The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-12-25

Heart-of- Gold trudged swiftly along the
lonely common, following the half buried
path that led to the town, and crushing the
deep snow under her heaven wooden shoes.
Once she looked back nervousy, fancy
ing she heard Ulric's voice calling to her
but she saw nothing. Only the prints Of
her own feet and a long flight of birds drift
ing darkly across the wintry sky.
There was great deal of want and suf-
ferins in the country that year.
1t had been a hard Winter and bread was
so dear that only rich people could afford to
buy it.
Every day the poor came crawling stiffiy
out of their hiding places to see if there
were no sign yet of the Spring; and indeed
it was so cold in their miserable novels that
they might as we'll have slept in the street,
where at least the passers-by would see
them, and perhaps take pity on them.
As Heart of Gold drew near the town she
saw an old blind man coming towards her
led by little, shvering girl, who looked
wistfully at the little bag, not knowing what
it might contain.
Heart Of Gold began to unite it with
eager haste.
Father" she said, "hold out your
hands. God has sent me to you this bitter
morning"
She spoke to the blind man because the
little girls blue fingers were too small to
uo.u more than few pennies, but to fill
the fathers lean, trembling palms she had
to dip into her bag six or seven times.
Then telling the little girl to take two
last handfulS more, she kissed her and went
on her way.
She was Fastening to reach the public
square where the poor and homeless gath
cred every morning, for there Gods house
sheltered them from the north wind, and
the rising sun shone full on the church
porch.
But at the corner of a lane on her way
she came across poor girl who had doubt
less passed the whole night there in the
bitter blast she looked so white and frozen
Her hands were huddled up to her bosom,
and she sat with patient, vacant eyes, wait
ing for death to end her misery.
Heart of Gold stopped down before her
with her hand full of pennies, and great
big tears rolled down her checks as she
feared that her aims had come too late.
"My poor GIRL" she said, touching the
woman gently on the shoulder, "see. Here
is something for you. Don't lie there any
Int NJ Lo%
a good fire to sit BY"
The girl opened her eyes YEARLY at these
tender words, thinking that she had been
asleep and had heard them in a dream.
But when she saw the child's compass
sionate face, and felt the big pennies that
were rained so freely into her lap, she rose
up with great sob in her throat and tried
to shape her stiff, blue lips into some words
of thanks
Heart-of- Gold did not hear them; she
was Fastening on towards the great square,
where the beggars were crouching together
in the chilly morning sunshine.
She began with the very first one, throw
ing handfuls of pennies into the poor, rag
SSNt hAeo tud aplpho, aHu WIN suCu SOOl
will that many of the coins rolled on to the
flags.
But the child could not stop to count her
money out, and the little sack did wonders,
expanding with every handful she took
from it, and seeming ready to overflow.
The poor souls were stupefed by the
plenteous shower and could hardly cry
"God bless YOU so eager were they to
pick up the fallen coins.
Heart-of- Gold laughed gleefully over their
JOY, and went round three times, so as to
be sure that every one had as much as his
neighbors.
AT that moment a stately looking person
wrapped in fur-lined cloak and wearing
gold chain round his neck appeared on
the threshold of the church, and paused to
look at the scene before him.
Presently he beckoned to Heart of Gold.
'Are You sure" said he gravely and in
courteous accents, that these people are
deserving objects of such indscrimnate
charity? Are you not rather, holding out
premium to mendicity by this iil-advised
liberalty -
Heart Of Gold shook her puzzled blonde
head
az do not understand she answered
in her childish treble. "They are hungry,
and that is a good reason, surely, for Civ
ing them bread. The good God cannot
have meant the rich people to eat it ALL"
And she went back to her brethren.
Having filled all the empty pockets in
the squares and streets of the city, Heart
of Gold turned her steps towards the coun-
try places next.
The beggars, forgetting to relieve their
sutferings, rose up and followed her, and
the child, with her fair head and iluttering
rags, walked on swiftly at the head of the
wondering throng.
She went straight before her, without
choosing any particular road, but search
ing every by-way and lane and common,
crossing fields to see if there might not be
some poor wretch sheltering from the cold
under the hedges or in the bitches, and
standing on tip-toe to look at the far, white
horizon, and wish that she could call to the
poor of every country in the world.
Often she sighed to think she might be
leaving some suffering unrelieved behind
her, and then she would run back once
more to search among the bushes.
| So it happened that as she crossed
| frozen meadow a flock of sparrows came
and alighted before her. The poor little
fellows were lost in the snow, and they
chirped and piped in very piteous fashion,
seeking food and finding none.
Heart of Gold was stricken by the sight
of this misery, which all her wonderful big
pennies were powerless to relieve. Ready
to burst into tears, and hardly knowing
what she did, the child took handful of
money from the sack and threw it to the
birds, and as it touched the frost bound
earth it turned into bounteous rain of
golden corn.