The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-13
SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.


~ Special Providence, dear children,
means the good God at work through
2 human hearts and hands. You do not
see Him in burning bushes nowadays;
nor 10 you ever catdh sight Of His
white-win4ed angels, oflwhom you have
SO often read. Our own good thoughts
and our own good deeds are the angels
which He now sends abroad over the
world. ~ -
But to the little story:
TWAS sharply-cold Christmas-E Eve.
The sun had gone down in a glory OF
crimson and gold, It was a warm,
tender sky to look at from the windows
of comfortable, fire-lighted rooms; but,
to those ehHrrying- mp land down the.
streets, it was cold, hard sky-assky
bitterly, pitilessly bright like some
radiant blue eye o6tl OF which looks a
cruel and unloying spirit.
Little Johnny and Katy Morris, hur-
rying home from gathering their bas-
kets of chips and sticks out of the
streets and alleys, did not admire the
sky at all. They thought only of their
cold noses and their colder ears, their
aching toes and the great holes in their
mittens, and of what they were going
to have for supper when they should
reach the poor, shabby little house
which they called home.
ssBaked potatoes would be so goodr'
said Johnny.
Beefsteak, and-and- butter
on the bread, would be good, toor' said
Katy, smacking her blue lips.
I'm awful tired of bread and 'lasses,
amt your" asked Johnny.
Eyes, and I'm awful tired of every
thing. Look up there through those
windows! See how the fire blazes!
And there's part of Christmas-tree in
sight. And look at that girl in her
white dress and blue sash! O, dear!
Come along!''
eve never had a Christmas tree, did
wep' asked Johnny.
g / should think not! It's as much.
as mother can do to buy our bread and
keep us from freezing. Let's hurry up,
or we'll freeze anyhow!''
The shabby little house was almost
opposite the large, pleasant windows at.
which they had stopped to look, and I'd
they were soon within their own gate
and at home. But such q cheerless
home!-just little warmer than the
air OF the street, that was all. The
mother, pale, sickly woman, sat
sewing by the almost empty stove. She
looked at their. baskets Of fuel eagerly.
You've got precious little this time"
she said. ,u 81
q Well, we're nearly frozen getting
! even this much,'' said Katy, blowing
Hxlt> nod q = 80 4 e.
There's a real chunk of oak, or
hickory, or something, in my basket, .
said Johnny, proudly. 81 found it in
the middle Of the street. ~ You would
I have thought he had brought home
bag of gold or some equally greatprize.
!" So there is! 1t will boil the lmush
for you, Johnny, and you can have a
. whole cup of milk-both of you. It's
Christmas-Eye, You know, Z
land then we can sit up half an
: hour, can't we, motherp'' Ssaid Katy,
! coaxingly. -. a4.s. IS. Ns
"No, no. You will be warmer in
bed, and l can't have the wood vast
ed.n ~ a
! i The mother spoke very patiently
She was used togthis Spinching and
scrimping. She thanked Heaven she
: was no poorer-that she was still able
to keep the shabby roof oyer their
= heads and starvation away from the
( door She herself was cold and tired
and hungry; but she could not speak of
her own suffering. She kindled the fire..
The merry blaze cracked and reared,
as if it were the right fire ins the right
place; and the two children held tbeif