Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-12-25

Christmas will tomorrow be to you,
poor, lost Sheep"
This was Mrs. Ardory with her friends.
Do you wonder that they said, and truly,
that Mrs. Ard0ry was a woman of feel
ing?
On that same evening Mrs. Ardory SAL
in the diningrooIa of her family, waiting
the return of her husband, when 2 little
ragged girl came 20 the door.
please, Madam" said Bridget, "She
SAYS she must see YOU
Ask her what sire wants, Bridget; and
if she is a tramp, send her right away at
once. My nerves viii not bear any eX-
citcment.n
please ma'am, she says she is the child
Of your old friend that used to be Laura
Bordan, and her mothers sick, and amt
got no home, and sends to know if you
won't come and take her into your house
for the night. She's turned into the street
by the landlord, and she's got five chill
dren"
"Oh, dear! what shall | dog Why, |
couldn't have poor Laura here; Id die
with pity to see her and halta.doZeu poor
children. couldn't stand i'll My sensi
bilities are 50 kecnl Bridget send the
little thing away Don't let her come in.
Oh what dreadful thing it is to have
such sensibiities roor Laura how
she must suffer! Tell her to 90
to the Secretary of the Association for
the AmclioratiOn of the Condition of
the Destitute Tell her would send her
some money ifmy husband were al home.
Poor Laura! A beggar!" And Mrs. Ar,
dOry wept in sincere grief for her friend
opl In nj syrt Nr tlA generally OH
Mr. Ardory was so shocked at her grief,
that he got up and went out, and did not
even return to supper, which was served
few minutes later when Mrs ArdOry's
husband came in. To her husband that
worthy lady talked most pathetically
about her old friend, her beauty, her in
tellect and her unhappy marriage, and
now this sad sad denOuement--in the
street sick, a beggar, absolutely beggar,
Here Mrs. Ardory broke down and wcpt.
She declared that she would not be able
to sleep "A wink that night. Her sensibili-
ties were 50 delicate. The shock of hear.
ing from poor dear Laura in that way
was so rude and sudden. She hoped her
sympathics might never be SO severely
taxed again. She couldn't get over it.
poor Laura in the street.
And, at bedtime, She couldn't sleep.
She said her sensibilities were absolutely
shattered. And then, too, her husbands
father was ont, and she just knew that
he would be home after midnight, IN Il
state that would shock her more than
ever. 1t seemed that everything had
combined to kill her.
CHAPTER IH.--MllS, ARDORY'S SENSIBLE
TIES.
| find that the last chapter must be
given to the sensibilities cf Mrs. Ardory.
1t was Christmas Day. Even on this
blessed day, that tender-hearted lady
could not lay aside her scnsibiities and
enjoy herself. For just think, viii you,
how many poor there are! How could a
tender hearted woman enjoy feast when
so many were hungry? 1t was not in the
good woman's heart, am sure, to be for
a minute Obvious to the SORROWS of the
poor.
She had also another anxiety The
dinner hour was approaching, and she
was to have several friends. Among 9th
ers, the rector and his wife were to dine
with Mrs. Ardory on this day All the
company, the rector's wife included, were
there-the rector only being absent, he
having been called to see a sick person on
his way. He would come presently.
Mrs. Ardory was just explaining 10 the
clergyman's wife, how awful thing pa
rochial duty must be- she never could
stand the tax on her sensibilties If she
were a clergyman. But what Mrs. Ar
dory was thinking about while she was
saying this was something very different,
indeed. She was thinking that her faith
er-inlaw had been out all night on a
Christmas spree, and that he might come
in at any moment, and shock her sens-
biliticS by his disgraceiul appearance.
But, to her surprise, the old man came
home sober; and what was more curious,
came in company with the rector, And
the rector was showing him every atten-
ton. Was the like ever seen before?
"IIe didn't want to come" SAID the rec
tor with excitement, leading the old man
IN. but | brought him by force.
must tell You what he did. Found a
poor, sick woman, with halfa-dozen chill
dren, on the street last night, The wOman's
husband was dead Landlord turned
them out Mr.. Ardory, senior, here, went
and got a truck, pushed his way through
the rude crowd that stood about, and lift
ed the poor thing up off the sidewalk, and
carried her to the truck Then he took
her to his little old house and laid her on
the bed, and got neighbOr. woman for
nurse, and went for doctor, and got sup.
per for the hungry children, aud he's been
with them ever since doing everything he
could for them, only he went this morn.
ing and shook his fist in the landlord s
face and threatened to punish him if he
didn't give the woman back the last ten
dollars he had exacted He's a brave old
man You ought To be proud Of him"
"Why, indeed, We are,' said the young
er Ardory, proud as We can be Of you,
father"
ale can do such things, you know
said Mrs. Ardory aside, to the rector's
wife; "he hasn't any senSibilitics."
"Ifyou could only have heard that poor
woman tell it," cried the rector, as they
went down to dinner. If you could
bavn seen her kiss Mr. ArdorV's hand as