Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-06-12
FOR THE CHILDREN
TIL , Little Wood
en- Flat-irOn

| Long, long ago there lived a little
| girl who had never seen toy shop. Her
home was a wee brown house In vii
) lage many miles from any big city. Her
name was Molly Ann.
| One Monday morning when Molly
AIMS mother was washing clothes in
the kitchen. the little girl undressed her
! dolls and washed their clothes in the
tin wash basin. She had neither soap
nor water, but that made no difference
basis was wash tub full of water, and
she played rub soap on the dolls
T, clothes.
Molly AIMS mother stopped washing,
rubbedy- rub. rubbedy-rub, on the big
wash board when she noticed what her
little girl was doing. She stopped wash
ing long enough to smile and get the
ball Of string.
"Wound't you like to have a clothes
line to hang your dolls clothes on, to
dry after they are clean?" asked moth
err.
"Oh, yes answered Molly Ann. win
you make me clothes line?'
To be sure" answered Molly AIMS
mother; and she straightway broke off
long piece of string. One one end of
the string she tied to the table leg, the
other to the arm Of the straight kitchen
rocker. and there was a clothes line
upon which Molly Ann hung big
washing.
Next day when Molly AIMS mother
was doing the ironing, and stepping
from the, kitchen stove to the ironing
board, singing as she worked. MOLLY
Ann played iron her dolls clothes Her
ironing board was the bottom of a
wooden chair while corner of the
wood box was her stove. She was bus
lily ironing dolls clothes, singing as she
worked, when her father walked
through the kitchen.
Let US see your flat iron Miss Molly
Ann said he.
1T isn't really one" explained Miss
Molly Ann. 1T is only big hickory
nut. play 1t is flat iron. You can
play most anything"
so you can, so you cant" agreed her
father. f'Daddy will make you a little
wooden flat-iron like your mothers big
one"
That every evening the little girls
father began whiting out wee flst-
iron from bit of wood. He whitfield
and he whitfield and he carved until at
last he finished tiny wooden flat iron,
smooth and white. The little girl was so
pleased with that flat iron she carri ID
1t to bed with her, and smiled in her
sleep. She may have been dreaming
about the new toy.
Next day and the next and the next,
AuoAy ALL l1ldyeu WASH ana IRON, truth
to tell, she was SO happy with the little
flat-iron it is wonder the dolls clothes
didn't wear out before Monday came
again.
On Tuesday when Molly AIMS moth
er was ironing big clothes with the big
IRONS singing as she worked and
Molly Ann was ironing little clothes
with little wooden IRON singing as she
worked, Mrs. Peterson raped at the
front door, Molly AIMS mother put her
flat-iron on the hot stove and went to
the door Immediately Molly Ann did
exactly what her mother did She p..t
her little wooden flat-iron on the hot
stove and went to the door.
Il came to borrow your log cabin
guilt pattern said Mrs. Peterson. when
Molly AIMS mother had said, do come
in and have chair
Not many minutes passed before Mrs.
Peterson stopped talking about quilts
to say:
Dear me. I smell some thing burn
ing! 1t smells like wood do hope your
house isn't on fire!"
To the kitchen rushed Molly AIMS
mother, followed by Molly Ann and
Mrs Peterson.
1T is only Molly AIMS flat-iron."
exclaimed Molly Ann's mother. 1T is
smoking hot!"
On, my little flat-iron is spoiled"
walled Molly Ann. When mother lifted
her treasure from the hot stove with
the stove poker. ,"Oh, my little iron is
spoiled" No wonder Molly Ann cried
Fortunately the little flat iron wasn't
spoiled. That very evening Molly AIMS
father whitfield off the scorched places
and smoothed the little flat iron with
sandpaper' until it was good as new.
But Molly Ann never put that little
flat-iron on the stove again.