"Do you like that little dog?" he said, as Tintoretto renewed his
overtures of companionship. "Do you like old brother Jim and the pup?"
Solemnly the little pilgrim nodded.
"Want some breakfast, all pretty, in our own little house?"
Once more the quaint and grave little nod was forthcoming.
"All right. We'll have it bustin' hot in the shake of a crockery
animal's tail," announced the miner.
He carried the mite of a man inside and placed him again in the bunk,
where the little fellow found his rabbit and drew it into his arms.
The banquet proved to be a repetition of the supper of the night
before, except that two great flapjacks were added to the menu, greased
with fat from the bacon and sprinkled a half-inch thick with soft brown
sugar.
When the cook fetched his hungry little guest to the board the rabbit
came as well.
"You ought to have a dolly," decided Jim, with a knowing nod. "If only
I had the ingenuity I could make one, sure," and throughout the meal he
was planning the manufacture of something that should beat the whole
wide world for cleverness.
The result of his cogitation was that he took no time for washing the
dishes after breakfast, but went to work at once to make a doll. The
initial step was to take the hide from the rabbit. Sadly but
unresistingly the little pilgrim resigned his pet, and never expected
again to possess the comfort of its fur against his face.
With the skin presently rolled up in a nice light form, however, the
miner was back in the cabin, looking for something of which to fashion
a body and head for the lady-to-be. There seemed to be nothing handy,
till he thought of a peeled potato for the lady's head and a big metal
powder-flask to supply the body.
Unfortunately, as potatoes were costly, the only tuber they had in the
house was a weazened old thing that parted with its wrinkled skin
reluctantly and was not very white when partially peeled. However, Jim
pared off enough of its surface on which to make a countenance, and
left the darker hide above to form the dolly's hair. He bored two
eyes, a nose, and a mouth in the toughened substance, and blackened
them vividly with soot from the chimney. After this he bored a larger
hole, beneath the chin, and pushed the head thus created upon the metal
spout of the flask, where it certainly stuck with firmness.
With a bit of cord the skin of the rabbit was now secured about the
neck and body of the lady's form, and her beauty was complete. That
certain particles of powder rattled lightly about in her graceful
interior only served to render her manners more animated and her person
more like good, lively company, for Jim so decided himself.
"There you are. That's the prettiest dolly you ever saw anywhere,"
said he, as he handed it over to the willing little chap. "And she all
belongs to you."
The mite of a boy took her hungrily to his arms, and Jim was peculiarly
affected.
"Do you want to give her a name?" he said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account