The Hallett Herald. (Hallett, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 48, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 4, 1911 Page: 4 of 8
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Soapbox Babie?
by MARIE THOMPSON MifESS
Ilki4n)>Tioi\J hy G. K>tti
COPYRIGHT 190§, THE EOBB3"MERRILL COI
rvar
COMFWNy
8YN0P3I8.
Miss Salina Lue. spinster grocery-store
■••Mr of River Bluff and guardian angel
or th* community, presides over an Im-
promptu day nursery (or the babies of
t&* neighborhood In th« rear of the
Kic*. Her chare** ar* kept In snap
x** and ar* known aa the "Soap-Box
Babies." Th* fact that sh* Is single
■lake* h*r aomewhat of an object of
sympathy to the mothers, although pos-
**a*ed of stronger maternal Instinct than
many of them.
CHAPTER I.—Continued.
At her door ghe was welcomed with
enthusiasm. Mist Cynthia Page atood
on the top atep, In her arma a baby
who waa uttering a proteat against
the world In general, and Miss Cyn-
thia In particular, in auch a stac-
cato volume of voice that hla
•1m could but be a surprise to
the beholder. On the floor his exact
counterpart, except In the matter of
hair—that of counterpart being of the
tone known In aome walks of life as
red gold but called on the Bluff "car-
roty"—sat with aolemn eyes chewing
a string and clutching determinedly
at the hem of Mlaa Cynthia's white
linen skirt with grimy hands. Just
behind htm a pink-clad little bunch
had aucceeded in squirming between
the pickle barrel and a large bushel
baaket of anap-beans, and only the
hind quartera and ten pink toes of the
explorer evidenced her whereabouta.
From a certain ecstatic wave of one
log it might be auapected that a find
bad been made and was being aecret-
ly and rapidly conaumed. In the mid-
dlo of the floor another Infant lay
prone, with legs and arma waving
frantically, resembling nothing more
than an overturned beetle helpless in
lta appeal to be righted before the
world. And from behind the counter
on the left there laaued a voice, a
▼olee that rose and walled an accom-
paniment to the Flarlty In Cynthia's
arms that could not but Impress the
hearer. It was no fretful cry for at-
tention and amuBement, but waa the
howl of a soul in torment, hungry, hot,
frightened, with a pain all over and
la spots.
"Dearie me!" exclaimed Miss Sellna
Lue. "You all seem to be upsot!"
And as ahe spoke she took the waller
from Miss Cynthia and reaching for
Carrots on the floor, tucked him un-
der the same arm with his brother,
while she drew out by one foot the
explorer and revealed the treasure,
found to be a snap-bean, now partly
consumed. The beetle shared the hol-
low of her arm with the explorer, but
the voice from bethnd the counter
wailed on unpadded.
"Miss Cynthia, honey, please pick
op Clemmie from behind there and
bring her on back here to the boxes."
Miss 8ellna Lue spoke of the boxes as
of stalls In a training stable. "What-
ever did you let them out for? I am
afraid you was pestered to death with
'em."
"Ob, Miss Sellna Lue, they a!: ue-
gan to cry at once and I didn't know
what to do." apologized Miss Cynthia
as she struggled to the back of the
store with the voice In her arms still
making Itself heard, though the sight
of Miss Sellna Lue had brought It
down a note or two.
"Oh, that's all right; crylng's good
for 'em, the darllnga," said Miss Sellna
Lue as she deposited the wriggling
load on the floor.
There was a large aouth window at
the back of the grocery, and a morn-
Ins-glory vine peeped In on one side
and clutched with little tendril fingers
at a group of sides of bacon that hung
on the wall. A large yellow cat
stretched on the alll In the aun. which
poured in over him to the floor.
Ranged back from the heat, but In the
cool breeze, were five empty soap box-
es. capacious und clean, with calico
cuahlona stuffed down each back. Miss
Sellna Lue ehook out each cushion
and deposed theron a baby, picked
from the group on the floor. Carrots
came last and was enthroned with
care on a "cblny blue" cushion.
"Ain't he too sweet on that blue
klver?" aald Miss Sellna Lue as she
smoothed the flaming klnka. a ten-
der hand ran over Ibch bobbing head
and peaee reigned In the River Bluff
grocery, whoae back regions were giv-
es over to a hospitable day nursery
conducted on entirely original and al-
so uttsrly unremuneratlve lines by Its
owner. With Miss Sellna Lue to love
was to minister, and she never
dreamed that ahe waa testing a widely-
discussed and little practiced philan-
thropic measure.
