Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-05-04
he Polite Donkey

A little gray donkey lived in toy
shop window. He wore russell leath
er bride and a red saddle. He ha6
plenty of bright green hay ready to be
eaten, though, as matter OF fact, he
never did eat; for he rather liked hav
ing "gone feeling" In his stomach
You see he always had had gone
feelings and he was used to it; if he
thought about it at all, he supposed
| that all donkeys had it.
The other animals in the window
| were made all in one piece, and stood
quite still, staring out into the street
| with their round eyes. But the little
! gray donkey had his head hung inside
| of his neck on neat gilt hook; and,
as he was very polite donkey. he
bowed gently, all day, to the passers-
by.
But no one ever bowed to him in re-
turn and the little gray donkey finally
! became quite sad.
"Why are you so sad, little gray
donkey?" said his friend, the jack-in-
the box. one day. you have rus
set Bride red saddle, pile Of
bright green hay, and your head is
hung on a shiny gilt hook. Why are
you not happy and gay, as am? feel
like a Johnny jump-up in springtime."
And the Jack-in-the-box stretched
himself up as far as he could, to show
how springy he felt.
ALAS" said the little gray donkey,
"all day long bow politely to all who
pass our window, but no one ever
bows to me in return, and this makes
me feel lonely and neglected"
And he wagged his head up and
down very mournfully.
It was just then that little Edward
and his nurse stopped before the toy
shop window.
Little Edward wore white furry
coat and white furry cap. He had
curly yellow hair and pink cheeks and
big bright eyes.
ooh, mammy!' cried little Edward,
''see the little gray donkey! See him
wag his head! He is bowling to me-"
Now Edward was very polite little
boy and when he saw that the little
gray donkey was bowling he bowed his
own head in return The little gray
donkey was delighted. He felt very
sure that this was the prettiest and
so he bowed again.
So they stood bowling to each other
for some time and little Edward bob. !
bed his head up and down till his vel.
low curls flew up in the air and the
furry white cap slipped down over his !
big bright eyes. And the little gray
donkey wagged his head faster and
faster. until at last he wagged 1t of /,
the gilt hook entirely, and there lay |
the little gray donkey's head on the |
floor, in front of himself, with one ear
broken off
Mamma" said little Edward to his |
mother when he went home from his |
walk, "a little gray donkey bowed to
me and bowed to him, and I bowed
my cap Off but the little gray donkey /
bowed his head off. / think he was
too polite, don't your"
And whenever little Edward thought
Of the little gray donkey after that, he !
felt that the donkey had been too po-
lite. |!
But the little gray donkey was quite |
happy on the shelf where they put him
away after they had hung his head
again on the neat gilt hook, because |
he remembered that when he made his
last bows little boy with yellow curls
and pink cheeks had bowed to him in
return, and it never once occurred to
him that he had been too polite.
And the Jack-in.the-box went on
feeling gay and springy like Johnny.
Mitchell Brown, in
Little Folks.