The Daring Doll.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue XV, 11 April 1903, Page 1040

The Daring Doll.

By

A. E. BONSER.

“Good morning, Miss.” Was Lili dreaming, or did she hear these words? “Good morning Miss.” This time the sound was somewhat louder, hut though Lili rubbed her eyes and looked about tier, she could not discover the owner of the voice. “Good morning, Miss. How d'ye do?’ The sound must be near, after all. And, sure enough, there on the grass beside her Lili saw a doll. “Oh, I beg your pardon,” said Lili. “I really didn’t see you, you know. I’m very well, thank you. How are you?” “Pretty well. Miss, thanks, considering things are sb awfully slow.” Lili did not understand;’ the strange doll puzzled her. She was evidently a foreigner. Lili did not know much about foreigners, but she could tell that. She had a queer way of pronouncing her words, her complexion was dark, her hair and eyes were black, she wore no clothes—oh, no, she certainly was not English. She lolled on the grass in an easy attitude, and winked at Lili with one of her beady eyes. “Are you up to a lark?” she said. “Let’s have some fun. Come along, I’ve lots of money!” And she winked her other eye. Then up she skipped, turned head over heels, to Lili’s astonishment, and beckoned her to follow her. “1 left my luggage in the hedge,” said the doll. “See hero!” Sure enough, out of the hedge she fetched a box. opened the lid, and showed the inside crammed with bank notes. The notes were all bad, and really worthless, but how was poor Lili to know that? She oidy thought that her new friend must be enormously rich, ami wondered more and more who she might l»e. Possibly a Spanish countess in disguise, or even a princess. . “Look here,” said the doll; “lipjt we’ll

take a ride, after that we’ll go for a lovely sail, and then finish up with fireworks in the evening. Come on!” Did not this sound delightful! “Oh. thank you!” said Lili. “If my mamma will let me, I should like to go very much indeed.” The doll giggled. “I’m glad I’ve no mamma to cfijjsult,” she said. “Ha, ha! I do just what I choose. If you’ve.got to ask Mamma over-every little thing, I’m sorry for you. Doesn’t your ma like you to enjoy yourself? ’Twill do you heaps of good. Come along, we won’t go far.” Lili could not bear to seem impolite. It was very kind of the doll to ask her, she thought; her mother, as she said, was always glad for her to have enjoyment. and yet “Now then, hurry up!” said the doll. “It’s silly not to know your own mind. If you’re not coming, say so, and I’ll go by myself; I hate folks who are tied to their mother’s apron strings!”

Lili was greatly distressed. ‘soh, wait just one minute and I’ll come,” she said. “Right you are!” exclaimed the doll, and turned another somersault. They started off at a brisk pace, and soon reached Farmer Brown s farm. “Now,” said the doll, “just choose your steed; what you like, horse, cow or sheep. I say, though, did you ever ride a pig or a porker?” Lili never had. “Oh!” said the doll, “it’s screaming fun. I’ll drive, you hold on by his curly tail; it’s a easy „s A B C.” This sounded so fine that Lili laughed and clapped her hands. Suddenly she was grave. “But,” she said, “the pig isn’t ours; it’s Mr Brown’s." Again the doll gave a knowing wink. “That’r all right; I’ll pay him with one of the bank notes. Only see, here’s a beauty!” And she chose out the biggest pig she could see, and one with plenty of curly tail.

Lili seated herself on the pig’s back, and held tight to its tail, as she was told, while the doll, having tied a string to its snout for reins, jumped on in front. “Gee up!” she cried, smack went the whip, and off they scampered tantivvy.

It was a new experience for Lili; it was equally so for the pig. Its astonishment was expressed in grunts of disapproval. It backed and it plunged; it scuttled from one side of the road to the other; as a respectable pig it did its level best to protest against the indignity. But the doll only jerked the reins the more, and used the whip without mercy. At length the poor pig, rendered desperate by terror, made a sudden bolt, and ran for its life. You may think what a to-do there was in the farmyard! The rest of the pig family, that up to now had been horrified spectators, fled squealing; the dignified turkey even was not ashamed to run. Ducks, geese, cocks and hens, clucked, hissed, cock-a-doodled, and scuttled right an! left as fast as wings and legs could carry them. Hearing the hullabaloo, out came one of the farm hands, and, seeing the runaways, waved his pitchfork, and shouted, “Stop, thief!” The doll fairly shrieked with laughter.

and cracked her whip, and cried, “Gee up, brother pig!” while the welkin rang with its terrified squeais. Poor Lili had much ado to keep her seat. She was as frightened as the pig. and felt that they were indeed in bid company. On they went, faster and faster—Lili was very nearly thrown off several times as the pig rushed violently from side to side, but the doll did not seem to care in the least. The shouts increased, and glancing over her shoulder Lili saw Farmer Brown, his wife, and a lot of folks all running after them, and ordering them to stop; or, at least, she thought so, but could not be sure because there was such a racket, what with the squealing of the pig, the shouting of the farm hands, the terrified clucking of the fowls, and the hurrahing of the doll herself. The disturbance just suited th? doll, the greater the hullabaloo, the more h r spirits rose. To her undisciplined min 1

mischief was the very height of enjoyment, she did not care a rap for the feelings of other folks, and drove on recklessly. And now they neared the sea, and it looked to the scared girl as if the madcap driver would dash right into it. At the brink, however, she pull ed up suddenly, throwing the pig on its haunches and Lili on the ground. A bucket happened to be lying handy, the doll seized it, set it afloat, and ordered the trembling Lili to enter. They got in, and the doll pushed off from the shore in a twinkling, and when their pursuers reached the water’s edge they were already some distance away. The doll stood proudly in the stern-sheets and waved defiance with her whip. Farmer Brown, having recovered his panting pig, contented himself with shaking his fist at the fugitives; his feelings were too deep for words. Oh, how thankful was Lili to have escaped, but. that fear over, another took its place. She had never been to sea in her life, and so wondered vaguely what would happen next. Should she ever see her dear mother again? The doll sailed on, but, needing a fresh excitement, began to rock the bucket so violently from side to side that the water splashed in, and Lili screamed.

“Ha, ha! Ho, ho!” laughed the doll. “What are you frightened at now? A nice sailor you’d make! Hadn’t we bet ter ask mamma if we may land?” “I want to go home!” sobbed poor Lili. “Oh. well!” said the doll. “If you’re tired of sailing already, we’d better stop.” With that she gave the bucket such a rock that it filled and sank to the hot tom. Fortunately far Lili the water was shallow, for they had neared the land again, and so she managed to wade ashore, dripping with wet. but safe anil sound. Venturing to look back she saw that doll, bobbing up and down in the water, holding her sides, and shaking with peals of laughter. Lili ran home as fast as ever she could, not daring to look back again for fear the doll would chase her. and the last she heard of her false friend was: “He, lie, he! Won’t you stay. Miss, for the grand display of fireworks. Ask mamma, with my dear love. Ta, ta!” Oh. that dreadful doll!