Sarah L. Barrow

“ Polly Timmens when her husband had finished [112] reading this wonderful charm; "how lucky it is that we should be the ones to find the fairy foxglove! just as we were wishing, too, for something of the sort. Let me see, it is half past eleven now, I declare! Timmy, my dear, I'll go into the garden and gather two or three tomatuses and three or four potatuses for dinner, for it would be a shame to leave our fine vegetables behind; and then, as the clock strikes twelve, we'll try the fairy spell, wish that our house was in the village, and see what comes of it." ”

“ Instead of our being mothers, and aunts, and fathers, and [49] the dolls our children, the dolls were all the people themselves, and we moved them about and spoke for them."
"Yes, it was such a nice plan!" said Maggie; "you can't think, Lina. Suppose we divide these dolls into families, and play that Miss Isabella Belmont Montague was going to be married, and all about it."
"Oh, yes! yes! that will be splendid!" cried Lina. "Whom will you manage, Maggie?"
"I'd rather have Miss Isabella," said Maggie.
"And I want Mr. Morris," said Minnie. "He shall be the lover." ”

“ Besides the Montague family, there is a numerous colony of other dolls; but they, poor things, live in any corner where Lina chooses to put them; and all day Sunday are shut up in a dark closet, with nothing to do but count their fingers and toes, if they can contrive to see them; though they have nearly as fine a wardrobe—for Lina's great amusement, next to playing with the whole colony, is to make new dresses for them.
One Saturday afternoon, Lina was playing with her dolls in the baby house, with two of her little neighbors, Minnie and Maggie Elliott, to keep her company. ”

“ I want you to come velly much.
"Now, Maggie, we must stop the play a little while," said Lina, "and fix the dinner for them."
"Yes, do," cried Maggie; "let's see, what shall be for dinner?"
"Oh, chicken, that's the nicest!" said Minnie.
"No, they had chicken yesterday," said Lina; "let them have roast beef." [65]
"Very well," went on Maggie, who was looking over the dishes in the box of "eatables," as Lina called them. "Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and macaroni."
"Oh, not macaroni," cried Minnie; "the cheese will bite their tongues."
"Oh, yes! Mr. Morris likes macaroni," said her sister. ”

“ She is a waxen young lady of the most splendid description; her hair is arranged like the empress', whom, indeed, she greatly resembles; her feet and hands are of wax, and she has more dresses than I can possibly count. I am afraid you will scarcely believe me, but she actually has a real little ermine muff and tippet, a pair of india-rubbers, an umbrella, a camels' hair shawl, and real corsets! and was won, with all her wardrobe, at one of the raffles in the great Union Bazaar. You went there, didn't you—you cunning little kitten? and saw all the dolls? ”

“ It seemed so funny to have the dolls making love in this fashion, they couldn't help it. As soon as they were sober again, the play went on thus:
Mr. Morris. Well, Miss Isabella, I b'lieve I must go now; I've got an old sister at home, who will scold me if I don't come back. Can't you 'vite her too? She has a pretty bad time, poor thing! 'cause she is so oldy that she is kept on a shelf till she's all dusty. Her wig is dreadful fuzzy, and some of it comes out and stands up at the top. ”

“ The reason why the little old house ran on wheels was, that the little old man used to keep a monkey show in it, and drove it about for a caravan; with an old white horse, that had a blind eye, to draw it; but now the monkeys were all dead and buried, and the little old man and woman lived all alone-ty-donty. ”

“ Kitty was old enough, now, to dine with the grown folks, and behaved like a perfect little lady, too; but on this occasion she was going to take early dinner in the nursery.
She and Luly helped Mary pull out the nursery table, and set the three little plates upon it. Walter's dinner was some mashed potato, with just a tiny mite of chicken among it, minced very fine, and made into an elegant hill on his plate, and a "wishing bone" to suck. Luly had the [30] same, only with more chicken; and Kitty cut up her own wing and slice of breast, with her particular knife and fork, as nice as you please. ”

“ So the little old woman, taking a small basket off a nail, and a sharp knife in her hand, went into the garden to gather the vegetables. Down she plumped beside the bed, and began [113] to dig and cut at the potatuses to get them up. Her back was turned to the house, and the tall stalks and thick leaves of the tomato bushes quite hid it from her view when she sat on the ground, for she was a teeny-tawny little old woman. ”

“ Dody, the white kitten, so called by Walter for "Daisy," mewed as hard as she could from Luly's arms. Walter crowed and chuckled, and said, "Boo-bi!" meaning good-by; Luly lisped, "Dood-by, dear mamma, div my yove to gan'ma;" and Kitty said, "Good-by, mamma; I'll be a famous Little Mother—see if I'm not!" And so the carriage drove away.
When it was quite out of sight, the little girls skipped and climbed, and wee Walter was carried by nurse up stairs into the nursery; and Kitty said, "Now, Mary, you can just go on with your sewing; you needn't mind us a [12] bit. ”

“ Mr. Morris sat by Miss Isabella, with his forlorn old sister on the other hand, and as the opposite side of the table looked rather bare, Minnie proposed [70] that some of the children should come down to fill up.
"Oh, yes—and let them be dreadfully naughty and do all sorts of mischief," said Maggie. So Miss Angelina Seraphina Montague, and Master Algernon Pop-eyes Montague (so called because he had glass eyes, which stuck out in a lobster-ish fashion) , were sent for in a hurry and brought down by their nurse, a beautiful doll dressed as a French bonne, and Maggie. ”

