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Show ( PLUMU 0 I CopyrU bt. 1918. by Tcblio Lbdcib Company The Nicest Folks in the World! yJOT long ago they came to Philadelphia Philadel-phia from Boston, the whole 600 delightful de-lightful lot of them, and though they were very famous and many of them quite old and most of them great travelers, they were not the least bit stuck up or proud or given to pompous conversation. In fact, they said nothing in all the day- time, when they received their visitors; ( just looked politely straight ahead and tiied to seem unaware of their notice and importance. But at night when everything was quiet they all came down from their tables and walked arm in arm together, for they had so much to talk about, especially about the dear boys and girls who had once loved them in the course of their journeys, that all the nights in the calendar were not too many in which tb relate their experiences. And perhaps you visited them your ownelf, these nicest folks in the world. Did you? They were dolls dolls from every part of the earth, from China and Japan, from France and India, from the North, East and West and South; from everywhere where little children are or have been. And perhaps you are wondering how they understood one another. I'll tell you. The language of dolls is the same in all countries, so it was not a bit hard for the little Eskimos from Labrador to tell the turbaned lady doll from Persia f.ll about the little girl who had loved them in the far northern country of ice and snow. And the three of them sat beside the cradle of an infant doll from Turkey who was suffering from colic. They knew nothing of the sad, dreadful war; even the soldier dolls had not heard a breath of it. But then the children of the world are not at war, and I am glad the litt le doll people know nothing of it either. As I went to see them in the daytime they, of course, could not talk to me. A baby doll fifty-two years old regarded me gravely from its high chair. That's another an-other thing about dolls, they never grow up into tiresome old fusties, and that baby, fifty-two, was just as much of a darling infant as when it was sent into the family fam-ily of some dear little girl. Pshaw, I wish I might keep you that way, dears and ducks! i i T The Puzzle Cornel TTR. G, OGRAPHY tells some more ATI about his travels before the war. The forgetful Poet has written them into rhymes and says that you are to fill in the blanks with the money Mr. Geography spent in the course of his journeyings. In Holland, where the waterways And wind mills are so foreign, I bought some bulbs and cheese and squandered Many a shiny ? The man who travels Hindustan Full many a wonder sees, And in the process pays his way In Indian ? In London town I settled down Ere I resumed my rounds, And paid my bill with right good will In honest English ? The answers to last week's puzzles were: Japan and yen; France, sou and rancs, and lira. I 3K If I tried and tried I could never remember re-member all of these famous doll people. There was a Red Corn Ear Dolly given to a young lady seventy years, ago and wearing quite unconcernedly a dress ninety-seven years old. Think of it! Can't $ou imagine the fun they must have had at that jolly husking bee, and I suppose the little girl who found the red ear, vhom some one dressed as a doll, must have been the happiest among them. And I know that old doll was loved. You can tell it in every grain of her. And proud! Urn! From the Philippine Islands was a dusky belle with gold earrings and ... wonderful won-derful hat;- there was a cocoanut doll from Rio de Janeiro; a veiled lady from Arabia and a gentleman of color whose sign lead, "I'm no coon, but a gentleman from the South!" A miner boy doll from Scranton with a very dirty face divided honors vith Tommy Spooner, who was entirely made from wooden spoons. There ma a T dy Bear survivor from the San Francisco earthquake; the Blue Sky Girl, an Indian dolly, with a hundred others like her. Chinese dolls, Japanese dolls, French. Dutch, Spanish, Irish every kind in the world. And what interesting limes they must have together. Quakers and fine ladies, dolls made of brooms and spools, and one made by a little boy from a wash stick for his sister because he had no money to buy her one "This doll was given by Mrs. Jones, who plaved with it seventy-five years ago and treasured it a lifetime." And, my! wasn't that wax doll proud of the fact! Every one of them seemed bursting with happiness, and no wonder! Each had been loved by a little child, and whether in India In-dia or China, or down South or up North, could there be anything better? "This doll has bten loved and played with by little children in Sweden," said a funny little scrawl pinned to the white apron of a sweet little China doll. "Loved and plaved with by little children!" No wonder, I say, that they are happy. No wonder they are the nicest people in the world. The International Doll Collection was exhibited for the first time in 1896 and was made by Mrs. Elizabeth R. Horton. of Boston. 