The Oregon daily journal., December 27, 1908, Page 33, Image 33

ITWtt UiSGON SUNDAY. J0URNA1V, FORTCANI), SUNDAy MORNING, DECEMBER 27
, By ' ROSE MILLS POWERS
I if! 11- rwi f Mi9
When Tillie bring bef tea-set out
lier lovely set o blue "
And lays the dishes all about -The
table, two by .two, :
- The little doll-house people all
Begin to wonder who will call.
For ,'t is a signal, beyond doubt, -
That visitors are due, ,-
When Tillie brings her tea-set out
I Her treasured set of blue. 1
So aO the dollies watch and wait,.
And sit up very nice and straight.
And Pierrot forgets to tease
' In hopes to be gufst ;
The little Jap from over-seas ' , $
Tries hard to took his best;
While Mam'selle French poll, all the while,
Wears ah, the most angelic smile!
For alt the'nursery people know
As welt as well can be
That dollies must be good who go ' '.
. With Tillie out to tea. X
And would not that seem fair to you
If you possessed a tea-set blue? "
Nine Mile
Rears
M
RS. BRUINBEAR had nine children.
Mr. Man, who had moved into a house
son the other side of the big woods had one,
a little girl, and that little girl was the
greatest somebody to play with bears since
the ' time of Silverhair. The nine little
bears from the Bruinbear household used to make a
becline for the back fence of her back yard as soon as
thev got their breakfast. -
She showed these young bearlings a number of things
that they; had never seen nor heard tell of before. One
and the mainest on was dolls. Dorothy had a
good many dolls, because it was a lonesome place, and
her mama was m kind person who could sew very nicely
and who liked making rag babies,, and clothes for them,
too.'. . . ' '
However, of course, she didn't have nine dolls ito that
each of the bears could have one all at the same' time;
and when she brought her three or four out into the
grove she used to let one cub t a time have a. doll to
play with and the rest would generally sit about and
weep while that one and Dorothy played. ' ,
So Dorothy began, to ask her mother for more dolls,
and her- mother promised that when Christmas came
she should have a Christmas tree with jblenty of dolls
na ;t-ttLntivf ' Of course, she went and told th. lit tin
Bruinbears about Christmas trees, and how they were
just covered with candles and dolls. The cubs didn't
care about candles, but the' idea of a tree full of dolls
struck deep! . They galloped home to Mother Bruin
bear like a brown furry streak. ?...,
"Dear mel she said, when she saw them coming.
"The dinner isn't half done, and those children loolc
hungry. , -r r - v-. . - ' "
"We want A Christmas tree!" shouted Howler, -as
toon a they got close enough to be heard. -
"With dolla on itl"grumb!ed Growler. ,
" Plenty of dollsj " put in Prowler, sniffing at an ant-
"AnA if we don't art it we'll make an wM fuss.
... i r t ' . M . . . . t.
muiterea ocowicr, iwisung up wi iacc.
mquir
as she
Christmas
Whinv. as thev came bundling in together.
"Oh, .my gracious goodness me!" t groaned. Mrs.
Bruinbear, running to get a towel to tie up her head.'
She always had a headache when the children were
bad she just naturally did. ":r,
She looked at the nine little brown' furry things, and
their eighteen little black beady eyes twinkled at her
inquUringty. ' I know most of the trees in the woods,"
she began finally, "but I don't believe I ever met a
Christmas trwr I'll find onefor you, though, f you'll
just hush-arid bfe good children my head aches dread-
fully to-day." - - 4 ; .'.
"It doesn'ljf.have to be anything but a common pine
tree, Dorothy j says," explained Tinybear, who knew,
more than thti rest of tnem-because he was smaller.
' You take anv little pine tree, and put dolls all over it,
and it'll be a Christmas tree." .
"AH right--all right! " agreed Mrs. Bruinbear hastily
in a headachy kind of voice; "you tell me where to dig ,
for those dolls and I'll go and dig em up .'most any day,
and put .'cm on the tree for you." - ? -
"You don't dig for dolls," sneered Scowler. "And
you can't pick 'em off the bushes, either, so you needn't
try. I expect you thought they grew on Christmas
trees; but they don't. You have to nut 'em there."
