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THE OREGON V DAILY; JOURNAL PORTLAND", 5A1UKDAY "EVENING, OCTOBER 12; 1907
ild
tones
HUMPTY
DUMPTY
11 oren s
Tbca't Never Grow
Old.
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t4T TOW would you like to live in a looking-glass
house? Let'i pretend that the glass has
gotten all soft like gauze so that we can get through.
Why, it is turning into a sort of a mist now. I declare,
it will be easy enough to get through." said a little girl
named Alice, and before she had finished speaking she
was up on the mantelpiece, standing before a big looking-glass
which certainly was already beginning to melt
away. In another moment Alice was through the glass,
and had lightly jumped down into the looking-glass
room.
"Oh, what fun it will be when they see me through
the glass in here and cannot get at me," thought Alice
to herself.
Then she begun to look about, and, strange to say,
everything was just like the room she had left, only
novsll the pictures and everything seemed alive The
, clock on the mantelpiece had a face like an old man,
and grinned at her whenever she looked at it.
I VHEY do not keep this room so tidy as the
other." Alice thought to .herself. At that
moment she heard a strange sound, and with an "Oh!"
of surprise she peeped around the side of the fireplace,
and there saw a funny little old woman who looked
like a sheep. When she saw Alice she looked up from
her knitting and said: '
"What do you want to buyf"
Alice ' was not only - surprised, but very much
frightened, and, as she was very hungry, the only re
ply she could think of was:
"I should like to buy an egg," which she said quite
timidly.
"Only onef said the old woman. "If you buy
two you have to cat them."
"Then I will only take one," said Alice, and she
handed the woman a penny that she , foun J ' ill ' lurr
pocket.
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THE woman took the money and put it In a box
and then went off to the other end of the room.
Taking an egg out of the closet she set It on a shelf,
and then beckoned to Alice to take it
Alice started to walk across the room after it, but
the egg seemed to get farther away ithe more she
wnlkcd.
"How odd," Alice said as she walked. "This looks
like a clmir, hut it has branches. How very strange to
find trees growing here."
She wondered more and more at every step, for
everything turned into a tree the moment she came up
to it, and she quite expected the egg to do the same.
However, the egg only got larger and larger, and
when she came within a few yards of it she was greatly
surprised to see that it had eyes and a nose and mouth,
and when she went closer still ho should it be but
Humpty-Dumpty himself.
"It cannot be anybody else," she said to herself.
iiiijT-T Tri t r::'- ii ' m 7ir'fi I
l tT ' ,
T T UMPTV DUMPTV was sitting.' with his very
thin, short legs crossed like a Turk's, on the top
of a high wall. It was a vcrv narrow one, and Alice
wondered how. he could keep his balance. His, eyes
were away out to each side and looked in nposite di
' rections. and he did not seem to see Alice, or, at least,
he took no notice of tier.
"He must he a stuffed figure after all, and yet
how exactly like an erg he is.' she suiil aloud, stand
ing with her hands ready to catch lum, for every mo
ment she expected him to fall.
"It's , very provoking," Humpty-Dumpty said
after a long silence, looking away from Alice a lie
spoke, "to be called an cpg."
"I said you looked like an egg," Alice explained
gently, "and some eggs arc very 4m-etty, you know,"
she added, hoping to turn it into a sort of compliment
"Some people," said Humpty-Dumpty, looking
away from her, "have no more sense than a baby."
ALICE did not know what to say to this, as he
did not seem to be talking to her, but rather to
tree, judging from the way he looked. So she softly
repeated to herself i
"Humpty-Dumpty sat on a $11;
Humpty-Dumpty had a gfeal fall.
All the Xing's horses andtf the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty-Dumpty up again."
"That last line is too long," she added, forgetting
that Humpty-Dumpty could hear her.
"I do not think so." said Humpty-Dumpty; "the
lung promised me to to"
"To send all his horses and all his men," Alice
Interrupted. "Now I think that is too bad, Humpty
Dumpty; you have been listening or you couldn't have
known."
"Well, they write such things in books, I know.
That's what you call history. . Now, take a good look
at me. I have spoken to a King! You will never see
such another," and he grinned from ear to ear, and
almost fell off the wall.
-J
HAT a beautiful belt you have on,"-Alice
suddenly said.
"It is a most provoking thing when a person
doesn't know a necktie from a belt," said 'Humpty
Dumpty, wagging his head gravely from side to side.
"I know I am stupid," said Alice gently. "Will
you forgive me?"
Humpty-Dumpty was sorry he was so cross, anil
said:
"Yes, child, it is a necktie. The White Queen
gave it to me." and he crossed one knee over the other,
clasping his hands around them. "Did you ever hear
this piece I am going to repeat for yuu ?"
Alice sat down to listen.
"In winter when the fields ire white,
I sing this song for your delight Only I do not
sing it," he added.
"I see you do not," said Alice.
:
JF YOU can see whether I am singing or not
you've sharper eyes than most people," said
Humpty-Dumpty.
Then he repeated a lot more, and at last Alice,
growing very tired, said :
"Isn't that all?"
"That's all," said Humpty-Dumpty; "good-bye."
"This was very sudden," Alice said to herself, and
after such a strong hint she thought she ought to be
going. She got up and held out her hand (o Humpty
Dumpty. "Good-bye till we meet again." she said cheerfully.
"I shouldn't know you again if we did meet,"
Humpty-Dumpty replied, giving her one of his fingers
to shake. "You look just like other people."
"You knpw people by their faces," said Alice
4trT"HAT"S just what I complain of,"- said
Humpty-Dumpty. "Your face is just like
everybody else's. Two eyes, nose in the middle, and
mouth under it. It is always the same. If you had
two eyes on one side of your nose, ahd a mouth at the
top, that would be some help."
"It would not look nice," said Alice, laughing.
Humpty-Dumpty shut hit eyea and said:
"Wait kill you've tried."
Alice waited a moment to aee if he would speak
again, but he never opened his eyes or took any furthrr
notice of her. She said "Good-bye" once more, and,
as he made no reply, she walked away, uying to her
elf : . , ;f?'
"Of ell the queer people I ever She never finv
ished what she was going to say, for at that momenta
heavy crash shook all the treet and erery thing, and
Alice woke up with a start 'And that wai the end of
the looking-glass room, and sh knew it was all a drcira.
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