"Miss Sellna Lue, you are a wonder!
Bow do you ever manage with
tbam all the tlmsT" ventured
Cynthia aa she stood by, disheveled
and panting. Her oheeks wers shell-
flak and warm, little gold our Is cluaa
to her damp forehead. Her violet
eyes were wide with admiration at
Miss Sellna Lue's generalship, but
were given a desperate cast by a huge
smudge on the side of her nose which
had by accident tried conclualons with
that of the vocjjly strong Clementine.
Her hat had been pulled to a rakish
angle and the starch was out of her
linen blouse. She had the appearance
of one who has fought a losing fight
"Now, Miss Cynthle, honey, they
was Jest hungry. They's as good as
gold most times; but bablea la like hu-
man beings—they can't always bs
counted on to do the best they knows.
It's time they was fed, and I better
be about It Want to atay and see 'em
feed?"
Miss Cynthia had a number of times
In her life heard invitations issusd
from various tented aawdust rings of
which she was instantly reminded by
Miss Sellna Lue, and It was with some-
thing o' the same feeling of trepi-
dation that she accepted.
"Now," aald Mlaa Sellna Lue as she
rolled rp her sleeves and cleared the
deck for action by drawing the boxes
Into a close semicircle around a three-
legged milking stool, "you can see how
good I've got 'em trained, the darlings.
I cook up this bowl or oatmeal outen
ttat as spills outen the packages what
bust, and I pour on a good dose of
Charity's new milk, which Is that of
real human klndneas, If she Is just
a apottea cow."
As she talked she seated heraelf on
the stool and dipped out a spoonful of
ths sticky porridge dripping with milk.
lug to give coherence to s thought
Miss Sellna Lus had heard voiced be-
fore.—'If you wers being mother bird
to your own you couldn't "
"Miss Cynthle, honey," said Miss Sa-
lina Lue as she scraped the last drop
of milk Into the spoon and skillfully
administered It to the nodding head
of Flarlty, the brother of Carrots, "1
think the good Lord Intended that a
mother should come Into this world
with every child, but sometimes she
don't git borned when It does; and
sometimes—sometimes the mother Is
borned and the child ain't thete. The
mother Job la one that ain't cut out
to ault everybody and them It fits have
got a duty laid on 'em atrong, even If
It la Jest being a kinder soul-mother.
Don't let Clemmie fall and cut her
head on the edge of her box! She Is
nodding so and I have to ease down
both the Flarltles, who Is plumb gone.
Thanky, child, they are all safe now
and I can git to work. Seems liks my
heart Is at rest when I've got 'em
asleep In the soap boxes. I sometimes
wonder If the Lord don't feel the sams
way about us grown-ups when he
sends the night down to klver us up
In our beds. But then when he's got
us all aafe aaleep the folka over In
Chlny wakes and begins they devil
tries, so I reckon the Bible Is tras
when It says he nsither slumbsrs nor
sleeps."
CHAPTER II.
Ths New Soap-Boxer.
"Vanity In a man Is Uk« a turkey-
gobbler a-struttlng in November."
-Ills* Salina Lue.
"Miss Cynthle, honey, It's a good
thing you come down to see me this
morning first thing. When you are In
town on one of them week-end-and-be-
glns with Miss Evelyn, sweet as she is,
I don't rest calm as I might Seems
like, so to speak, I am afraid you will
turn over your soap box or bump your
head or swallow a fly or something, If
you are outen my sight"
"You mean you are sure I will have
the strength of mind to refrain from
taking in the ramel, but are uneaay
about my seeing the gnat In time, Miss
At Her Door She Wse Welcomed With Enthusiasm.
Instantly five small, rink, toothleaa or
partly toothless months popped open
and five bobbing heads became rigid
and five roly poly necks craned. The
moment of auspense wan keen. Pres-
to! the apoon deaoended Into the
mouth of Bloasom, the explorer. Her
ecstatic gurgls had four anticipatory
echoes. Again the pink caverns
yawned and again the poised spoon
descended, this time Into the rosy lips
of Clementine, who swallowed her
portion with the remnant of her laat
aob. The echoea gurgled again and
preaented open moutha at attention
instantly.
"Seems like," said Mlas Sellna Lue,
"they all swallows ons another's din-
ner and gits Jest that much more pleas-
ure outen It all. If grown-ups would
Jest chaw one another'a good luck,
they could git a heap of eaUsfacUon
from It, I say. Now ain't they good,
and Jeat as patlsnt a-waltlng their
own turn?"