Do hush and tell me all about it, . said Mrs. Bruin
bear. "WThat are dolls, anyhow?:
"Dolls are little things just like you, and mothers
make 'era for their children to play with," explained
Tinybear reasonably. "And you'll have to mate nine
because there are nine of us. And 1 expect it'll keep
you pretty busy, because Christmas isn t so very far
off, and they have to be done by Christmas eve.".
Mother Bruinbear nubbed. , ne aching head, and
thought about this a long time. In fact she kept on
thinking all the while she was dishing up the dinner and
settling the nine little cubs so that tney wouldn't quar
rel too much or scald each other with hot soup.
"What'll ! make 'em out of?" she asked suddenly,
when the meal was over and they had forgotten all
about the dolls, and everybody was ready to go to sleep.
Now Mrs. Bruinbear was a very fine sewer.
S.r,
.. to bed early and trimmed her Christmas tree, a little
;ine that grew in the dooryard. The frost fairies came
n the night and put spangles all over the tree, so that
'. it was trimmed almost as beautifully as yours was last
year, and in all its branches Mother Bruinbear had
(. stuck the dolls she made, some of white, some of cream
' color, some of brown, some almost black, but all looking
very appropriate in amongst the green. " . ,
When those nine little cubs woke up they stretched
. themselves and yawned, and then one said to another,
' Ho! it's Christmas morning!" ,
And the other said to one' '
"We've got a Christmas tree!"
And then alt nine of them shrieked together
"With dolls on it 1" ,
' And they jumped up and) ran out into the yard with
nothing on but their fur overcoats. .
, ' Mother Bruinbear stood in the door watching and
listening for their exclamations of delight. She was
proud of her work, andshe knew that any sensible cubs
would enjoy the sine dolls she had made.
But she didn't hear any shrieks of rapture. Howler
; got to the tree first. He gave, one look at the dolls in ,
its branches, then he sat down on the ground and used
his nam so hard that he almost used it up.
Growler and Scowler joined him. Tiny and Whiny
hopped from one foot to another and shrieked aloud;
v 'Those aren't dollsl Those things aren't dolls at all I
Those are why they are bub bub bears!!i .
. Poor Mother Bruinbear I She came down amongst
her troublesome nine, wiping her bands on her apron
end looking just as miserable as She possibly could.
v Now see Here," she began doubtfully, " you told me
that dolls were things just (ike me, and I made .'em the
best I could.'.. '..'. f
"Just like yowfJt repeated the nine cubs in horror.
0hi dolls aren't anything on earth like you. Dolls are
1 pretty. We like aolls, Those things are just like
Mother Bruinbear took pne down and looked at it.
She felt very sad. ".Perhaps I did get their noses a lit
tle too sharp," she said mournfully. ," But then, you
all have very sharp noses, and these shoe-buttons look
exactly like your eyes. Do you see bow the arms and
legs will move?". And she showed them hopefully how
tliey could put the bears in any position they wished.
: Tney' ve got a squeak in them, too, just as-yojaf hildren
have.'' '" .. i ' ''
"Huh!" said Bunchy, as she pressed on the bear
doll's "tummy" and made it speak out "huhl we
don't call the noise, we make a squeak we think it is
language. Dorothy says so.". ? .
At last Mr. Bruinbear was angry. You mustn't
blame her too much; she had sat up nights for weeks
and weeks working on those little toy-bears, and taking
care of nine cubs isn't the easiest job in the world at the
best of times.
" Well, you may just take those dolls and do the best
you can with them.", she said tartly, "J shall not put
myself out to make you any more. think if children's
dolls are little children, bears' dolls ought to be little
bears. think that you ought to be thankful and
pleased. But. of course, it doesn't make a bit of differ
ence to any of you whal I think, and you can just go
ovefto youf wonderful Dorothy who knows so much,
9 and see what she has to say."
' This seemed a pretty eooa idea to the nine little cubs:
and, each one shouldering a bear-doll, they trotted off
in the snow toward Mr. Man s house. They were cer
tainly a funny tittle procession, nine small bear cubs
carrying nine smaller bear-dolls, and if you could have
met them I'm sure you would have laughed. Dorothy
did, when she saw them trudging right up the front walk ;
: she opened the door, for she was all alone in the house,
since her father and mother had gone to church.
