, 1876-12-24
SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.

It WAS a sharply-cold Christmas-Eve. Th
sun had gone down in a glory Of crimson an,
| gold. It was warm, tender sky to look q
| from the Windows Of comfortable, fre-lightes
rooms; but, to those hurrytne Up and down tn
streets, 1t was cold, hard sky,-.a sky bitterly
pitilessly bright, like some radiant blue eye ou
OF which looks cruel and unleying spirit.
| Little Johnny and Katy Morris, hur.rlny
home from gathering their baskets Of chips ant
sticks out Of the streets and alleys, did not ad
mfre the SLY at all. They thought only Of thei
| cold noses and their colder ears. their aching
toes, and the great holes in their mittens, and O
| what they were going to have for supper whe1
they should reach the poor, shabby little houst
| which they called home 49,
t'Baked potatoes would be 50 good n sait
| Johnny. =,
"Bcefsteak, and-aud-some butter on The
bread, would be good, too!"' safd Katy, smack
ing her blue lips.
"rm awful tired OF bread and 'lasses, amt
you.n', asked Johnny.
"Yes, and I'm awful tired of everything.
LOOK up there through those windows! See
how the fire blazes! And there's part Of q
Ghristmas-tree in sight. Aud look ut that girl
tn her whits, dress and blue sash! 0, dear
ave never had Christmas tree, did wcs'
II should think not It's as much as mother
can do to buy cur bread aud keep us from
freezing. Let's hurry up, On we'll freeze any
howl"
The shabby little house was almost opposite
the large, pleasant windows at which they mad
stoppeh to look. and so they We're soon within
thelr own gate ahd a. home. But suen M eaeer
fss .as a1 re ntar '''a m 1,a,e ~
;'Ss' eaS ~ ,aL 1s., s.s a+ ~ ~ osa+ p
ma sat ~ basHefs OF
esgor;v oAa syou1s ent nr.toa iitt,e tSis
eagel,i}H,' sh !a;g uGS W. eo' p'eeoos At'4o 'n1'
tnne!. 1 sae sala. t.a., ,xa..,. o,n.,, .h,a
VEL, WIZ ~. nen1, aiuzEn sEsss'es esen ena7
nuGr, osao Aasy' = D ~. @a ~ hs.a...
u re en1nh y oat o5nnv M nrnv
- - * e -, !, w
Lou1lu .,a II ~ .nG maS ht ~ ha ~ .
noulu 4ase snus ~ nan AoAAe
pas VI goaa uf oHna ~; a * f
~ snts 1 -. - ~. 49,, ~ ~ au.a .s., - ~ 1ru'
ooan u yGa 49, eot, IL ,1 a3t Horr en,
ue 1nnthariu ism ssI Rafr M c!;a4inaiv p ""'
VIC, Wo'nsF: sau IN n1ts, e.a..,u hoa ,ar
n,,,t h,.1a ~ t,,a sgood ,rastcJ :; 1 ' ~A40
eaTe H. ua.S nthar s,,o,,e var notien+,v shs
,sad ~ - t1. r4;s n;nch;pr anf scrin;n{ng she
unen te,a1 ~ Inn p sha sa ~ ~ sh..
vas stiiI able to Keep the shabby root over
She hrrsc1f' 3' was S cold. md tired. and Iungr;:
but but she could not speak Of her own suffering.
lat Ern -nf
and rnared! NJ + + ware the rieht firc in the
rpht nlace. and the two children held their cold
eTs a,s+ !, - antl l.Iad xnftig an COW
+ant.a,r ~. ,s ~ ;f noThnr ,o,1ld ie n1casantnr
Hs a1,d hp tht. 1itfi,s ro1nd tsh1e vii, .,ts
+hrte howl. and snoon.. the smalI n;tcher nf
,,,i,ir e;T fhe n1otc nf .1nni,fno q hastv n1,f1
Itnn' aiA' Il ~ ntaaa ~ -oiadr LIZ ~ 7e
III Il and n .nfld1e. toof,, exclaimed johnny.
sc b;e mother 4onls q ran11a from the shelf and
~ s ptuet ~ ~ 80 a. 1' ''A
r seemn5 ~ III, H. too mnc Observation-Disclosures
,,,r, IS ]1,,1s. a4,d = i,1ht ~ 1rspr II H. -
~oe t Vsas hasanse Il e ChTfstmas-Eygu said his
rnotheS wi1h 2 sad T. smile. She Tas thinkine % % Of
nther f!hrisfmas-Eyes.
but 81 ploasulSs ;; pass a@ay ad wy y 4au uy
1ne Ia ,4a-a +1a'ta7 a.ra1 a"o r. wa9n,t ~
p;ra hsa white ro,,ntarnane and rnff1cd niIIows
Il was ' a b
tSa children ~ who slant thera W were clean. #
.,s, U had ese,, tha rathcrin@ stiss mt nf ont
}ers na "a aiIexs Io5 miaf mt i,aTs noticed
Jnhnnr,s franE h,i,e ewes. Or Katy,g serfous. in
t,ie,t taoe ,xers 4here navprthoiess ana the
@ hiIdraIs r 1rars ~ ciiiran thsn von aor.r
~. ~ .; 41d in m tbe ,nnst sn]rndid homes
4.'nso "a u +har, ~ ~ thsr xnr. mt IN he'd tn save
uooa inst IS soi;3e Of lie pti,nle in Paris staid
~ ~ ~ IA stiE} q was on1y nclorE tine
I,t, 49, ~ natherny olo,,f vn,,r rn ffI.
%nen nhte aannars,sh1ss aEu nnIv n'clocS and thew
.rara nyrv rerv' sverv vide awake.
"etG Thot rhr3etnaas-treaN mas It sn1end3d.
,,o,,ni,S n, saj1 Eatis th;nl-no Of what thew ha9
eae., enu 81 t,,e reigll,Gr's ,r;nt1oS
ses0 9Yesi a. i 0ranSrs and candles and-aud-little
oo,d stars f1,,nS ali oyer It. Tasn't therein
sV1 {. sr;il tata tha shirts home now.n said the
,,othsr after ehe had raref1j]y covered the ire
and GSt e1ttinpr1ished tho candle. She drew the
anu asidc 70 that the iight from the
stroat .1amns oyer the way1n1ipht come dancing
- a., lIfaefuf n1ov,te r. Fecn fhe children
~ Inn md mt On her little thin Ghost Of
sba,g '..1,jI hc bacE in a yery lew minntes', ),
sha". sha ea;d ~ '~ -11 ~~''
After set sue was sone LIE e"f'Asiu's"14e' GALLO
= ~ co,,}d on}v have ouc1n said JOHNNY, In
1;ots nsnneinE tt,o+ +?1oG; a',o;aeetca 90 itsclf.
~ ~. stheri5t, sf;cz in The snow ,pAoe
a65fd5 6f Eatv jnnrassfvetv s.if We could
lad1., lla1g ,,a ssat va ons a Psaal Treel;,
ouy tynT;1i :. 10 IN hanp nm stocliups vm
toinkf ah ~ a11eu 1a,so,r y'n"A''
1In ~. brro ,e, ,,n last .ear and the
oIam tnr" +,'st "E % on5 III We pot WIS a little
year 1etole taae wv veo,.corn - asJ vo,, GOT your
patiasoui t what voutd lad dautedu. YOU
HILL ~, T. o,Ir ,7a de mother CIV Yd6n,t
kno",-aano aaa. ~ o'..5 ny 4n s+n,hings.,s