The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-02-18
9ailg gonrnal
HABEL's S NEW YEAR.
ssLittIe Mabel. Little Mabsi.
Wandsrs forsii upon the street.
Tn frost upon her yellow hair.
The snow beneath her fest -

were broken in great many places, and stuff.
led with old rags, that did not Keep out the cold
lat all; even the snow lrifted IN, and lay in lit
] tie heaps upon the floor, close to the foot d
Mabel's straw pallet, where she lay covered
up with only piece of old carpet. You won
der how she could sleep at all in sucn place
l--you are sure you could not. Poor little
Mabel! She knew of no better things Her
parents had been poor, and had to work bard
leFen to get something to eat; and when they
died, Mabel was bou6d out to a huckster wo-
man, who gave her hard work and worse treat
lment all the day long, She had to do every
Ithihsg-Yait in The shop, run erTanels, to carry
things home. to customers, work about the
house, wash and dress the children, and wait
on them, and twenty ether things beside; so
THAT the poor child was tired enough to sleep
lsonndly when she was allowed to go to bed,
leyen on that miserable pallet.
. By and by, while she lay there asleep, a boy
leame clanoring at the door, and flung it open;
when he saw Mae asleep, he shouted down
stairs: 80 81 saf a aa
i s'Mother motheri what do you think ?--,
| Mabel amt up yet, and Tits s o'clock; and had
to dress myself all alone, and Jane amt get
tin dressed neither. say, nother!''
The little girl sprang up hastily, waEened
1by the rude noise, and hurried on her poor
ragged Clothes that she might go down to
dress the children before the mistress came up
But she was not in time to escape scolding
for her lazness, accompanied witha slap, and
an order to go get Bob and Jane ready for
breakfast that minute.'
| Mabel was used to such treatment: and had
to bear it daily and hourly. She did not cry
or say a word, but dressed the children patti
lently, bearing with all their rudeness and fret
lfulness, though they initiated their nlotner,
and scolded her, and struck her because she
had to wash them in cold water, and pinched
her because their hair was tangled and she
could not comb it out without hurting them,
and gave her trouble IN d great many ways
God has given the little girl gentle, pa
tient, forgiying spirit, and SO she had strength
to rctsiFe meekly all that she had to en-
dure.
After she had given the children their break
fast, and swallowed heris, she went into the
backroom of the little shop and set down.
among a heap Of evergreens cedar and holly,
land box, that she had been tying up into
wreaths for sale. A lady had been there a
Iday before, and ordered quantity of wreath,
TO decorate her parlors for New Years Days
and Mabel had been obliged to sit up very late
the night before to finish them. Now she was
laying them into a basket in which they were
to be sent home. She knew she would have to
IcarTy them as there was no one else to do it; and
ho matter if it was storming--if the snow did
lie deep upon the ground, and Mabel had mol
shoes-f the sharp, gleety rain was pouring
down, and Mabel had no cloak or warm COW
lering. The huckster woman never seeme1 to
think that Mabel could feel pain or cold Or
WEAKNESS, and when she came back into the
back room, and found the girl and the basket
iiy for waiting, and babe her begone at once to
carry them home. So Mabel, all bare foot as
Ishe was, ard with only a ragged hood and an
Iold scanty cape to protect her from the driy-
ling sleet, started out on her errand. Poor child,
# seemed hard thing to haFe. to contributed
to other peoples enjoyment, and she so miser-
able herself She thought how beautiful the
lady's parlors would be, adorned with the
@reaths to make which her poor fingers had
been torn and wounded; how richly the GRIM
son holly berries would shine out from the
dark leaves in the brilliant light and how hap
|py children would romp about the room, ney-
Ier thinking Of the poor child who had come
barefoot through the snow to bring those
wreaths. Ii was no wonder that bitter tears
started to her eyes, and wild, rebellious muir
murings against Gods providence rose in herr
heart.
1t was a lon e way Mabel had to go, away
from the little, narrow, crowded streets with
which she was familiar, up into a fashionable
quarter of the city. She did not know her way
very well, and had to look up often to notice
the numbers of the houses; and once looking
up, her eyes met those of child no older than
herself, standing by window, inside the cur
tains. What contrast between the twol
Icbildren! Mabel starved and frozen, and mis-
Ierable, barefoot in the snow; and the child at
the window, beautiful as a dream, warm and
rosy, and richly dressed, standing amidst folds
of lace and velvet drapsry of almost royal
Isplendor. Yet the beautiful child looked down.
kindly upon poor Mabel, and smiled, and
Ii abel smiled back again, for the child's look
had been like sunbeam shining down into
her eyes. Then the child beckoned with al
little white hand, as if for Mabel to come lij
Ito her, but Mabel did not dare to mount the
marble steps of that splendid mansion. The
child raised the window little and called out
ITo Mabel, stay till come,'' and SO ran away
Presently she was at the hall door calling
Mabel to come to her, SO kindly, that Mabel
quite encouraged, came up the steps to thel
little lady.
"How cold You must be- exclaimed the
child, compassionately, taking Mabel's frozen
fingers in her soft, rosy hands-'w no cloak
on, and no shoes eitherl Why, how could
your mother LET you go out SOB
Mabel put her hands over her eyes and
burst into tears. I hay'nt got any mother
she s5bbed; but it was not that Thought sol
much as the unaecustomed words Of kindness,
that made her cry
Pm 50 sorry said the child pittyingly, butt
don't cry, I hay' Mt got any mother either; pvel
lonly got grandpa, but he loves me dearly
and gives me everything I want. So ifI want
some nice warm clothes for you, he'll give