"Indeed they are Just a cunning nest
of baby birds. Miss Sslina Lue. and
you ars ths mother bird with ths
worms, the nicest sort of worms. You
—you,' —Miss Cynthia hesitated, try-
Sellna Lue?" stld Miss Cynthia, as
she stood smiling before the grocery
door where Miss Sellna Lue sat, bus-
ily engaged In sorting over a basket of
June apples.
"Child, I can't always help but hsvs
mors respect for a great big. ainful
camel than a mean, little, busybody
gnst that pops In your mouth and does
you a Injury before you know he's
there. And of the two I choose the
camel to swallow, if swallow I must
But, dearie one. I've got too much to
think about to watch out for either
one, and I reckon them as keeps good
and busy Is protected from wrongdo-
ings, big or little Set down, honsy-
bunch, and tell me what you've bees
a-dolng."
"How are the babies, and Is Ethel
Maud's thumb wtU again r aald Miss
Cynthia as ahe eeated herself In ths
door for a chat
"Ths babies are blooming fine, ex-
cept Clemmie st something that was
strangs to hsr and was sick day before
yesterday. I hope It wasn't s ooek-
roach, but I hsvs my suspicions from
seeing two lege of one on the floor
fey her. Ethel Maud's thumb Is vsIL
but ws like ter had a time with her
and a pea In her nose what got stuck
up and wouldn't come down no matter
how ahe anorted. But I put a clothes-
pin up above It to keep It from going
further up and coaxed it down with
a hairpin and a buttonhook. It swelled
some but she's all right today."
Miss Cynthia laughed merrily at ths
Idea of Ethel Maud's nose, which was
a tiny, turned-up dot, aupportlng a
clothespin and a pea at the same time,
and Mies Sellna Lue's chuckle showed
that she appreciated the humor of the
picture. When Mlas Cynthia laughed
it provoked a smile from everybody In
seeing or hearing distance, and Miss
Sellna Lue's mirth was ever respon-
sive to the slightest call.
"Mlas Cynthle, honey," she said afV
er a few minutes, "I've got a new soap
box baby and I waa mighty anxious for
awhile as to how it would be. but
now "
"Oh, Miss Sellna Lue, with all yon
have to do!—another? Where Is It?
In a box with the others? I am go-
ing back to see It" and Miss Cynthia
sprang up with alacrity.
"Oh, nol Hs stays In the barn with
Charity and he won't be home till
noon, so set down and let me tell you
about It for I mistrust myself In do-
ing it though the pictures are beau-
tiful. Of course I oughter be willing
to do something fsr art's sake, which
it looka like Is Jsst his love of this
beautiful world put right down fer
others to see. . And then, it's true thsy
ain't anothsr barn about here that's
as good as mlns to paint in. Anyway,
ain't he a stranger within my gates f*
"Miss Sellna Lue, what are you talk-
ing about? At first it sounded like a
baby, then a calf "
"You'd think it waa both by the way
It drinks milk, and the helplessness of
It but It's a man."
"A man?"
"Yes, a man! And I ain't sure I had
oughtsr done It fsr a strangs man
might be a mistake fer a single wom-
an liks me to have about the house.
But he was that persuading and nice,
and I couldn't see no good reason not
to take him; so what t"uld I do?*
"Miss Sellna Lue," said Miss Cyn-
thia, the dawn of an alarmed wonder
ahowlng In her big eyes, "yon don't
mean—you can't mean that yott have
got married while I "
"Child," said Miss Salina Lue.
"don't never ask me that question
again! When thsy burled all of Adon-
lram Mlllsaps thsy could find to bring
horns from ths explosion, th* marry
lng part of me went into the grave
with the fragmlnts and I ain't seen fit
to rrer dig It up again. Though there
Is many a good woman as have dons
that vsry thing after having been mar
rled to they husband fer years before
they lost him. But I ain't one to crlt>
lclse 'em for It 'cause soms seem to
think It compliments ons good hu
band to git another,—and maybe It
da"
(TO BS CONTINUED J
RHEUMATISM
Lacked Length of Lags.
A large pompous person, wear
lng a high-hat s long coat yellow
spaU and a oongenltal sneer, for sev-
eral days made himself Obnoxious
around a Washington hotel t bit ago.
He announced he waa ftom New
York, nagged the bellboys, Jawed the
clerks. cuaaed the service, roared at
the food, complained about his room
and the elevator and the telephones
and the bar, and everything elae.
