The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-02-19
CBt Jlailp Jourual.
MABEL's NEW YEAR.
TooNcLUDED.1 !

The child took the basket and sat it down
upon the steps, and then drew Mabel into thu
ihouse, across the hall, and up the broad car
ipeted staircase, into the drawing room, where
she had been before Poor Mabel. she stood
IbeWildered with astonshment and admiration
I'm the center of that beautiful room. 1t SEEM
led to be dream OF the fairy land, she had
never imagined the existence of such splendid
things The velvet carpets. so rich and glow
ing, into which her bare feet sank at every
STEP the luxurious couches ana diyans, and the
N rrors reaching from floor to ceiling, the gor-
geous curtains, and the pictures, and statues,
and the beautiful trlfes scattered around upon
! the marble tables-eyerythi was new and
Wonderful to Mabel. She looked down at her
lself in all her tatters and misery, and then
| with bitter sense Of the contrast Letween
herself and her surroundings, she would ran
lWiidly from the house out into the street
lagain. What business had she there? but the
little lady held her hands and drew her up to
the CRATE, through the silver bars of which the
glowing Goals shed such warm crimson light
A large cushioned chair stool before the crate,
land in this the child seated Mabel then she
sat down upon an ottoman by her, and COM
meneed talking to her, and asking her ques-
tioEs.
Tell me what your name is, little GIRL she
said; Mabel, is it? what a pretty name Mabel
is. My name is Adelaide, but nobody would
ever know it, because grandpa always calls
me Lady-bird. | wishmy grandpa was yours
too, lie IS so good, and he would never let you
go out into the cold SO. Tell me all about
it, Mabel, where you live, and what makes
you sol poor. Maybe | can do something for
yon.''
And so Mabel did tell her all her story, and
all that she had to bear; how she was cold and
hungry always, and badly treated and scolded
and beaten at home. And the little Adelaide
cried with pity and grief for the poor little
bound girl, and Mabel cried too--it was SO
unusual thing, this sympathy and kindness,
that it affected her to tears much more readily
than harsh words or illusage would have done.
And there the two children sat, all alone for
no one had been in the room all this time; and
Mabel, in talking with Adelaide, had forgotten
all about her eriand, and her basket of ever
greens that she had left upon the door step, |
and that she had staid away long past the
time when she should have been at home again. |
But all at once she rememberedit it, and sprang
up in alright to go home. a 5d1 al ba =
''What will Mrs. Jones say because have |
stayed away so long! anu vA-,--@s,l basket-ifl
anything should have happened to it!'' she e5l-
claimed in terror
''We'll go and see," Adelaide said, and they
went down to the hall door again, and opened |
it TO get the basket, but the basket was gonel
Some one had passed by and taken possession
of it, and it was of no use to look any further for
it. Poor Mabel burst into an agony of grief |
She knew only too well what would be her
fate ifshe had to go back without the basket,
and without having done her errand. Adelaide
tried to comfort her. ~ %
"Never aind about the basket, Mabel" shet
L. r Al Al 1
people; | wouldn't go back to live with peo-
pie that treated me so and you shat go, Ma |
bel; YOU shall stay and live with me always;
Pll ask grandpa if you may'nt.'' @ !
Full of new idea, the child ran across the
passage dragging Mabel after her up tie stair
case again. Running alone the upper hall past |,
the drawing rooms. she mounted two steps at
the extreme end of the hall, and knocked light
ly at door. A kind voice said, cheerily,I
''come IN Lady bird;'' and then an old man in
crimson dressing gown, and black velvet smok-
ing cap, with long, silyery hair beneath it, came
and opened the door.
L had a fancy itwas Lady birds knock, he
said, STOPPING down to kiss the child. What
is your pleasure, Queen Adelaide? Come for
ward and proclaim it,
ssAnd may Queen Adelaide hare her pleasure
grandpa, whatever it may be@
L
who's this? he exclaim-
ed in surprise, breaking off suddenly as he saw
Mabel for the first time. Poor Mabel she had
hidden behind Adelaide, trembling with vague
fear at the strangeness of her position, and
stand forth and dare the Kind dNM 6dt m fh9 d had to
gaze of the old mans eyes. Poor Mabel she
hung her head down in her shame and shy
ness but for all that the old man could see
tbo4 4ba f,oa cba vUoc tPxripO t0 hida yvaS n |
very lovely one with its large, sad eyes, and
the delicate mouth and chin, even though the
stain of tears, was on the cheek thin and pale
from want and suffering, and roughened by +
constant exposures to the wind and weather.
Where did this poor child come from, Ade-
Iaide? he asked wonderingly.
sWhy, out of the street. grandpa, where she
was walking in the snow with her naked feet!l
Only think of it, grAnpa,' exclaimed Adel-
aide indignantIy-"th people she lived with
sent her out to sell eyergreens, and saw her
from the window and brought her in. And 5
oh! grandpal | want you to promise that she
shan't go back to then eany more-won't yeu? /
Mabel is too good to go back there, and want
her to stay with me always and get dressed in i
some warm froeks, and be happy and comfor-
table Mayn't keep her, grandpa? say
How could he refuse the eloquent little
pleader? how turn deaf ear to the entreaties
Of those childish lips, and the voiceless but
most earnest pleading Of those sweet eyes up
lifted to his, all wet with their recent weep +
ing? Old grandpa loved Adelaide too welI3
and he was too good and kind hearted HIM
self, to deny her prayer long. need not tell
YOU all the questions that he asked Mabel and :
0falI the answers that she gave him, but only
that from Adelaide's pleading, and his own
conviction of the child's innocence and truth, e
written so plainly as both were on her sweet
face, the old man consented at last to keep
n A. Lo,,-, 4aJ,1 -, - ~ I,o,.