"Did you come to see my Christmas tree?" she in
quired. "And what on earth are these things you've
got in your arms?.'.!
By this time the nine cubs had got into the room
where the Christmas tree stood, and on that Chirstmas
tree, among other things, there were exactly nine rag
dolls. Some had pink calico dresses and white sun
bonnets; some were dressed like sailor laddies, and
some like sailor girls; one had a little frilled white cap
and long white skirts, and must have beenjneant for a
baby. . .- .
But there were nine of them, and the nine little cubs ,
stood and looked at them, and looked at them, and
looM at them, until the tears popped out of their little
bear eyes and raft down their little bear cheeks.
"Oh," they howled.-"here are the dolls we want!
Real dolls not bears like these things. Won't jou
swap, Dorothy? Please trade, little girt! You can
have mine " and mine " " and mine! "
Dorothy wanted to be kind : she had taught the
Bruinbears all they knew of dolls: and she went reluc
tantly to the tree and began taking down" her own gifts
and exchanging them for those Mother Bruinbear hah
made. ;; She was glad, when she saw the rapture of the
cubs, that she had ft doll for each one.
And in about fifteen minutes there was another pro
cession (going ifl the opposite direction to the first one)
'. - - inaiiieppvaniuii
A.-ftliT mi
i Miss fat's -Visit tn thft filtii I
By GRACE MacGOWAN COOKE
s
THE big white cat trotting across the lawn with
a rat in his mouth started Meriky ori a story
this afternoon. A ,
"O-o-ph! Hear him growl P' cried six-year-old
Pate Randolph, as Tom strutted proudly.
past."1' "v:v 'v;V' '.
? "Huh!" exclaimed Meriky, "cats and mouses didn't
used to be sich bad friends as dey is now. Once 'pon a
time dey visited back an' forth like yo ma an. Mis'
Paterson." . -
"What made them fall out. Meriky? Is it a tale?
Oh, tell us do," begged all the three children in chorus.
" Hit come 'bout dis-er-way," the nurse said drowsily.
7 YZi YZ K i
meet up wid town folks, an' lam town ways, 'Don't
you eat sich in town? What you eat in town, anyhow?!
"Do town cat look all 'bout. He boun. to sen' Miss
Pussy Cat on a arrant dat'll take her .'way from dem
good victuals. : Right den he see Mr. Mouse peep out a'
hole to ax Miss Cat how she come on. He boun'. if Mis3'
Cat git to runnin' after Mr. Swif ' Foot Mouse he have!
time to steal her dinner. " . ' v
"'We eats mices,' he say, Kn.de grandest way imaging
able. Ydu never will lam town ways tell yoa lam toj
eat mices.'. ( '-. - ' t
'.'I done told you dat Miss Pussy Cat plumb crauy,
4
o'm m$Asm mm
,. ir ;( WMlUmi I'M
H.
v You've begun to be Suspicious and want to know, ;
where she got anything to sew with. But there are
plenty of pine needles in;the wood, and I've heard people :
talk about threads of smoke around over camp-fires ; and
I guess you'll have to do a little more believing if you
are going to get along well with this story. You won't
like to be put out of it, you know. Just shut your eyes
for two minutes and believe as hard as you can. There
that's all right! Now we're off again! -
So Tinybear brought a great big scrap-bag well filled
to Mother Bruinbear, and she set to Work, setting her
patterns in the most natural manner, and hiding every-
thing she made, because the children told her that that'
was the way you did with Christmas presents, for they
must be a surprise, v
When Christmas eve came around, she put the cubs
, 1 - ' '
i
1
I
'jr. : mpt
"01' Miss Cat live in de country, but she mighty hongry
to know 'bout town doin's. She tell round mongst her
friends .'bout how greatly she'a honin' for to see de
sights.
"Middle of de night come little Mr. Gray Mouse
knockin on de door, and say he got a cousin goin' up
to town, an' if Miss Cat stilt wantin' to see de sights, die
hyer cousin be proud to give her a lift.
"Den Miss Pussy Cat put on her bonnet an" put on
her shawl, an' tuck her poke full o' victuals an' started
out wid Mr. Mouse. Mouses does dey trayelin' by
night an' de cat an' mouse travel all night and git to
town de next day.
