Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-12-24
WHAT HAPPENED ON A CHRISTMAS
DAY
u - nrNTINGToN MILLER.

EY EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER.
ONcE upon d timc-I have noticed that
nearly everything worth hearing of happened
once u0oa q tt0Je-there stood in the city of
Chicago, between the Rolling Mills and the
kinzic Street Bridge, a very old implanted
frame house, two stories and basement,
With ricsely outside stairs leading up one
end d the building to q landing on theupper
story. II fact the very house is standing
there yc. rs you may see any day if you look
out at tlc ear windows on the left-hand side,
with . tl.,yrablc yard and patched-up
shed, upon the roof Of which have seen two
goats lying contentedly, and some little girls
playing ii making calls, with sunhowers for
parasol~ and old shaWls tied around their
waists to trail magnifcently over their tat
tiers, quite in the style Of their betters
But onge upon a time, as began to tell YOU,
on the very day before Christmas, in the year
eighteen hundred and something, two chill
drcn, L 6av and 4 girl, we're locked up in the
small III, room Al the top Of the flight of
outside fairs. IL the third story Of this dingy
old hou-. i vas very sm@n room, with
two windows
One looked down into tLc dirty back yard,
and heo.heg out upon the landing, but they
were - patched nip with rags and paper and
shinglcs lnat you could not see much from
any of I'll nj. There was a stove in the room,
very rustr, u..g 4 long crack that showed
The red .ntpts rate, but there was no fire in
il, and tie pee. rhing seemed to chatter with
the colo a7 it ,.ood there on three legs and
bit Of brick. There was an empty cupboard
iu the room, So empty that old Mother Hub
bard could not have found so much as bone
for her Toor dog, and lean little mouse
grubbin@ about on the shelves, nearly skinned
his nose in trying to pick up grain Of rice
out Of the corner No chairs no table, bur on
the floor a thin straw bed, with piece OF old
carpet and one ragged quilt. Out of the
quilt pcepgd two heads, covered all over with
such thiae red curls YOU would have thought
they really ought to warm the room a very
little, but they didn't seem to. Under the
rgrls Iwu pairs OF bright eyes, and as clear,
ewce-, Gimpled faces as any mother ever cud-
dledup IN her arms ut bedtime, though the
checks might have been rounder and the
dimples deeper if it had not been for the
empty cupboard, ! think However, they
were not 80 very hungry; they had their din
ncr, two good slices OF bread and two very
little scraps Of meat in the bed between them,
to keep ii from freezing, you know. They
could not afford to be dainty, and one meal
day will keep one from starving. Besides,
when their mother came home from her days
work there would be a fire made, and some
thing for supper, if the people did not forget
to pay her They did forget sometimes, or
had no change handy, and then it was pretty
hard Tor them all to go to bed cold and hun
CRY Molly used to cry, at such times, but
now it was Christmas Eve, and people surely
would remember to be Just They might
even be generous if they thought of it, aud
then there would be something extra; per-
haps enough for a Christmas dinner, and a
fire, real jolly fire, all day. 1t made every
hair on the curly heads dance, Just to think
of it, and the children got out of bed ard
rushed about the room for exercise, scrapcd
j spot of frost from the window panes, and
Redeemed their poor little noses in trying 20
look out, then crept back to their nest ard
slept like two kittens in the hay. Slept 20
long that . rat with one ear and the tip Of lis
tail bitten of came out through the brok n
plastering and snutfed hungrily around thea.
When they walked it was growing dark, aid
they began to feel uncommonly lonesome ID
hungry.
Molly cried little, but Molly was only :. !, 1
the poor baby, and Ted, who was two ye :
older, tried like man to comfort her. "
and by Ted's courage failed too; he q, w
cross aud indignant.
"Wish't ny mother didn't lock the doo-,"
lie said, wed just 60 and see Christmas ur
own selves Bob says its bully to look at he
stores ehock full of presents, and he knows
Of a church where they're goin' to have two
Christmas trees, and ice-cream and cakes, and
candy, and no end of good things. Mebbv
they'd happen to have something left over for
Us, Molly, if we could only get there"
Ted tried the door, aud gave two angry
kicks at the panels