The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-08

attic. (
YES. dear, that's my doll
Your doll? Why. you don't play
with dolls, do you. Aunt Clara ?"
"WelI, yes, do sometimes" laugh
! ed the young lady, when any of my
4 little nieces or friends come 20 visit
me; and we have jolly good times
! with her. too. Do YOU want TO play
/ with her? Take her out If you do.
| and you will find her trunk there
i somewhere. and all her pretty clothes
I and bonnets."
Il What is her name. auntie?"
Her name is Gertrude. the same
l as your mothers. She was my big
sister you know. when / was liz
tie girl. and l named my dolly for
her"
"She must be very old dolly"
said Bess. thoughtfully. About how
old. do you think"
Well. she is pretty old" And Aunt
i Clara smiled. she's almost as old
as am. Let me see,--about twenty
six, / think. You see. she Is a grown
up young lady, now.
4 Perhaps you'd like to hear her
history. 1t Is exciting, part of it. You
get a hassock. and, while you are
looking over her wardrobe, I'll tell
Did you ever hear about the Chi
cago fire, Bess?"
ooh. yes, my mamma has told me
about IL lots OF times. 1t was when
she was a. little girl, wasn't it?''
Yes, and when I was a little girl,
too. 1t was In that fire that / nearly
lost Gertrude"
80 Aunt Clara, was she burned ?"
"So, fortunately she wasn't; but she
came very near being. Ii YOU know
about the fire. you viii remember
that we had TO leave our home and
all the pretty things in It, and run
! away from the flames, which kept
creeping nearer and nearer all the
, time We took with us only what we
: could carry in our hands. for grand
father couldn't get wagon or car
riage.
well ! dressed Gertrude in her
| morning dreSs-4that brown-and-
white checked one there in the tray
, OF her trunk,--and then put over it
this red cape and hood. i packed all
her other dresses and coats in the
trunk-not this one, for the old one
was burned. ] hoped ] could take
that, too; and I laid 1t down beside
Gertrude on the table In the hall.
But I was tiny girl then, and
couldn't carry much. When the time
, cMne TO start, mother said: Now,
Clara, here is your doll, and here
| is 81 package of some of grand
mothers silver. You can't carry both.
| So | want you to decide, dear, which
YOU will take. Bess. think that
was almost the hardest thing | ever
did; for / loved Gertrude with all my
heart, and at first II seemed to me
) that / couldn't leave her. But ! knew
! that mother thought as much of her
l silver as [ did of Gertrude. SO, finally,
with tears streaming down my face,
! kissed her good bye, snatched the
D box of silver. and ran down the front
. steps"
30 Aunt Clara how did you ever
do 1t? How could you be so good y
5 said Bess, almost sobbing with sym
pathy.
II don't know, Bess. really. I'm
sure I never have been so good since
never shall forget that day, when
I wandered along by mothers side.
iamong the crowds of people, all, IKE
us. hurrying away from their homes
kept thinking of Gertrude all the
time; and, OH. how / missed her.
. and how I cried when I thought /
, should never see her again! Then
= thought how lonely she must be. all
bv herself in the house, and how
frightened she would be when she
saw the flames growing brighter ana
brighter wondered what she
+ thought OF me--her own mother
for going away and leaving her That
was the hardest of all to bear, ana
, sobbed aloud"
II should think you would" said
Bess, slyly wiping her eyes. i think
1t was terrible. Well, go on what
happened next"
I'VE went far away from the center
of the city to my Uncle EuGrnes
home. and there We stayed for several
weeks"
Eyes, but the dolly, / mean. What
! happened to her.
she has told me since how dread
fully she felt as she lay there on the
front hall table, and heard the crack
ling of the fire grow louder every
moment. and finally saw the flames
| across the street. Just as she was
, making up her mind that there was
no way of escape, and that she must
certainly be burned, the front door
opened. and in ran my Aunt Louise,
looking for some OF our family. She
found no one there. of course ana
was hurrying away, when her eye fell
on poor Gertrude. lying there dis
| consolately, face down. Her hands
were full of her own treasures; but
she thought OF me, and remembered
how much loved my dear dolly. And
then l think she felt sorry for Ger
trude herself So she snatched her
from the table and tucked her under
her arm, as she hurried away to find
US.
II shall never forget my delight as
saw my auntie coming In with Ger
trude in her arms. I Rugged and
kissed them both, and cried for very
Joy"
J II should think you would have"
cried Bess, sympathetically. Il guess
you kept her in your arms all the
rest OF the time, didn't you?"
4 Indeed I did, and slept with her.
too. for many a night afterward."
What became OF the trunk, auntie.
and all her pretty clothes? Did any
one save them?"
"No, they were burned. / suppose.
At any rate. I never saw them ava'n
But Gertrude was much better off with