Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-02-08
TnE LTrrLE NOW noY.

| II
all the people woke up to see tn,
whole Of their world, were il tow
} or country, shrOuded in spotles
white. Farmer BOyd's sheen seem
ed to know what was on the wing
for they crowded together under th,
trees on the close of that New
Years day, as q sort OF preparation
for the night. The next morning
long before day, the farmer and hi
sons were in the meadow, needles.
Of the thick binding snow, resolved
to preserve the flock: and if they
had not been up and active, the
greater number OF Farmer Boyd'I
valuable South Downs would have
been buried in a snow-drift, so sud.
den and violent was the fall, So deep
and dangerous were the drifts. The
farmer said he should not have saw
ed half but for the perseverance OF
his little dog,-not q sheep-dog, but
8 small pet of his daughters, q lit
tie sagaciOus creature that was often
snubbed because il was not 'thor-
ough-bred," and so they forgot that
1t was thOrough-hedrted; 3 queer
thing, who, with a species Of ami
NAL economy, always ran on three
legs, giving one OF the four a rest,
and another rest in its turn. Very
early on that particular morning,
between scratching and barking and
whining, she had managed to Waken
her master before daybreak on the
2d of January. But that did not
content her; when the door was
opened, she ran to the window, and
the farmer, seeing 1T was nearly
blocked up by snow, reused his sons
and set of TO see after his sheep
The dog at first wished TO accom-
pany the party, but Immediately on
her leaving the porch she became
buried in the snow, and quickly
floundered back again, and, after
being "called "good dog" and "wise
Peg" by her young mistress, she sat
| quietly down on the warm kitchen
hearth, not sleeping, however, but
| cooking FIRST one ear, and then the
other, and quietly moving her
stumpy tail when the masters voice
was heard in the distance. The
father knew there would be a still
heavier fall, for the clouds were
, weighed with snow. Mary" he
| said to his daughter when he re-
turned, "see that there is q good lot
{ of pea-soup made; the cotfEgers be-
( yond the croft will be glad of il, for
their masters are frozen out of work
already"
Mary, like a good girl, said, ayes
! father;" but while she shook the
snow-hakes of his coat she added,
Gather, what can poor Aunt Lyd-
dy and her One-armed boy do this
weather."
"What is that to thee?n he an
sWered sharply. Mary said no
more; but she raised her large eyes
to her fathers, and he saw they were
full of tears.
The trees all round the farm look
ed lovely, coated with the glittering
snow, and one of the farmers sons
cleared a place for the wild birds to
feed on; they cleared it again and
again for the snow continued TO
/ fall.
80 dear :" said Mary to her broth
| er Tom, II wish father would for
give his sister, and let her little Joe
| come here to us; he is so kind in
his rough way, to every one else
If she did marry badly, she only did
her duty, as a wife by refusing to
leave her husband; and now that he
! is dead"-Mary paused.
Tom ribbed his curly red head.
Tom was called practical"
81 don't see what little Joe could
do here, with only one arm. Which
of them is gomez" he said at last.
1.-The left"
ooh! well he could tend day
|
might make q scholar of hiHa, more
than ever they could make Of me-"
"Dear TOm," said Mary, eve
must get at fathers heart somehow,
and all will be we'll l cannot bear
to think of their starving, perhaps,
in that hOrrid London"
"Horrid London ~ repeated Tom.
Il like that! Oranges down here
penny apiece, and there Frank FOw-
Ter got three penny,-such beau
| tiesp'
On New Years Day the "Aunt
| Lyddy" who had such a strong hold
on Mary BOyd's sympathy, was lit
orally without fire, and almost with
out food; the miserable attic where
she starved and shivered let in the
bitter wind, and that day little Joe
had done everything but steal or
beg to procure his mother food
/ One gentleman who had tossed him
three-pence for holding his horse
said he was q fine little fellow, and
| if he had two arms instead of one,
he would get him into the shoe
black brigade. Joe cOlOred, but
quickly recovering himself, an
! swered, ''Please, sir, willing mind
| is equal to another arm" The gem
| tleman smiled, shook his head, and
| trOtted of. Poor Joe put up his
/ hand 10 the remains OF his other
| arm; IL had been amputated just
| above the elbow in consequence of
an accident: 81 only wish had to
! do all could do with one arm," he
/ murmured. He wandered up and
! down the streets; the air was grow
! ing colder and colder; he was very
hungry, but he passed the tempta-
| tiOus of bakers and cooks shops,
Tightening his fingers more closely
on the little silver coin.
Il may get something for mother;
l have another penny" murmured
/ the boy. He entered a bakers shop,
and asked for penny loaf, laying
| down his three-pGnce. Such n fat,
/ jolly baker, who was rolling and
| laughing behind a counter piled
with cakes and dainties, looked in
his pale, pinched face, blush from
cold.
"Only penny loaf New Years
night, my little man? We'll, there
IL is
Joe took il up; as the baker took
. = y L. L
boy, and said, sternly, "YOu sre
young to follow so bad trade; this
is bad money"
"Bad money" repeated Joe. go
sir, l had it from kind gentleman
for holding his horse"
"Have you no other money!"
Another penny"
"And why did you not pay for the
loaf with that:"
please, sir, l wanted change; |
wanted change; l wanted to buy
something more for my mother" I"
and his large blue eyes filled with
tears.
! Il must keep that threepence.-
What a shame for gentleman to do
such a thing as give bad money to a
child like that.o
please, sir, know nc dIun III
J tend it: he spoke kind TO me; he
didn't know it was bad"
The Jolly baker looked attentive
( ~ at the little boy.
See here, my lad; if you knew
the coin was bad, the sin will be
heavy on you; but l believe you did
not: you wanted food for your moth