Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-06
Imprisonment
of Winfield
Mary


ticed eye over her assembled dolls.
Sylvia's Uncle Joe put down his
newspaper and looked at her with
amused interest.
Hadn't you better call the roll?"
iety, began her arrangements for this
nightly ceremony. She arranged the
dolls in an orderly line, and then said
inquiringly:
"Arabella."
Arabella. tall flaxen haired doll,
arose, assisted by Sylvia, and respond
ed in small high voice, Present"
"Belinda?"
Belinda was present also; SO were
Isabel, Susie and Carlotta. There was
painful silence after the calling IT
Winifred Mary's name. Winifred
Mary was clearly absent, and so, it
appeared later, was Florabella.
Two mourned Sylvia. Il don't
mind so much about Florahella, but
oh, Uncle Joel" For Uncle Joe had
brought from his pocket small dis
heveled creature.
(Which is this?" he asked II
found her under the currant bushes"
Sylvia always remembered after
things were found how she had hap
pened to leave them in such singular
places. It seemed pity, as Uncle
Joe frequently pointed out, that she
never could remember before.
That's Florabella!" she exclaimed.
II remember now. was going to
make a swing for her under the big
currant bush, and then went to feed
my chickens and forgot. But what
has become of Winifred Mary? She's
the smallest of all my dolls, and the
prettiest, and I've always taken such
good care of her!"
Uncle Joe tried to smother a laugh
and grandmother sighed. Sylvia,
child" she said, 81 don't believe you
know how to take care of anything
have heard before of children who
were careless enough to lose their hats
and their overshoes, but never knew
another little girl who habitually lost
her own little dolls!"
The next day Sylvia and Uncle Joe
became a search party and hunted Tor
Winifred May. They looked in the
orchard and in the barn and in the
carriage house and the flower garden
and by the brook. They found a
handkerchief, two hair ribbons and
Belinda's best dress, but no trace of
Winifred Mary A very small doll lost
on a very large farm is not an easy
thing to find.
Sylvia was an affectionate if care
less mother. She searched and
mourned faithfully for the missing
Winifred Mary, and included her name
tenderly each night in the regular
roll call. Uncle John soon saw In the
village shop a small doll, which he
said loked to him so strikingly like
Sylvia's missing child that he brought
it home to her; but when Sylvia point
ed out that the new doll had brown
hair, whereas Winfred Mas was
golden yellow, and that she was
so large that not one of Winifred
Mary's tiny frocks could possibly be
coaxed on to her, he was forced to
admit that there was only a small
family resemblance. He wished the
new doll to be called Winifred, SO that
the roll call could be completed; but
this Sylvia steadily refused to do.
Suppose Winifred Mary should be
found?" she asked.
In September, when Sylvia said
goodby to grandmother and Uncle Joe
and went back to the city, Winfred
Mary was still missing. "rll send her
by express if 1 find her. promised
Uncle Joe. But Sylvia had given up
all hope.
Poor Winifred Mary was almost for
gotten, when one cold November
morning a package arrived from the
farm for Sylvia What can they
have sent me in large hatbox?" she
wondered. And she wondtred still
more when the box was opened and
disclosed very large cabbage!
1T must be one of Uncle Joe's
jokes" said Sylvias mother Unite
it, DEAR" for the cabbage had been
cut into quarters and then tied to-
gether with red ribbon.
Sylvia united the ribbon and the
cabbage fell apart, and there, almost
in It's center, lay Winifred Mary!
"Why-why!" began Sylvia, and
then, as usual. she remembered;
Mother" she cried, Il put Winifred
Mary down into big cabbage. |
thought it would make such cum
ming house for her-and then l went
back to get the other little dolls, and
-and-and--
And you thought of something else
to do and forgot poor Winifred Mary"
finished her mother, when she had
done laughing, ''and the cabbage kept
on growing and folded its big leaves
over her and held her snug and warm
and how surprised grandmother
must have been when she cut open
the cabbage!"
Its like the faithful tin soldier in
the fish," said Sylvia, solemnly. But,
oh, mother, suppose they had boiled
the cabbage!"