Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-28
The Playmate

day" added Celia.
SO said jules two sisters.
II wish could GO siX-year-old
Julie answered.: and she watched a
little wistfully the fat black pony Fan
ny and the wicker cart holding her
two sisters disappear around the cor
ner 1t would be a good many hours
before they would reappear she knew:
and, in the mean time. what would she
do with herself?
1t was pleasant day, as her sister
had said. Lake Michigan cleaned In
white sand Should she go to the
shore and dig wells? That was stupid
all alone. Everything seemed stupid
to do alone that morning.
II WISH sho said aloud. that had
a playmate just the size Of me, too
little TO go to school for all day. I'd
like her to have hair as black as
SnOw-white's eyes as blue as the lake
and to wear blue dress the color OF
her eyes. and white beads. and every
day white stockings and black pumps
like my best ones. And her name
would be Lucy Gray"
She sighed a little. Was it fancy,
or did she hear an answering sigh
and faint rustic behind her? Had a
playmate come?
thought, her heart beating quickly
Shed vanish. if she's there. Lucy
IS a magic child
do you want to see our garden?'
she said, leading the way and holding
her eyes as steady as a soldiers on
parade. That is nice place to play.
Don't you like this honey-suckle bush?
Let's stand by it a minute and listen
to the bees. It is factory, you know,
and the bees are weaving cloth. We
can't see it now. but at night they put
out pieces as big as my handkerchief
all over the grass for the fairies to
gather. When I get up early enough,
I see the thin webs all over the lawn
Lucy said nothing; but chatterbox
Julie was content to talk if some one
would listen. and now she half-believed
that some one was listening.
Here's the pansy bed; and I must
pick off the faded pansies. for mother
says that makes more blossoms. You
needn't help because you are visitor.
If you look about, perhaps you will see
the toad that lives in the garden. He
is really prince, I'm sure of that, and
I'm trying to disenchant him. I've
sprinkled him several times already
with nine drops of running water, and
said.-
Appear in your true form, o
noble prince but that doesn't seem to
be the right charm. Perhaps nine
drops of dew would be better,-it must
be nino Something what do you
Think
Lucy had now become so real that
Julie turned as she spoke; and 10,
Lucy vanished.
But she came again the next day.
Julie felt her near as soon as the pony
cart and his sisters disappeared That
day they played flower dolls all the
under the willow-tree Julie
left doughnut for Lucy under the
tree when she was called to her din
ner: and, when she ran out again, the
doughnut was gone!
'I believe Julie is happier" her
mother said to her grandmother few
days later. when we first came to
the suburbs, she seemed so lonely
when her sisters were at school that
was quite unseasy. Now she seems
perfectly content to play alone, and
chatters as If she had a playmate"
And all her talk is of charms and
fairies. She is not unlike a fairy her
self, or a bit of thistle-down. I wish
the child were more robust and had
more appetite. found she had left a
nice hot cooky under the willow yes
terday. In my day children did not
despise hot cookies. But she does
seem happier lately"
Julie was happy. Old games had a
new Zest when she shared them with
Lucy. First every morning she must
walk along the top of the low stone
wall that surrounded the grounds, The
wall had called to her before Lucy
came: but she had never dared at
tempt it till she felt Lucy behind, and
and down again from the beginning of
the walk to the end. However, 1t must
be done: it was a charm against lightn-
ming Julie was afraid; but no lightning
could strike her home on the days she
had encircled it, Then there were the
pets to feed, the pansy bed to tend,
and the whole garden to examine. to
Sc what flowers had opened that morn
ing. Lucy could tell in what flowers
a fairy had slept and on what errands
flew butterfly and bee.
Lucy seemed shy of the house, and
the first rainy day Julie missed her
playmate; but she soon learned that,
when she was alone in the play room,
if she opened the window over the
porch. sat in the middle of the room,
her face buried in her lap, and wished
hard, presently she would feel Lucy
there 1t was just by feel that
she always recognized Lucy's presence
"a warm, pleasant feel" like a light
in the room The room was cosier
when Lucy was there, and even the
raindrops had friendly sound.
If a step was heard on the stairs
Julie quickly opened the window for
Lucy to escape: for to no one had she
ever spoken of her playmate. Not to
her sisters, they would laugh; not to
the cook. though she scolded her fol
leaving doughnuts and cookies under
trees. and gave her lunches with a
less liberal hand; not to her grand
mother. who told her fairy tales; not
l. 1l>o fVrn ynr