold having
suggested an imitation of an apart
ment building fire that he had wit
messed where all the furniture had
been thrown from the upper floors.
Further, they promised not to pound
anything, and not to paint anything
but their own paint books
Then with sigh from Dorothy's
mother
othy's shorn head, the children were
allowed to seek their own amuse-
ment once more.
Harold doesn't mean to be destruc-
tive" his mother said sadly, but bit
proudly as we'll. And he does obey.
We can trust them now that they have
our restrictions to go by. 1t is his
inventive genius for something new
to do. He never played barber be-
fore in his life. 1t must have been
because his father had his hair
trimmed while l was buying my new
hat yesterday-a perfect dream, Ma
rion! A most extravagant willow
plume and few gold rose buds"
But such an investment, dear!" an.
swered her sister. Nine. Renova has
used my white plume, dyed green, on
high small toque."
With that the subject Of fashions
was launched for the afternoon.
Some hours later, because of the
silence in the attic, they went in
search Of the cherubs. They were not
in the attic, nor in the nursery nor
yet in mothers room. But there they
found evidences of pilfering that sent
terror to the mothers hearts and set
them to calling loudly for their dar-
lings. Dorothy had rified her mothers
hat box. The tissue paper coverings
and the box lid were strewn about.
but the hat was gone.
From the guest room the cherubs
answered eagerly and innocently.
We're playing milliner's shop"
called Dorothy's high treble, an eerie
CLEAN in her usually soft eyes. liar
old knows such lots of plays and I'm
learning like you said to. And we're
going to stuff some dolls pillows with
these"
On the bed lay the two hats, shorn
of all that had made them models of
the seasons most perfect designs. Up
right on each stood single why stick
from which all the flbers Of a once
lovely plume had been stripped. On
the white counterpart lay a heaped
up mass Of green and rose.
It's some like excelsior, only soft
er," shouted Harold, "and in pillows
it will be fine"
Then, seeing the tragedy that lay in
his mothers eyes, he scrambled to her
side, saying eagerly: I'VE didn't cut
or throw or pound or paint. mother"
The rest was drowned in the slam
ming door on the retiring figures of
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