Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-12-21


he reached forward for one more spoon
full as eagerly as old Adam had reached
for the corn. In pushing the bowl back
on the shelf he discovered letter. He
opened it, and saw written in the same
childish hand that wrote to the horse:
DEAR MIsER PERKINs---I leave you some
| presents and a merry Christmas. The stock
| ngs were knit by little girl not quite ten, so
please excuse dropped stitches and funny
| knitting. Your chimney smoked so badly
had 10 come IN the window--the back-room
window where the glass is broken out; per-
| haps | shall have tO leave IL opeh: anyway, You
better see. hope Il is the last Christmas
shall have to call you 4htser Perkins Yours,
| with love, SANTA CLAUS.
An angry flush was on the miser' S
face as he folded the letter; but il faded
as he took up the bits Of candy, one by
one, and looked curiously at the choco-
late mouse.
When he went out to harness old
Adam he was thinking again of little
Ben, and the merry face followed him
as he drove away to cart the wood.
BLESS me!' said the man, as he came
to the door with fat baby in his arms,
"if thought anything about this being
Christmas Day when | wanted you to
CdIb iHtI WDuu w uuiOtl Oh llOiii
the West with her children, and my
wife's got her two cousins from Boston,
and l couldn't go to that wood-lot to-
day any more than a boy could turn a
grindstone if a circus was in town"
"It will be noon before get home, -
thought the miser, AS he drove away.
A lonely feeling crept over him, but he
called it chill, and thought of the new
stockings at home.
He had not gone far when n childish
voice called to him TO stop; it was the
widows little daughter.
"Wish you u merry Christmas, Mr..
Perkins," she said, as she caught old
Adam by the bride. .. | am going to
ride home with you," and she sprang
into the wagon.
How do you like your new quar-
ters?'' asked the miser, as they drove
on.
"Well,n said Dolly, "the front door
is painted, and the chimney hasn't
smoked yet, but we feel kind of home
sick" She looked up at him frankly
out of her great blue eyes.
Have you been pretty well?'' said
the miser, not caring to talk of chin
neyS anu 'front.' uO0rS. .-.....
. 1--WE got q sore throat said Dolly
- only a little sore"
." never had a sore throat said the
miser. ...-.- -.4 4-....-
40 no." said Dolly, mcrrily, "yot
couldn't afford one.''
The miser laughed in spite of him.
self He often laughed at Dolly. He
was hard, stingy old man; yet some
where in his heart he kept thought, il
no more, for his merry little brother
who died so long ago; and Dolly's blue
eyes and bright hair always recalled
him.
"You didn't know l was going to
spend the day with you, did you?'
asked Dolly.
You would freeze thcrev" said the
miser, uneasily.
"But am companyr' said Dolly,
company, Mr.. Perkins?"
Il have not split any wood to-day"
said the miser.
r" You can split the wood while l am
setting the table," said Dolly. 81
want you to have merry Christmas.
Hestared at her smiling face, angry
with himself that he felt pleased at the
thought of seeing her again in the house
and said coldly: "All days are alike to
me-"
"They are not alike to me-" said
Dolly. Il have presents on Christmas.
Did you get no presents, Mr.. Perkins,
"Ycs, l got some," said the miser.
"What did you have?" said Dolly,
coniidentially.
81 had some soup and some stock.
ings, long knit ones"
"Did they fitP'' said Dolly, anxiously.
al don't know yet,n said the miser
81 thought had better save them"
80 Mr.. Perkins," said Dolly, 81
wish were a rat, and would get into
your house and nibble holes in your
new stockings, and | would eat up
everything You save, till you would see
it was no use to save things; then peo-
pie couldn't call you Miser Perkins!
hate to have folks call you that; the
other day little girl asked me if
didn't feel afraid to live in a miser' S
house; and wanted to slap her, but
didn't, because you are miser; SO
only said you were very kind, and took
me to ride, and didn't scold me when ]
was pretty bad. A ride is cheap, she
said; he never gave you anything that
cost anything, did he? So 1 want you
to give me something that really cost
you something. Don't think it is just
to have it; | want to show that girl that
you are not miser."
A harsh reply rose to his lips, but the
bright, fearless eyes that met his
brought quickly to his mind the daunt-
less little face that had conquered him
so many years ago, and Dolly as usual
met with no rebukc.
at is very cold here" said Dolly, as
they entered the little black house after
old Adam was put in the barn.
The miser went out and began to cut
some wood. Dolly laughed and talked
all the while so he forgot to count the
sticks.
IF you had company for week you
wouldn't get any too warm," said Dol
ly, piling on the wood.
The miser watched her, not wholly
pleased. She drew out the old table,
saying: al shall put on all your best
dishes, Mr.. Perkins, because it is Christ
mas"
She climbed up to the top shelf of the
old cupboard and brought down some
plates he had not seen since his mother
died.
Don't take those down" he cried in
despair.
Dolly stopped with one foot on a bar
rel and the other on shelf, and, put
ting her head out of the cupboard, far
enough to see the old man, exclaimed
eXcitedly: "If you were china teapot,
with gold band, would you like to
spend your Christmas, covered with dirt,
in a rat-hOle?" Then, without giving
him time to debate, she jumped safely