Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-10-07
THE THREE LOAVES.
BY John MANNING.

THE THREE LOAVES.
BY JOHN MANNING.
The day was bitter cold in Virgins
City, as winter days most generally are
in that Alpine city and though the sun wal
bright, its rays were as cheerless ano
chill as moonbeams. Wild gusts whist,
led through the streets, breathing Ice.
cles and frost in their furious course, and
driving every living thing away to seek
shelter from its biting, penetrating
breath. And yet not every one was
housed and sheltered from the pitiless
gale, for he who had work to do or bust
ness to transact was summoned by mex
rable duty to come forth to his post, or
else, when the day of reckoning came,
abide by the consequences; but, with
such exceptions as these, the male inhab.
itants generally sought the warm and
friendly atmosphere of the drinking sa-
looms, where, with shot Scotch" and a
glowing furnace. they managed to keep
themselves from freezing. OF these luck
less exceptions, Abe Denning, the baker,
was one. In sunshine or storm. hail,
rain or snow, people must eat-eat in
fact the more voraciously because it does
hail or snow, as IT to penetrate an un-
reasonable joke upon the baker, who,
especially in appetizlng weather, must
see to 1t that customers larders be prop
erly stored with the rarest and best pro-
ductions of his oven.
Even such cold weather as this did
not deter Mr.. Denning from attending
to the wants of his customers with the
assiduity and attention characteristic of
his class. While disappearing into GUS
TONER'S house with an armful of bread,
girl of some fifteen years of age emerg-
ed from miners cabin close by. and,
first casting wild and hurried glances
around her, rushed to the bakers cart,
and had Just abstracted therefrom three
loaves of bread, and was carrying them
off, when the baker returned and caught
her In the act.
Unfortunately, an officer was passing
just at the time, and the baker, on the
spur of the moment, and without giving
the case that consideration which he 9TH
erwise might, gave her in custody on a
charge Of theft. The girl, without any
attempt at expostulation or explanation,
burst into an agony of tears-a suffi-
cient evidence, perhaps, that she was
but novice, after all, in the art Of
stealing.
"O!'s she exclaimed, "don't take me in
this way. Let me wrap a shawl around
my head, or the people will know me-"
N =
her into the cabin, while the baker drove
away, telling the policeman he would be
in court next day, to prefer the charge
before the police Judge.
The officer, on entering, found no one
In the cabin but three children-the
youngest about three years old, and the
eldest six. The hut was cold and cheer.
less; there was no fire. The two elder
children, alarmed at the presence of the
officer, exhibited dlscolored eyes and fa
ces, which bore evidence of suffering and
recent tears; while little Willie, the
youngest, was crying and unappeasable
moving aimlessly around the cabin, look
| ing into the empty closet, and putting
his little hands mechanically into the
empty dishes on the table.
"What made you steal the bread, my
giil9" asked the officer.
At mention of the word "bread," little
Willie looked teartully and piteously il
the mans face. The girl hugged tn.
little fellow frantically in her arms, GOV
ering hum with tears and kisses.
20, my poor little brother!" she cried
bitterly. "What will become of you now
This man is going to take your Lens
away with him."
Here the child threw his arms around
her neck, as if to detaln her by force
while the other two children screamed
| fit to break their hearts.
The officer, suspecting the actual state
OF affairs, began to cough cOnvulsively
but, instead Of applying his hand to hi
chest or throat, as people usually do OF
such occasions, he applied his handker
chief to his eyes.
us there no coal, or nothing at all t
eat in the housea" said he, in gurglins
sort of voice.
mo coal, no bread, nothing to eat!'
replied the girl, wringing her hands, "ant
poor Willie and the rest OF us have hat
nothing to eat since yesterday morning.
Here the officer had another hard fit o
coughing, and went away saying that b
would be back again In q short time.
sis the man gone for breada" asked
the Oldest of the children.
"Hush, Mollie, dear!" said Lena. I"
don't know what he is gone tor. He j
not bad man anyhow, for he hasn't al
rested me as I thought he would
In very few minutes the officer re
turned, with his arms full of bread an,
groceries, not forgetting some cakes an,
condiments for tho smallest children
while another man at his heels Carrie
big sack of coal on his back.
At sight of the bread the childre
screamed with delight, while the office
now laughed, now coughed, and frequent
~ applied his handkerchief to his fac
to wipe off the perspiration, as it were.
While Lena cut up large slices (
bread, and helped the children an
herself, the two men set to work an
made a large fire In tho stove, the glow ,
which soon diffused warmth and CON
fort throughout the cabin. Then the
cooked the meat, and made tea, an
spread steaming meal on the table fl
the four orphans, while they carved an
attended to their wants until they wei
fully satisfied.
Happy, happy childhood, whose pr
negatives are innocence, mirth and 10,
The children, after their dinner, didn
look like the same children at all. The
taces were bright and joyous, happy an
handsome, and in few minutes the
lwere playing and laughing and rompinI