The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-10
MERRY, MERRY GAMES

Played was smiling! She looked just
like other little girls,
How'd you dor, she nodded.
No, thank you'll mean m pretty
well, thank you." murmured the yisi-
tor i'll some confusion. You don't
look bit diRrent!" she added hon.
estly.
Me diff in wonder.
II mean because you don't ever
play, ] s'posed you'd look"--
Don't ever play--me' Why. play
all the time."
oh" stammered the Visitor. ''oh.
] hope you'll beg my pardon,
and-and worked"
Why. / do. but I play all the time
I'm doing 1t. ] always take the baby
out like this; what do YOU suppose
/ play then? I was playing it when
you came cross the street. You can't
ever guess, so I'll tell you was
playing Body Guard
The Visitors eyes opened wide
Yes" laughed the other. I'm the
| Body Guard. you know. The bahy's
the Car and he can't go out alone
for fear of being bombed and
things. | have to stay right with him
every minute to body-guard him
Then when feed him have to
taste everything first to be sure IT
wont poison him-that's the way
they do with the regular Car. you
know. ] take little bites. and when
II doesn't poison me dead give it to
the ba-the Gar. / mean. It's lots
of fun to play that!''
tBut--~but you have to sweep a lot,
don't YOU" questioned the Visitor
slowly.
Course; and then play I'm dry
ing out the hordes''
''The-the what ?"
"Hordes--of sin. YOU know My.
don't sweep en- out like everything,
! make those old hordes fly, tell
you' But they will creep back. so
next day I take the broom and drive
en- out again. That plays fun. too .
The visitor s eyes were getting very
wide open indeed She had never
played sweep or hody-guard the
baby Suddenly she remembered a
kind OF work you couldn't play
There's washing the dishes" she
said triumphantly. And as sure as
you live the other little girl nodded
with glee
"oh, yes, that's a splendid play"
she laughed. Il play that three
times day. Shipwreck, / call 1T.
"Shipwreck ?" the Visitor gasped.
Yes, the dishes tumble into the
boiling sea, waves always are soap
sudsy on the tips. YOU know. I play
great ship has been wrecked and
I'm the iife-saving stationer, saving
the folks. The nice white dishes are
the first-cabin passengers and the
cracked and picked ones the second
cabins and the pans and pots the
steerages. The saucers are the boys
and the cups the girls and the but
ter plates the little babies. It's the
greatest play, that is!'
The Visitor went back to Sue Fran
ces with thoughtful face. She had
quite forgotten Lady Claire. who
dangled ANONYMOUSLY by one leg.
sue Frances was playing Tea Party;
she had tea all ready. We'll" she
SAID, looking up from the little gold
and-white teapot, don't you pity her
dreadfnliy?--that poor little girl
cross there that you've been a-talk-
ing TO? Think of never play
she plays all the time" the WISH
TOT SAID quietly. II know. cause she
SAID so. She has the splendidest times
sweeping and taking care o. the baby
and-rou guess what else. Sue Fran
Treworthy! But you can't, il you
keep right on guessing till the tip
end of forever. She makes q per-
Iectly splendid play out of washing
the dishes"
The cambria tea in the tiny gold
and~Whlte teapot grew old while they
both sat gazing across the street with
Wonder-struck faces at the Little Girl
Who Played All The Time,whilA abe
patiently, cheerfully wheeled the
bab--~the Car, / mean--up and down
in the sunshine