A beggar knocks on the door and feeling sorry for him, she invites him in for a bowl of hot soup. She quickly realizes he's not who he seemed and throws the hot soup in his face. He flees. Then, another man knocks on the door, and when she refuses to open it he breaks it down. She grabs her father's rifle and shoots him. Shortly after that, yet another man appears, who she shoots and kills.
I couldn't believe I was reading this in a children's magazine. The collage is meant as a graphic commentary on the kinds of stories told to children - then and now. The story ends with the two surviving men in jail and the "kind-hearted" girl feeling sorry about the man she killed. It certainly demonstrates valor, but I'm on the fence about how the lesson "to be brave" is taught.
Look for it - along with the original text - in the upcoming exhibit "The Hunting Season" at the Thompson House's Shooting Gallery in Newport. It opens 7-11 p.m. Sat. Sept. 8.
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