" When dey come where all de people was. Mr. Mouse
pick up his foot and run in a rat hole: but Miss Cat set
down by de side de road for to eat her snack. She was
a-settin dar, spreadin-'but all dat good country sassige,
and ham. and sich truck, when a town cat come apast.
"Di-hver town cat was hongry, he was all raggety,
same as de beggar man what yo ma give a dinner to
yistiddy. He want Miss Cat s victuals mighty bad.
My lan't' he say, ' whar you git dat pig mess?'
' Dat my snack,' say Miss Cat, mighty polite. 'I
brung hit wid me from home. Won't you jine me, sir?!
"Now dat dar of hongry town cat want every bit of
Miss Pussy Cat's snack. He never want to jine her;
so he say, 'Does dey really eat sich a mess as dat in de
country whar you come froth?" .
'"Yes, indeedy,' say do couatry cat, mighty glad to
" MY LAN, WHAR YOU GIT DAT FIG MESS?"
bout larnin' to do like town folks does. She hop up
and leave dat lunch, quick as you could wink an dat
of hongry town cat grab hit des' as quick. She run dat
mouse plumb down all de way to de Co't House.; Dar
she ketch him, an', right dar she eat him all but de
squeak an' de tcef. " ' '
" Den by dat, she got de taste I and all cats been eatia'
rats and mices to dis good day .'J '
6hb run dat mouse plumb down into d .
co'thousb".
on its funny little
flat feet, and gave
little beSr whoops
and squeaks of
delight. You
would have
laughed at this
one, too, fore very
bear in the lot
carried a rag doll
over its shoulder.
But in Mr.
Man's house,
Dorothy, rather
thoughtful and -depressed,
sat on "
the floor with her
nine bears and
dressed them in
the clothing that
her dolls had
once worn.
yh, but that
was before the
mamas had time
to put in a sen
sible word 1 That
afternoon a very
sober little girt
met nine rather
dejected small
' x bears out At th
back fence. She carried mne of the small toys which
have come to be called Teddy bears piled in her arms
like sticks of wood. Each one of the bearlings had a
doll under his arm. '-
"My mama said I was very foolish to trade my nice
dolls for these things, she began, almost ready to cry.
"And our, mama says," screamed the bears, "that
the sight of us playing with these things gives her the
headache. She says that her head is going to ache
every single minute of the time till we trade back."
There was a little scramble as the dolls were ex
changed. Then, when they were ready to march away
in the snow, each faction contented with its own posses-
sion, Tinybear summed the matter up with, "I guess
girl dolls are silly for bears: and I'm sun bear dolls kre
silly for girlsi j . - , (
3hr tlje .Springtime
By THKODOSIA GARRISON
When we go to my uncle's house
Out in the country every Spring,
My mother always says, " Poor child,
She's worn out with her studying.
And needs the country milk and air
To make her strong again, I know.':
But it isn't for these things I care
Or think about before we go
' I'm thinking of the buttercups.
And when we get to Uncle's house
It seems just hours before they say
Those things relations talk about
Before they tell you "run and playitl v
,'Bout how you've grown, and if you're we&V
And who you look like) and I try ,, .
To ait quite still and smile and tell,
But all the while they're talking,' I '
I'm thinking of the buttercups,
S
They grow so yellow and so high
A field all full across the brook
Sometimes I think they shine at night
It hurts my eyes, at first, to took.
My mother says, "Remember, dear, ,
The gingham dresses are for play.
Tell Aunty that the bow ties her." '
" Yes ma'am," I say, but right away
, I'm thinking of the buttercups.
6-
y And when at last they change my dress
? And let me go, why I just run '
And cross the brook and look and the a
It'a just like dropping in the sun "
A million, million yellow wings -I
make believe they are, and lie '
I . flight down among them, and dream things
Gf flying through the tree and sky,
thinking of the buttercUos
And sometimes when we sit at tea
And all the others talk, they say, , ,
f What art you thinking of, my child.
To make: you look and smile that way?U
And I say. "Nothing." for I know
They'd txnly laugh, those queer grown is
If I should truly answer so,
!' I'm thinking of the buttcrcnj sj
Just thinking of the Vuttcr.uj .'!