Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-06


brush. They reused a man, too, who
bush at little distance. He was
ragged and soiled and his heavy brutal
face. covered with a dark stubble of
some days growth, had an ugly scar
slanting from cheek to hair. Without
gettilg up, he rolled over to command
better view. and set his eyes, blink
ing from their slumber, on the chill
dren.
I'VE will now take up the collec-
ton" said Hickey ("You can do it,
June. Use fiat piece of bark. Rem.
ember that what we give today Is for
the poor heather in-in Alabama"
That's no heather place." objected
Cozy with spirit. my cousin lives in
Alabama" '..@
well then" acquiesced Hickey,
anywhere you like. But I reckon
your cousin wouldn't be above taking
the money For the poor heather who
have never heard of God, or Virginia,
or anything. Think Of them and give
cheerfully.''
The bark-slab made its rounds, re-
ceiving leaves, acorns, and an oc.
casional pin. Midway, however, there
arose shrill shrek from the bearer
and the collection was scattered
broadcast. Rosebud Meredith" said
rickey witheringly, 1T would serve you
right for putting that toad in the
plate if your hand would get all over
warts! I'm sure hope it will" She
rescued the fallen piece of bark and
announced: "The collection this
afternoon has amounted to hundred
dollars and seven cents. And now,
children. We will skip the catechism
and l will tell you a story"
Her auditors hunched themselves
nearer, a double row of attentive white
and black faces, as Hickey with a pre-.
liminary bass cough, began in drawl.
ing tone whose mimicry called forth
giggles of ecstasy
There we're 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 there! The
one with his thumb in his mouth! One
was little Mary and the, other was lit
tie Susy. They had a mighty rich
uncle who lived in Richmond, and once
he came to see them and gave them
each a dollar. Andj they were ve-e-ery
glad. 1t wasn't a mean old paper dol
lar, all dirt and creases; nor battered
Whitley silver dollar; but it was a
bright round gold dollar, right out OF
the mint. Little Mary and little Susy
could hardly sleep that night for think
ing of what they could buy with those
gold dollars
EARLY next morning they went
downstairs. hand in hand, to the
store, and little Susy bought a bag of
goober-peas, and sticks and sticks OF
striped candy, and lumber jack, and
gold ring, and wax doll with silk
dress on that could open and shut it's
eyes"
"Huh!" said the captious Cozy.
"You can't buy wax doll for dollar.
My littlest, littlest one cost three, and
she didn't have stitch to her back"
"Shut up" said Hickey briefly.
Dolls were cheaper then" She looked
at the row OF little negroes, google
eyed at the vision of such largess.
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 tear in her eye, but she
took the dollar home, and next day
when she went to Sunday-school, she
dropped it in the missionary-box.
Little children, what do you reckon
became of that dollar? 1t bought
big satchelful of tracts for a mission
airy. He had been poor man with
six children and wife with bone
felon on. her right hand-not a child
old enough to wash dishes and all OF
them young enough to fall in the fire
so he had to go and be missionary.
He was going to Alabam-to canni-
bal island, and he took the tracts and
allied away in ship that landed him
on the shore. And when the neathen
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 it had rained and rained and
rained for 80 long that the wood was
all wet, and it wouldn't burn, and they
all cried because they we're so hungry.
And then they happened to find the
satchelfu1 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 you
think did the most good with her dol
lar-little Susy or little Mary?"
The front row staggered, and sigh
came from the colored ranks. Dem
ar can'bals," gasped a dusky infant
breathlessly, "-dey done eat up all
dat candy en- dem gober-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
burh had risen and was coming to-
ward them at slouching ambile, one
foot dragging slightly. His appear
ance, indeed. was enough to cause
panic. With his savage face, set now
in grin, and his tramp-like costume,
he looked fierce and animal-like.