1 -A- A OA i The Dolls Column April Shoivcrs Bring May flowers, but that does not mean for you to get your feet wet, dolly dears! It's just as bad to go around with wet feet now as in the winter. But it does mean that flowers and little girls and dolls need plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Yes, indeedy; anything you want, to grow needs both, but especially sunshine Why, it will make you grow and your hair grow and your heart grow, until the first thing you know you will just love everything in the whole world. Tink of that! Let's try to do our bit by spreading as much sunshine around us as we can; shall we? Maria Janes Spring Bath No, she did not intend to take one, at least not then. But somehow Ruthie let her slip, and try as she would, Maria Jane could not save herself from falling into the washtub. She was a rag doll, "And," said Ruthie, "as long as you are in you might as well be clean." So she scrubbed and she rubbed until all of Maria Jane's red cheeks came off and her blue eyes faded away, and, last of all, her painted curls. She was clean, though, and, hung on the line by two clothespins (a very harrowing experience, 1 can tell you), she bleached beautifully white; then Dcctor Dollby came to the rescue with a box of paints, and Maria Jane is the envy of all the dolls in Dolldom A Froggish Poem "FROG who would a-wooing go" Tripped blithely o'er the lea; His lady love, a turtle dove, Perched in the maple tree. "Oh. beauteous dove, accept my love " He sang; "my love and me. Come down. I say; come down, I pray, From off your maple tree. "A slippery log and slimy bog Oh, come and share with me. The juicy slug and tender worm A luscious fare for thee." The turtle doe upon her love A languorous eye did turn Leap up to me! Ascend my tree' you my Jove would earn. "And share my home among the trees My clean and healthful bough. Your slippery log and slimy bog I could not stand, I vow!" To pleaso his fickle lady love The frog made frantic leap. He struck his head, AND NOW HF'S DEAD And all the birds do weep. Except the owl and he didn't care. Mean thing!) The Pans and Clans Club PIRCUS SEASON-and for a while it seemed as if the dear old clowns and elephants and camels would have to stay back on their farms till after the war. For there are so many necessary things that the railroads must carry that the circus was put down as a nonessential, however the small boys may feel about its being all important. But the circus is coming just the same. The various circus managers have over-come over-come the transportation difficultv, and huge motorcars will carry the circus to the cities and towns this spring and summer. sum-mer. The animals and freaks and all the circus folks think it will be a lot more comfortable than the old method of traveling travel-ing by train. One circus will employ one hundred and seventy-five touring cars, motortrucks and trailers. Al'hough the tigers and lions cannot keep meatless days,( the bears are doing their bit by eating cbrn in place of wheat bread. Even the lions have given up beef for horse meat, so we must not be too hard upon them. Out there, where our boys are making mak-ing a place for Old Glory, the horses are playing their part, too. And it is not always easy for them, either. They get sick and tired, and hurt and homesick, just the same as the boys. All the ills but the l"t can be cured, but when a horse gets homesick and won't eat or drink, there is nothing to do for him. Some of the horses out there have been pets, and it is mighty hard for them to get accustomed accus-tomed to the rough and ready mode of The Ball and Glove JT CERTAINLY is fine to see the boys gathered on every vacant lot and field playing baseball. It makes us feel surer than ever that spring is really here. Baseball's Base-ball's a great game and does more and more to develop good sportsmanship, fair play and manliness than a dozen lectures on the subject, so play ball, boys, and girls, too! Be a mite careful of windows and the innocent bystander's head, and don't mind getting beaten once in a while by the other team. There is always a next time and another game to recover your glory. Be a good winner and a good loser. Don't boast when you win nor whine when you lose. The Blue Bird IT AVE you seen the bird that is blue? I" you have, read Maeterlinck's beautiful beau-tiful story of the little boy and girl who set out to fir. 1 the blue bird ? I am sure you will know how and where to look for him. Another little bird told me that the blue bird is really coming, and I hope you will all sec the beautiful moving picture of this wonderful story. army life. But often they find a pal out in the corral, for horses are just like men; they make friends. A writer in the Ka'nsas City Star Bays that horses of the same color seem to get along better, and that Supposyville Goes A-Maying II A HO ! in lovely spring, my ducks, . One has no need of belb, Alarms or shocks or tiresome clocks For waking up. She tells Tis rising time delightfully. Spring sets the birds a-singing, And Mr. Sun his golden beams Betimes abroad is flinging! And in Supposyville, as here, The people rise with pleasure, For each spring hour is a gift To live and love and treasure. And on this certain balmy morn They even beat the sun At rising, and 'tis not surprising, For this day is one Of special joy and jollity. Aho ! now 'tis a gay day ; 'Tis flower-crowned and gowned renowned, Delicious merry May Day I And every one off to the woods f. Light-heartedly goes hying M To pick the sweet spring flowers there That need no gold for buying. And he who finds the sweetest ones And she who has the fairest Bouquet that day rule o'er the May; ff And truly 'tis the rarest -Delight to be Queen of the May r And King of Spring. The green, dears, I Presents the gayest picture that t You've really ever seen, dears. The May Pole, ribboned and beflowered, Jr Standing high and festive; r- The fiddlers fiddling till the oldest & Soul grows gayly restive. 1- Yes, there they spend the happiest It And most delightful May Day r You ever could imagine, loves W A high day and a heyday ! r " often horses that have come from the same frm will stick together through thick and thin. The mules are stronger than the horses, and sooa become accustomed to their duties in the pack trains. The mules look up to horses, and heading each pack train IK-is IK-is a bell mare whom the mules legard as a superior officer, and whom they will follow anywhere. I TIIEnlTove wi Ww"'. fr,m Q Chail; the puppy sp,'an Up" the troops. thc Captain called Befothe orders earned ontS' One soldier's lost his coat of paint; H F 101 quick aeci8,on- With clumsy, ponderous feet A double-quick retreat! Before the drums are beaten- Another one is eaten. gf, (How tti riblel for the puppy.) rati |