Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-12-25

The employees retired on this. not
daring, it seemed, to intrude further
o. the head Of tho house.
Father in Heaven, thank Thee =
n,':. INJURED the merchant, and, turnin9
away, he picked up the evening paper
to hide his emotion As his eyes fell
upon it, IL paragraph attracted his at
tention. It announced the failure of
the bank in which his old book keeper's
savings had been deposited. With a
sigh he handed it to Joe Darling, and
said:
II deeply regret this, my old friend
My ruin was enough !"
| Old Joe read the announcement with
a sinking heart, and echoed the sigh of
his old friend.
"The Lords will be done, sir!" he
said; "you ought to have all-but 1
am now penniless. Your trouble is
greater than mine. Any letters, sir,
by to-nisht's mail Any resources OF
important intelligence -
Ono resources, Joe. and bad news
almost worse than all.'
" Worse, sir"
eyes, yes, You remember my son
Charley; of course you remember him.
You know he went about two years
since to live with Van Zandt & Co. at
Antwerp"
eyes, sir. What of him? Don't
tell me-he is not dead, sir?"
"No-that pang is spared me, but I
have bad, very bad news of Charley,
my old friend. I wrote recently, an
nouncing our situation, and recon-
mending his return, and Messrs. Van
Zandt & Co. replied that he left them
nearly year ago"
"Left theme"
eyes, yes. He had fallen into evil
courses, and they reprimanded him.
when he went off, no one knew where.
Letters were written TO me by the
house, but they must have miscarried.
Nothing has since been heard of Char
ley: I fear he has taken to more evil
ways still. He may be dead indeed !
Unhappy that I am! all connected
with me seem to turn out badly!"
The merchant uttered q groan. Old
Joe looked at him with deep commits.
seration.
~ am more unfortunate than you
are, Mr.. Worthington," he said, in a
low tone, ~ had a son-a noble boy
he is dead, sir! You knew my Ed
mund! He was so handsome, so spir.
tied. so bold and he was lost at sea
He was on Whaler-the ship fOun.
dered, and the crew were lost. My
poor Edmund We are truly unfortu-
nate fathers, sir!"
There the conversation ended, and
the merchant and book keeper separ-
ated.
Through the following week untir-
ing efforts were made to collect the
resources of Worthington Brothers.
But slight success crowned the mer-
chants efforts to rescue the house.
Friends of past years seemed TO have
grown cold, and regretted their ina
biiity to render assistance; and it was
only by great sacrifices that the house
succeeded in making all payments up
the day before Christmas. In this,
however, the firm succeeded, and as
Mr.. Worthipgton locked bis safe, and
put on his hat, he drew long breath
Of relief. Then, taking his old book
keepers arm, he went homeward with
a thankful heart, and, as they separated
at the corner, he murmurcd:
Let us keep good heart yet, old
friend"
Christmas morning, and the snow
was falling and the wind whirling it
around like mad. A thousand COLLINS
seemed laughing and turning summer
saults and ha1ling each other as they
spolted round the gables and whistled
through the keyholes and chilnneys,
wild with mirth at the coming of
Christmas, and old Joe Darling's small
house, in q remote street of the great
city, seemed especially honored by the
hobgoblins, who shook the windows
till they ratified again.
A great fire was burning and the
break fast-table was set, and old Joe
was rubbing his hands in front of the
blaze and looking out of the window,
when a voice behind him, with rush
of laughter in it and sounding like a
silver bell, exclaimed
"Christmas gift, father, dear! I've
caught you.'
Old Joe turned round. As he did SO
a pair of rosy lips pressed his cheek
and two arms cluug around his neck,
belonging to little fairy of seventeen.
"Why, you look like sunbeam,
Daisy" he said.
And indeed the face resemblcd one,
so brilliant Was the light of her eyes.
Daisy was small, with neat, cosy fig
ure, in a plain but pretty dress and
you saw at a glance that this was one
of those little-fingeredf airies, who are
the blessings of the homes in which
they rule.
The father smiled, and passed his
hand fondly over her hair. AS he looked
at her he thought of his well-nigh PEN
niless condition and heaved sigh.
"Poor little ady-bird! Ihave moth:
ing for You '" he said, signing again.
But Daisy did not seem to regard the
circumsta nces as at all depressing. On
the contrary her face glowed, and turn
ing her bril- ht head toward one side,
she whispered:
GIVE got Christmas gift for YOU,
father dear"
"Have you? Now, you've gone and
worked your little fingers to the bone.
It's q cravat, Or"
"No, indeed, I've done nothing of
the sort-that is not your present.
The rush of Joyous laughter in the
GIRLS voice nearly drowned her words.
She seemed bursting to reveal some
secret. Their talk was interrupted,
however, by the appearance Of Mother
Darling and her flock, with old Uncle
John, looking wise and secretive.
Daisy had procured, somewhere, the
handsomest Christmas-tree imaginable
ia bushy cedar, full of light blue-ber-
ries, and having returned from church,
whittier she went Autifuily with the
rest, she proceeded, with the aid of
Uncle John, her prime friend and ia
vorite. TO deck the wonarons tree with
it's brilliant ornaments. AS. evening
drew on it was finished, and erected on
the sideboa,d-its paper baskets, and
presents, and tapers making it a
magical spectacle to the young OAR
Iings, who gazed at it with open-eyed
wonder. - g..
Then the Christmas dinner appeared,
and riveted all eyes. The great roast
turkey, and round OF beef, and thanking
side dishes, aroused wild enthusiasm
in the young ones. Old Joe devoutly
said grace, and the youthful members
of the Darling family, chirping like a
) flock of birds, called each others at
tention to the splendid banquet.
All sat down. Old Joe looked round
There's one seat too many" hi
said. :,
II set it there, BROTHER, said Uncle
) John, TRANQUILITY.
"For whom, brother Have yor