The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-10-08

her blouse and began to suck her
finger. Here. let me have Henty,
Florence Dombey. Don't try to pig
1t all the time. You know don't get
hardly any time to read"
The furniture and the remains of
the cigar-box cover followed the
knife into her blouse and she opened
the book. But before she had begun
to read there was a sleepy little call
from below.
'Yes, baby!" called the child.
Here's Lydia, up in the treel Watch
me, dearie! See me come down.
Here comes Florence Dombey first"
With some difficulty the book fol-
lowed the knife and the furniture into
the blouse Florence Dombey, being
hastily inverted, showed a length Of
light marlin cord wrapped about her
cotton legs.
Here she comes, babyl Catch now
for Lydia"
The baby below, a tiny plump repli-
ca of Lydia, sat up with gurgle of
delight and held up her arms as Flor
ence Dombey, dangling unhappily, up
side down, on the end of the marlin
cord, was lowered carefully into the
perambulator.
"And here 1 come. Watch me,
baby
With a swing light and agile as a
young monkey, Lydia let herself down,
In o. ;oh
acrobat might have boosted, beside the
perambulator.
There, sweetness kissing the
baby-"first we'll fix Florence Dom
hey. then we'll start for home"
Florence, home wiz baby"
Eyes, it's getting near supper time"
Lydia tucked the still hectically star
ing doll in beside her small sister,
turned the perambulator around and
ran 1t along one of the little paths to
the sidewalk.
At the crossing she met small
girl of her own age, who carried a
toy balloon, and popcorn ball.
Hello, Lydia!" she cried cit was
perfectly lovely circusr ~
was it?" cried Lydia, with an In
different voice that something in her
blue eyes denied. swell, l had to
take care of little Patience!"
'Huhp' shrilled the little girl, "old
Lizzie would have done that. I think
your fathers mean not to give you
the money.
Lydia's red cheeks went still redder.
my fathers got plenty Of money"
she began iercely. Here the baby
interrupted.
Baby love pritty-Baby love"
she held out two beseeching dimpIed
hands toward the red balloon.
Patience, you can't have it." cried
Lydia. '1t-it'll make your tummy
ache. I'll buy you one when you're
older"
The black-eyed child, holding the
red balloon, suddenly kissed little Pa
tience, who was the pet of all the
children In the neighborhood, and put
the string of her balloon into the
dimpled hand. 81 had the circus
you can have the balloon" she said.
Lydia jerked the string away and
held 1t out to the owner.
"We're no cheerity charities, Marg-
cry" she said. ''rll get Patience a
balloon"
You're an awful liar and a cruel
beast, Lydial" cried Margery. She
snatched the string and tied 1t about
the baby's wrist you know you can't
buy her one and you know she'll cry
herself sick for one, now she's seen
mine, and 1 guess / love her as much
as you do
Lydia looked from the cherub In the
perambulator, growing ecstatically
over the red bubble that tugged at
her wrist, to the defiant Margery.
"Tll let her have it, Margery," she
said reluctantly. "Tll make you q
dolls high chair"
"All right" said Margery, noncha-
lantly. Face tagl So longl"
Lydia ran the perambulator along
the board walk. The street was mac
adamized and bordered with thrifty
maple trees. Back of the maple trees
were frame houses, of cheap and stu
| pid construction. Before one Of these
Lydia paused. 1t was q dingy brown
| house, of the type known as "story
and half"
Lydia opened the gate In the picket
fence and tugged the perambulator
through and up to the porch.
"There, baby mine, shall Lydia take
you in for your supperT
Supper cooed little Patience, lift
ing her arms.
Lydia lifted her to the porch with
surprising ease. The little two-year-
/ old should have been no light weight
| for the little mother of twelve. She
stood on the porch watching Lydia
arrange Florence Dombey in her
place In the perambulator. The red
balloon tugging at her wrist, her
soiled little white dress blowing In the
summer breeze, she finally grew Inn
patient of Lydia's attentions to Flor
ence Dombey.
Baby eat now" she cried with q
stamp of her small foot.
Lydia laughed. She ran up the
steps, took the baby's hand and led
her through the entry into a square
little room, evidently the parlor Of the
home. 1t was dusty and disorderly.
Lydia disgorged the contents of her
blouse upon the desk, then followed
little Patience into the next room.
This was larger than the first and was
evidently the dining room and sitting
room.
A short. stout old woman was set
ting the table. She had iron gray
hair. Her face was broad wreath of
wrinkles, surrounding bespectacled