The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-12-01


ously.
other street was a pleasaunce trim.
med to a leaf, and the garage and
stables. The Scotch pup had ravished
the rag-doll from the nursery. drag
god Il to q corner of the lawn, dug
hole, and buried II after the manner
of careless undertakers. There you
have the mystery solved, and no
checks to write for the hypodermical
wizard or fl-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 or
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 eleemos. nary beds-with.
r-bath.attachment 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 q leg Of Betsy, the
lost rag-doll, protruding, like the clue
to a Liliputian murder mystery, from
its untimely grave in a corner Of the
fence. He dragged forth the maltreat
ed infant. tucked it under his arm, 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 well 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 1t, Gro
gans saloon stands near the river and
near the foot Of the street down
which Fuzzy Travelled. In Grogaps
Christmas cheer was already rampant
Fuzzy entered with his doll. He fan
cied that as a hummer at the feast cl
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
Ioafers and bibbers around caught the
farce of it, and roared. The barten
der gave Fuzzy drink. oh, many
of us carry rag-dolls.
zone for the lady?" suggested Fuz
zy impudently, and tucked another
contribution to Art beneath his waist
coat
He began to see possibilities II
Betsy His frst-night had been a sue
cess. Visions of a vaudeville circui
about town dawned upon him.
In a. group near the stove sat "Plg
con" Mccarthy, Black Riley, an,
"One-ear" Mike, we'll and unfayorabl!
known in the tough shoestring distric
that blackened the left bank Of thu
river. They passed newspaper bacl
ana forth among themselves. Thl
item that each solid and blunt fOr
eigner. pointed out was an advertise
ment headed zone Hundred Dollar
Reward" TO earn 1t. one must re
turn the rag.doll lost, strayed. o
stolen from the Millionaires mar
sion. It seemed that grief still ray
aged, unchecked. in the bosom of TIN
> too faithful Child. Flip, the terrier
capered and shock his absurd whis
kers before her. powerless to distract
She walled for her Betsy in the face
of walking, talking. ma-maIng. an
eye-closlDg French Mabelles and Vic