The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-12-30

OUT Bill Decker went on
wayss"
" Nobody but my little girl"
Names Mary, amt it,"
No, Pauline"
"GOOd Jupiter"
What are you asking for, Bill Deck
er?"
40 nothin', nothin', only suthin' OF
other turned up queer down in Frisco"
"Tell me what it was, quick r. said Sam
rising to his feet with pale face and
"Well, my mate and | we met into
saloon like to get drink, nd ther' wa,
a paper lyin' round loose on the bar, md
| chanced to sec Sylvester ont. / kinder
thought it might be some o your folks
he'd Kicked the bucket, and so I'd tell ye
about lt; and | read it, an it sed Pauline
Sylvester was dead, up to Hillvale"
Sam sat down on box and put up his
hands as if to wipe away some mist before
his eyes Baby was dead then the little
creature he had hoped would grow into as
sweet a woman as her dead mother, while
she waited for him to come back and claim
"Well!" said he, slowly, "that's the
last ont; but may as well go to work,
and he did, Nothing more was heard OF
him in Hillvale, and he never knew that
the paper Bill Decker had seen was an
old one,-so old that it was his wifes
death in the register, not his child's.
In the mean time good Mrs. Moore not
receiving any money, or hearing any
news from Sam Sylvester, still took care
of the lovely little child as if it had been
her own 1t had found its place in her
great tender heart, and though she was
poor she would never give Pollyup. The
child was six years old when Mrs. Moore
died suddenly, and being childless
widow, with no property to leave behind
her, Polly Sylvester was sent TO the select
men of the town and by them bound out
to Miss. Tarbox Two long years ago, and
six months beside, had Polly taken her
place in this new family,-fOr it was not
a new home When she came there she
was plump and rosy child, with rows
of shining chestnut curls, eyes rs brown,
clear, and large as a flying squirrels, and
neatly dressed To-day She was what we
have seen her; the long drudgery, un-
kindness, improper food, and no care had
made little Polly a fOrlOrn sight. We left
her dri ing the cows with Viohly.
"Sav, Polly, what makes you shiver
SOY" iQ Tired the other little girl.
90, n dreadful cold; seems as if /
should .eze, W.
q ain t the coffee was real warm"
"BuI didn't have any coffee, because
| didn't get up quick"
"Weil, why didn't you get up? you
most alters do"
40 Vi9hly. had such splendid dream
Don't you know we had that picture paper
Miss Slater let us take one time, and it
had about Christmas in it, and how chill
dren somewhcres hanged up their stock
ings, and you said it was real splendid,
nd YOU wish your folks had Christmas
nd | said / guessed if my father and
mother wa mt dead | should have one, be.
cause Mother Moore always told me what
clever folks they was? And then don't
you reklect that queer picture OF = let S
see, what's his name oh Santi Claus
film the stockin's? Whey, Rainbow ~
shouting to COW that left the line of
march tempted by turnipfield with the
bars down. well, / dreamed that Santi
Claus came down chimney right there in
the garret somehow, and hung the dred-
fullest big red stOckin' you ever did see
clOst to the foot of my bed; nd when |
looked at him he kinder laughed and said,
Get up, Polly, and look in your stockin' /;
it s Christmas day So looked in and
the stockin' grew bigger N bigger, and
there was a most splendid kind of n wagon
or somethin' drawed by two white horses,
and in ito Viohly, what do you think
my own really truly father and mother
holdin' out their arms to me,-O dear ~
The tears streamed down those little
l. III IL, Ill n
ona stone sobbing bitterly; for she had
driven the COWS into the lot and put up
the bars while she told her story.
Viola was not bad child, and she aoas a
child certain dull sympathy filled her
heart, for the poor little thing who sat
there trying not To sob, and mopping her
face with the corner Of her ragged calico
apron
" Say don't we cry no more, Polly I'll
give ye real soft apple To stop don't no
more, now.
a can't help it; Viohly, I'm so tired ;
nights, and the bows do poster me the
whole time / wish, O do wish, | had a
real live father and mother, Seems as if
| couldn't stand it no longer Miss Slater,
sometimes she talks to me about hevin' a
Father up in the sky; but | expect He's
forgot about me. He has such sights OF
things To see To -
Poor tiny soul He had not forgotten
you,
Day after day went by, and Polly grew
yet more pale and pinched. Autumn had
brought its still harder work than summer
and when winter came, with drifts of pitt.
less snow over mountains and valleys, and
the fierce winds blew more and more keen
ly upon Polly S halt clothed body and poor
pretence of bed the child seemed tO
shrink away daily; there was no place for
her by the fire at night, no warm and
nourishing food by day, and when she was
worn out with hard work she crouchcd
and shivered under her scanty bedclothes
at night, falling asleep from fatigue, with
out being warm.
One mOrning-it was the day before
Christmas, but Polly did not know it, fol
no record of any holiday but Thanksgiv
ing was ever kept in the Tarbox family
shc was found in her garret 50 drowsy and
stiff with cold that Mrs. TarbOx took
alarm lest some day her bound girl might
be unbound, and leave her for the hous,
of that Father whom the poor child
thought had forgotten her
So they told her she might bring heI
bed down at night and spread it in "A cor
ner Of the kitchen, if II was done only
after the family had gone TO bed and re
moved before they got up. That nigh,
the moon shonc full and clear over the
sheeted snow, silvered the crest of the
great mountains that bore up it, drifted
piles. and strcamed intOthe darkest depths
ef the valleys. BY its. light, Polly crep'
up garrett and loaded her trembling
shoulders with the husk mattress and cot
ton comfortable. Everybody in the nous,
was warm in bed, and just as she flung
her burden down on the kitchen flOOl
there came loud rap at the door. Polly
was frightened, and Mrs. Tarbox calleC
from her bedroom
"Open that are door, Poll, pretty quick
don't stand gawpin' round as ef you wa
citv f,lksI"