The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-12-30

Il gave him dose" he remarked approx
ingly to himself, and then the chuckl,
ceased rather suddenly. He was con
scious of such an odd sensation all ovel
him-a giving out-a faintness. HI
clutched at a post-missed it; his knees
bent; he fell in a heap just by Mogg's
door.
Ills next consciousness was of bed or
which he was lying in room rag-carpeted
and warmed by cooking stove-Mog gs's
room. But such jolly fire! And O
neat woman was laying slices of ham in q
long-handled frying pan. Some women
have an air of home in their very collars
aud the set of their skirts. This was one
of them, and Moggs's wife. A man was
mailing some green boughs over a door ;
that was Moggs. A boy held the nails
and watched proceedings, head on one side,
and nightly interested that was theil
child. Mrs. Moggs was interested also,
from her post by the stove.
"It is like the woods" she said, "and
seems to make out that everything is not
all bought and sold at the corner shop. l
like it."
Moggs put in another nail with the air of
man far away in thought, and said, almost
as if to himself:
"Maggie, have you spent that five dol
lars YETI"
His wife laughed.
II waited for you, Richard. There is
the dinner to be decided about. Turkey
sounds like holidays, but beef-tastes-
and then"
"Well-then ?" repeated Moggs. The
look on his face was very grave, quite diff
ferent from the smile that his wife turned
toward him.
swell, Think" pursued Mrs. Moggs,
intent on the ham, and unobservant of her
husband, "there is nothing quite so aggra-
vating as fve-dollar note-sometlmes.
We are tight shoe people, and I suppose
we are always to hobble through life pinched
and smiling; and am willing, when we
have so much happiness in besides. Only,
once in while, as now, we all want thick
shoes and warm under-clothing. And there
is old Miss Felton-think of her sitting all
alone, without chick or child, over bread
and tea at this season. / do so want to ask
her to dinner. l suppose it is natural, too,
to want to make Harry present-what
child goes without? Now, how is one to do
all that on fve-dollar note ? | feel some
times as if | could tear or pull the mlsera-
BILE bill, and make it ten times five at the
least.u
maggie, have you ht"-Moggs
jerked his thumb here toward the bed.
"Thought-about that man?"
Mrs. Moggs was smiling no longer.
"9ou heard the doctor. The man has
paralysis. He is incapable even of gest-
ure. No one knows him. He has no
pocket-book and no cards. The doctor
has promised to ascertain something if pos
sibe but meanwhile we--'
"Well?' and there was look far
from pleasant in Mrs Moggs's eyes as she
looked up inquiringly.
"He has fallen at our door," pursued
Moggs." "We are his brother and sister
now by the adoption of God. And the
medicines and beef tea and wine that the
doctor orders
"We are TO buy them? 1 say no !" in
terrupted Mrs. Moggs, angrily. elf no
one knows him, send him to the poor-house
till he is claimed"
"The doctor said that his removal would
be death; you heard him."
swell, he has lived his life. He will
only be useless and helpless now a bur-
den on others. May be the best thing he
can do is to die."
"Do unto others as ye would"
''That MEANS" she cried, passionately,
"give up our dinner on which we have
counted for months. Disappoint Harry,
who has talked of his Christmas for
months. Make our holidays pinched and
bleak and bare, like the rest of our lives,
when every one else is rejoicing. And
what would Christmas be like then?"
SAY what would it be? A Christ
mas without Christ. The day kept, and
its Lord despised in the person of this
stranger" returned Moggs, gently.
There was little silence. Then Mrs.
Moggs got up and kissed her husband.
"RichaTd, you are an angel in a shabby
coat. But why should he have fallen at our
door? The Lubecks at the corner there are
rich. Now we have pinched ourselves for
weeks, and. Do as you like, but it is
so.r
A sob stopped her.
Then the man lying dumb on the bed
was agonized to shout his name and the
Whereabouts of his purse, but in vain.
Moggs took her face between his two
uanuS anu lOOheu uOWu III ueT JcuueTly.
''It is hard" be said. "There are
crosses that man can't explain unless-I
have come to believe there are two sides to
them-we look at them in too selfish
way. We are not suffering only to learn
ourselves, but to help others.
I don't see how, but l believe it is so
now."
81 believe it too and | believe in some
thing besides what yeu can get.' You
have saved soul.n
Scroggs thought he said that--aloud,
and by mighty final effort and there he
was-awake, and at home. 1t was a
dream.
But dream that left an impression.
That day arrived at Moggs's door such a
dinner in two hampers; huge box of
toys, barrel of apples, a load of coal, a
well-stuffed pocket-book done up in a
square parcel, suit for Moggs. 1t tseemed
to storm parcels on the little door. The
neighborhood was aroused. The Moggs
family were wild with excitement. There
was no clew to the sender. One inscrip-
tion on all the parcels alike: "From 9
brother by the adoption of God" AL
quite mysterious and in the most delight
ful fairy-land fashion.-Hdaper's Bazaar.