Year: 1875

I'M the mother of six children, and
they are all dolls. Polly is the oldest. l
can't tell how old she is; but she must
be dreadful long-lived, for can't remem-
Der the time when she wasn't born. She's
got cloth face and it's real nice; for
when it gets soiled mamma puts on
clean rag, and then she is as good as
new. Why, you wouldn't believe how
many skins she's got. VIII says no doc
tor living could find the true one; but l
think it's beautiful that she can go on
having new skin every time she needs
one. Then there's Capt. Jinks. You've
heard of him; but, after all, there's
something more about him than there is
in the song On his last muster day his
horse got SO lively from the corn and
beans he'd eaten that he ran away with
the poor Captain and tried to jump over
a fence, when he stumbled and threw
his master over his head, and so his leg
was broken. Then it had to come off;
and he'd got lovely scar over his left
eye, too So you may be sure he is a
great hero Then there's my Paris doll,
Marie, that Aunt Lucy sent me last
Christmas; but she's SO nice | never
play with her 'cept when | have on my
best dress and my hair crimped. won't
say anything about the others, for there
amt anything particular to say They
are common kind of children; not Pc
culiar one among 'em.


Well, a while ago when the coasting
was good, l was just crazy to be a boy,
so / could coast with the other chaps,
and l used to go with my VIII and Rob
every Saturday and Wednesday after
noon to the Common and stand outside
the rope and wish and wish could, but
you know l couldn't; and l forgot all
about my family of children and kept
them in bed days and days; and that
made me sorry when did remember
them, so | thought wouldn't remember
any more than l could help; but l had
to. One Wednesday afternoon, when it
was 50 drizzly that we all had to stay in
the house, heard the boys laughing and
shouting upstairs in the play-room, so |
thought would go up and have some
fun with them. When l opened the
door they ran out of the other, giggling
like everything, and | saw my six chill
dren, every one with black cap over its
face, hanging by its neck to the chande-
lier. Even dear Capt. Jinks was there,
with his one poor leg dangling in the air.
| don't suppose you know how felt, be-
cause you never were the mother of six
dolls and saw 'em all hanging by the
neck till they were dead. can't tell
you how mad it made me. Mamma says
that's dreadful word for little girl to
use, and l know it, but there amt any
other that tells how l felt. l know if
could only have got my hands on Bot
and Will should have done something
dreadful. But they knew it, SO they
kept out of sight, and l got tired hunt
ing for 'em.


Well, after had cried "a little weep
got on the top of the table, with my
penknife, and cut all the children down
and laid them side by side. Then took
off the black caps and found they were
all right. Even Marie hadn't lost one
kink in her curly hair, and Capt. Jinks
scar was just as splendid as ever. But
anyway they were dead, as they ought to
be, for they'd been hung; !; so made up my
mind to have big funeral on the spot,
| and went downstairs and told mamma
wanted her and auntie to come to my
funeral right away. She was dreadfully
scared, and asked me what Imeant; so
told her all about it. Well, she went
back with me to the play-room, anG
when she saw how natural the children
all looked she tried TO persuade me tC
give up the funeral and let them go or
| living a while longer. But no, wouldn'
consent; they'd been hung, and ought tc
have burial. Then mamma took me t(
| the window and showed me how all thu
earth was covered with snow, and ad
vised me to wait until spring for the
funeral; SO / said ! would if she would
take care of the children till then. As
for Rob and Will, didn't mean to speak
with them again that day, but it WASH,
a bit jolly keeping up my spunk al
alone, and they having such good time
playing horse, SO when they asked me il
l didn't want to be their little puppy
and run behind, / said yes! and begar
to yelp like everything. Auntie asked
mamma if it wasn't strange that coult
forgive and forget so soon, ant
mamma said it would be if l didn't
belong to the sex; and can't thinE
what she meant; can you?


Last week / had my birthday. ! have
! one every spring; hut this was differ