The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-06-18
LAUREN STOUT

i scar slanting back from cheek to hail
a Without getting up. he rolled over L
9 command better view, and set hi
a eyes, blinking from their slumber, OF
I the children.
I'VE will now take up the collec
: ton" said Hickey. ("You can do 1t
June. Use fiat piece OF BARK Re
! member that what we give today II
for the poor heather in-in Alabama.
The bark-slab made its rounds, re
ceiying leaves, acorns, and an occa
, slonal pin. Midway, however, there
: arose shrill shrek from the bearer
and the collection was scattered broad
cast. Rosebud Meredith said Rick
ey witheringly, ut would serve you
right for putting that toad in the plate
II your hand would get all over warts !
the fallen piece OF bark and an
nounced: THE collection this after
noon has amounted to a hundred dol
lars and seven cents. And now, chill
dren. we will skip the catechism and
will tell you story"
Her auditors hunched themselves
nearer. double row OF attentive white
and black faces, as Hickey with a pre-
liminary bass cough. began In a drawl-
Ing tone whose mimicry called forth
giggles of esctasy.
There were once two little sisters
who went to Sunday-school and loved
their teacher ve-e-ery much. They
were always good and attentive-not
like that little niger over therel The
one with his thumb In his mouth! One
was little Mary and the other was
/ little Susy. They had mighty rich
uncle who lived in Richmond, and
once he came to see them and gave
them each dollar And they were
ye-e-ery glad. 1t wasn't mean old
paper dollar, all dirt and creases; nor
a battered Whitley silver dollar; but
II was a bright round gold dollar, right
out OF the mint. Little Mary and little
susy could hardly sleep that night for
thinking of what they could buy with
those gold dollars.
Early next morning they went
downtown. hand In hand. to the store,
and little Susy bought a bag OF goober-
peas. and sticks and sticks of striped
candy, and a timber jack and gold
ring, and wax doll with silk d. ess
on that could open and shut its eyes"
HUH" said the captious Cozy
"You can't buy wax doll for dollar
My littlest, littlest one cost three, and
che didn't have stitch to her backi"
Shut upl" said Hickey briefly.
Dolls were cheaper then" She looked
at the row of little negroes. google
eyed at the vision of such largese
What do you think little Mary did
with her gold dollar? She loved dolls
and candy. too. but she had heard
about the poo-oo-r heather. There was
a tear In her eye. but she took the dol
lar home, and next day when she went
to Sunday-school, she dropped it In
the missonary-box.
Little children, what do you reckon
became of that dollar? 1t bought a
big satchelful of tracts for a mission
airy. He had been poor man with
six children and a wife with bone
felon on her right hand--not child |
old enough to wash dishes and all of
them young enough to fall In the fire.
He was going to Alabam--to canni- |
bal island. and he took the tracts and |
sailed away in ship that landed him |
on the shore. And when the heather |
cannibals saw him they were ve-e-ery /
glad, for there hadn't been any ship
wrecked sailors for long time, and |
they were ve-e-ery hungry. So they
tied up the missionary and gathered
a lot of wood to make fire and cook
him.
But is had rained and rained and
rained for so long that the wood was
all wet, and II wouldn't burn, and they
all cried because they we're so hungry.
And then they happened to find the
satchelful of tracts. and the tracts
were ve-e-ery dry. They took them
and stuck them under the wet wood,
and the tracts burned and the wood
caught FIRE and they cooked the mis-
sionary and ate him.
Now. little children. which do yoa
think did the most good with her dol
Susy or little Mary?"
The front row sniggered, and a sigh
came from the colored ranks. Dem
ar can balls" gasped dusky infant
breathlessly "--dey done eat up all
dat candy and dem goober.peas. too?"
The inquiry was drowned in shrek
from several children In unison. They
scrambled to their feet, casting fear.
full chances over their shoulders. The
man who had been lying behind the
bush had risen and was coming toward
them at slouching amble. one foot
dragging slightly His appearance. In.
deed. was enough to cause panic With
his savage face, set now Ia a grin, and
his tramp-like costume. he looked
fierce and animal-like. White and
black. the children ned like startled
rabbits. older ones dragging younger,
without backward look-all save
Hickey, who stood quite still. her wild
sning eyes fixed on him In kind OF
blanched fascinated terror.
He came close 10 her. never taking
bis eyes from hers, then put his heavy |
yrimy hand under her chin and turned ]
her twitching face upward, chuckling.