Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-12-20


anime.
"Oh, there's my horseyl" screamed
George" 81 knowed I'd have that
horse"
"And there is the doll with the red
dress" exclaimed Maggie.
"And a drum |" screamed Johnny,
grasping the article and giving it few
sounds raps with his fist, which made
them all start.
"There's been some mistake" said
Mr.. Burton, but nobody needed him.
The baby squeezed the rubber doll to
make it cry, Johnny had found the sticks
and was drumming with all his might,
while Mrs. Burton kept taking things
out of the box, and baby helping her.
Mr.. Burton stood looking on, very sour
and suspicious, when another knock at
the door aroused him.
"Mr. Burton live here ?"
eyes"
81 have some -four for him, and some
other articles"
In came barrel of -four and turkey,
and half dozen other things which
taste good on Christmas.
This time they all began to laugh.
Mrs. Burton laughed more than she had
in four months, and Mr.. Burton smiled
and said "he'd like to know who had
dared to send them these things" and
somehow the words came into his mind,
"Good- will to men" " Peace on earth. +"
" There's some goodwill in the world
after ALL"
When the third man knocked and said
he brought load of coal, there was such
laughing, and talking, and hopping
around Of children it would have blessed
your heart to have heard them.
81 knew that lady was fairy, or a
princess, or something" said Maggie.
"She he's sent these things, for she ask
ed where we lived, and said, Dear
heart, when I told her about you all,
and that we hadn't only enough coal to
last few days, and how hungry we
got"
Mr.. Burton went to get the coal in,
and said he never was SO glad of work in
his life; and Johnny filled the CRATE and
made such a fire as they had not seen
since the winter before.
CT wonder whatn come next" said
Maggie, clapping her hands and jump
ing up and down in her gladness.
"My child, don't expect anything
moro. I'm afraid all this will prove
only dream" said Mrs. Burton.
But something more did come, and
this time it was the princess herself.
She shrank back moment when she
saw the dirty floor, the ragged bedstead,
and thought of six people crowded in
this one little room. Her daintiness and
elegance had never before come face to
face with such squalor, but she had
been passing through great experiences
of late, and she was brave enough to
meet this.
"And this is the little girl who told
SO tonchingly her sad story last even.
ingP" she said, stroking Maggie's golden
locks.
"And this is your mother, and this
your father" she said, shaking their
hands and smiling 80 sweetly that Mr..
Burton said afterward it was Just like an
angel right from heaven.
thought I would drop in and wish
you merry Christmas" she said.
Mr.. Burton wiped the tears on his
sleeve and began thanking the lady.
"The good Lord has sent us help in
our DISTRESS" he said.
II He has shown me how eau be
good for something, I am glad," she
said with smile. "Your little girl
tells me you are in trouble and 1 have
come to see if I can help you out of it. B."
Now 1 need not tell you, my reader,
how they talked till Mr.. Burton said
call the trouble seemed lifted off their
hearts y and how, after she went away,
they set the turkey roasting b fore the
fire and how they were so hungry they
only waited for one side to get done, and
sliced it off and ate it while the other
side was cooking and how the children
ate nuts and candy till they couldn't eat
any more, and carried some to all the
children in the court; and how Mr.. Bur-
ton said he never saw such blessed
day in all his life and how he tended
the baby, and kissed Maggie half a
dozen times, when she put her arms
around his neck and hugged him SO
hard, he couldn't help it F; and how the
children in Anderson court came in to
see the beautiful doll in the red silk
dress and how they squeezed the rub
ber doll till it burst and how the boys
wanted to beat Johnny's drum "jest two
times )" and how they stood and gaped
at Johnny as if he had been hero, and
not poor ragged little boy like them
selves-you can imagine all that, but I
am going to tell you little about the
princess herself.
She was the only child of very wealthy
parents. She had been petted and
pretty nearly spoiled by too much hap
piness.
Miss Princess had come to fancy her.
self the special favorite of Providence,
not dreaming that God and all sensible
people saw that her life was poor and
mean.
But our princess had been having sad
troubles OF late. will not tell about
them for it would take whole story
book to tell it all, but they had been
working a great and excellent change
in the character of our Princess.
Trouble is good for us all if we are
strong enough not to be crushed by it.
Her father, anxious to cheer his
child, and believing something beauti-
full to wear was the best comfort, had
given her a great deal of money and
told her to select for herself handsome
set of lewelry for Christmas present.
She felt it was absurd to soothe her sore
heart with jewels, so she did not select
them till her father urged her again and
again, and the afternoon before Christ
mas she had driven out to purchase
them.
And just as she stepped from her car
riage Maggie and her brothers were
thereto step into her life and save her
Their strange words about their poverty
caught her ear, and something urgeC
her to watch them. She would onc'
| hnua disdninad 10 notica such 1uretnhei