One afternoon he walked over to
the porter and aaid: "Her* you, I'm
going to quit this town and go back
to Nsw York, where I can get some
decent service. I want you to buy
me two seats In a parlor car on ths
4 o'clock New York train. Get ms
two seats now, and meet me at ths
station with ths tickets. I want one
chair to sit 1s and one to put my
feet In."
The seats were dsllvered st ths
train Just before It pulled out One
of the seats was In oar No. I and ths
other wss located In car No. 4.—Cleve-
land Lender.
May Tsaoh Monkeys to Tslk.
The monkey Is not only more Is*
telllgent than the parrot, but Is eves
more Imitative. It Is (excepting man)
the only creature on earth that Is
capable of articulate speech. Prof.
Bell believes that apea can be taught
at all events, to say a fsw words—
at first by manipulation of their
moutha and throats, as Is done with
the deaf born. We may live, he thinks,
to hsar chimpanzees talk, and with
some degree of understanding of thslr
own remarka.
Omen Qulekly Tras.
Hostess—Mr. Squibs Is going to re-
cite a comic song.
Ouest—I knew something would
happen. I upset the salt at ths dlnnsr
table —Stray Stories.
What Qosts Eat
A goat eats only one-eighth as much
as a cow, but gives more than that
proportion t' milk.
I want every chronic rheumatic to throw
away all medicines, all liniments, ail
plasters, nnd rlvc MUNYON'8 RHEUMA-
TISM REMEDY a trial. No matter what
yonr doctor may aay, no matter what
your friends may say, no matter how
prejudiced ron may be against all adver-
tised remedies, ri rt once to yonr drug-
gist and get a bottle of the RHEUMA-
TISM REMEDY. It It falls to give satis-
factlon.I will refund your money.—Munyoa
Remember this remedy contains no aal-
levllc acid, no opium cocaine, morphine or
other harmful dnies. It Is pnt up under
the guarantee of the Pure Food and Drag
Act.
For sale by all druggists. Price. 2Bc.
for COUGHS
FIGHTING THE WHITE PLAGUE
Educational Posters by the Thousand
to Be Displayed All Over
United 8tatea.
During the next three months, the
bill boards of the United States will
display 20,000 educational posters on
tuberculosis, according to an an-
nouncement made by the National As-
sociation for the Study and Preven-
tion of Tuberculosis.
This will conclude the campaign be-
gun a year ago, when the National
Bill Posters' association donated free
apace to the tuberculosis cause, the
Poster Printers' association offered
free printing and nine paper manu-
facturers gave the paper for the post-
ers. The combined value of these sev-
eral donations for this three-month
campaign is nearly $100,600.
The posters are In six different de-
Signs and are all printed in three col-
ors. They are seven feet wide and
nine feet high. Already nearly 2,500
of these posters have been hung on
the bill boards of 46 different cities,
and It Is planned to distribute 20,000
more before April 1 in over 400 towns
snd cities. Any anti-tuberculosis so-
ciety in the United States may re-
ceive free of charge, except for trans-
portation, as many of these posters as
can be hung on the boards In lta ter-
ritory. The National association with
the tuberculosis committee of the Na-
tional Billposters and Distributors are
conducting the campaign.
The posters show In graphic form
how fresh air, good food, and rest
cure tuberculosis; how bad air. over-
work and closed windows lead to con-
sumption; and how the careless con-
sumptive menaces the health of hU
family by spitting on the floor.
Young at the Business.
General Howard was an Invited
guest at a dinner given by a boys'
patriotic club. "You eat very well,
my boy." said the general to a doughty
young trencherman. "If you love your
flag as well as your dinner you'll
make a good patriot."
"Yet, sir," said the boy; "but I've
been practicing eating twelve years,
and I ain't owned a gun but six
months."—Success Magazine.
Don't part with your Illusions.
When they are gone you may still ex-
ist, but you have ceased to live.—
Mark Twain.
It doeant take half the effort ts
smlls over s troubls thst It does te
tsll all shout It to svsrybody you meet
Stage thnndsr brings so showers at
Without
a Cook?
Never mind—you csn have
a good breakfast if there's a
package of
Post
Toasties
in the house.
This delicious food, ready
to serve without cooking, is
always welcome and makes
Breakfast
a Delight
"The Memory Lingers"
POOTl'M CKRKAL OO , LTD.,
SatU* Creak, Mich.
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Johnson, L. T. The Hallett Herald. (Hallett, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 48, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 4, 1911, newspaper, February 4, 1911; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc180329/m1/4/: accessed March 28, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.