“ Kitty May lived with her papa and mamma, Luly and Walter, Mary the nurse, and Betty the cook, three brown horses, two red cows, a black dog, and a white kitten, at a beautiful country seat up the Hudson River. ”

“ Monday afternoon, Minnie and Maggie came again, bringing with them a dear little wax doll of Minnie's, and a great paper of sugar-plums, to "play party" with. When Mr. Morris had been sufficiently admired in his new clothes, the children collected the [88] other dolls, and put the Montague family in their house again. Mr. Montague was left all alone in the parlor to receive the company, and the ladies were up stairs in the front bed room. Miss Isabella's wedding dress was spread out on the elegant French bed, all ready for her to wear ”

“ Mr. M. Algy Pop-eyes Montague! be still! Here, Toby, hand Miss Morris her plate.
Algy. Don't you do it, Toby!
Mrs. M. Hush up, you naughty boy!
Mr. M. Mr. Morris, here's some meat for you.
Mrs. M. Take some macaroni, Mr. Morris; it's real good.
Mr. Morris. Thank you, ma'am; I think I will.
So the company were helped; though, as the meat and vegetables were glued fast to the dishes they [72] were on, I'm afraid they must have had rather a slim dinner.
Then Maggie went on.
Miss Isabella. Mr. Morris, I think I am rather tired of that uniform of yours; it makes you look too high in the neck. ”

“ So, little reader, if you will only take fast hold of the end of the author's pen, shut up your eyes tight, and then open them very quick on this page, heigh! presto! you and she will be turned into little personages just the size of dolls, able to walk up the brown stone steps, enter the house, and take a peep at the Montague family.
On a lounge by the parlor fire sits an elegant lady, who is rather skimpy about the wig, and therefore holds the honorable post of mamma to the family ”

“ It wouldn't have done to go travelling in a white silk dress, would it, you dear little poppet?
So Maggie took Miss Isabella (for they called her either that or Mrs. Morris by turns, indifferently) , away from table, and dressed her in her gray travelling dress, which was trimmed with black velvet and small steel buttons. Then she put on her second best bonnet, with a blue veil, and her India-rubbers, in case it should be damp, and locked up the wedding dress in her [98] trunk, which was about as large as a candle box, had a real little lock and key, and her initials painted on the side. ”

“ Now, what do you think the minister told them? "Some dreadful, dismal story, full of dreadful, wicked children, who were sent to prison, I suppose; or an account of how, if they ever dared to run down stairs, or look out of the window, or sneeze in church, on Sundays, they never would get to Heaven!" perhaps you will say. ”

“ Miss Isabella. Here, what are you doing? get up, do, and stop your noise! [For Minnie couldn't help a long-sounding o—h! when her doll flopped [62] down. So Maggie made the young lady catch hold of Mr. Morris's shoulder straps and help twitch him on the sofa again, to go on with his proposal.]
Mr. Morris. Will you marry me, Miss Isabella? I'm such a nice young man—you don't know—and we'll live in a real pretty house.
Miss Isabella. No, I can't marry you till after you have come to dinner ”

“ Then, when the little children got off, Kitty mounted somewhat fearfully on Buffo's broad back, and rode all around the grass plot, laughing with delight.
After that, Miss Ella made them sit down in a great rocking chair on the porch, wide enough for all three to get in at once, and asked them what they had been doing that morning; and then Kitty told about her being Little Mother, and Luly said, so funny, "Miniter tome see Luly and Kitty, and tell funny 'tory 'bout Dilly, and Dolly, and Popply-polly; and 'en—and 'en I talled Dody Popply-polly, and s'e wan away!" ”

“ Toby, take this bad boy right up stairs; I am socked! (shocked.)
Algy. Oh, boo-hoo! boo-hoo! please let me stay!
Mrs. M. Well, then, behave yourself.
Miss Morris. Mrs. Montague, I think you had better send your children away; they are too bad for anything.
Angelina. Oh! oh! I wouldn't be your child for a dollar! ("That's just what I say to my big sister!" put in Maggie in her proper person.)
Mrs. M. Oh, they are dear little [74] things; they only do it in fun, Miss Morris.
Mr. Morris. Well, I don't see it. If they were my children, I should lock them up in a dark closet.
Miss Morris. ”

“ On the bright blue door there was a bright brass knocker, which was polished up at such a rate that you could see your face in it, looking as l-o-n-g as anything; and underneath that was a bright brass door plate, with the old showman's name, "Timmy Timmens," on it, which was also polished up until you could see your face in it, looking as b-r-o-a-d as anything. Did you ever? Well, I never did!
Inside there was a rag carpet of all the colors of the rainbow; a little old four-post bedstead, with a patchwork counterpane; two high-backed rocking chairs, with patchwork covers over the backs ”

“ The bride and bridegroom were put in their places, the big trunk was hoisted up in front, and away they went! and travelled all the way down the entry to the head of the stairs, and through sister Alice's room to the fireplace! My! what a long journey! 'most a hundred miles, I should think! that is, it would seem so to dolls. ”

“ Isabella. How nice! S'pose we go out and buy it now.
Mrs. M. We can't go to-day; it's our eceptin (reception) day, you know.
Mr. M. Well, I 'spect I must go [57] down town. Good-by, my dears. I shall certainly ask Mr. Morris to dinner. He's a very nice young man for a small dinner party.
So the children made Mr. Montague kiss his wife and daughter; which they did by bumping his china nose against their cheeks, until it nearly made a dent in the wax; and then pranced him down the front steps, and put him in his corner again.
Then Minnie's doll came in. She took up Mr. ”