Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-04-22

And your naughty tempers sudden and fleet
What an awful thing it would be for you
II an artist should happen along some day,
And, observing the ponrng, the trown, or the
houtng,
Should take picture of you that wayl
Nary 4. SGR0Stsr.
Little Bones.
She was only little girl, and she had
nothing; no mother nor father, no
home-not even a name. She slept at
night on pile of straw in the narrow
passage on the top floor in a tall tene-
ment house in New York. In the day
time she sold black-headed pins or but
tonhole-bouquets when she had money
enough to lay in a stock of them, and
was voted nuisance on Broadway and
the avenues. The tenement-house
people called her Bones, because, being
half-clad and less than half-fed, she
was nothing but skin and bones. She
had belonged to an old woman once, a
drunken creature, who made her beg
and beat her when she brought home
no pennies. One day when Bones
came back to the tenement house she
was gone, and she never heard of her
again; whether she was dead, or sent
to Blackwell's island with other i'll
doors, Bones never knew. Nobody mo-
Tested her in the tenement house; in
deed, she was convenient appendage,
and ran errands to the beer shop or
elsewhere, at everybody's beck and
call, sometimes for penny, oftener for
nothing.
On the floor below, in one of the
many rooms, lived Mrs. Brennan, a
widow with one child crippled boy,
who lay all day long in bed, unable to
stand or walk. Three days in the week
Mrs. Brennan went out washing, and
sometimes, when she had few cents to
spare, she would hire Bones to stay with
Davie while she was gone. At other
times the boy was left alone, with his
dinner and Jug of water placed by
his bedside, and with an old picture
book for company.
Bones was with him one day when a
kind lady called to see who might be
sick or destitute in the house. She
brought her Bible and read to the chill
dren; gave each of them picture card
and a paper to Davie. It was near to
Christmas, and in the paper was the
picture of a Christmas tree. Bones
had a vague idea what the picture
meant from what she had seen in the
shop windows; to Davie it was alto
gether a strange and wonderful thing.
So the lady told them the story OF
Christmas and the Christ-child-the
babe who lay in the Manager and slept
L. ho1
other bed to give him.
Slept upon straw because he had no
other bed?" thought Bones; shat is
like me-" And in the night, as she
shivered on her pallet, she looked
through the small skylight above hel
and wondered how one might climb to
the heaven the lady told about, and
whether the God-whose name she had
never heard before except in an oath
really knew and cared for her and fol
Davie.
The lady came again and again
Bones was out on the street both times
but the last time she left her treasure
"a ticket to Christmas festival in the
mission church near by. "They are tc
have tree" Davie told her, "and there
will be candies and things. Oh, I wish
] could go, tool" and Davie dropped 6
few tears as he thought that he mus
always lie in bed.
Bones was delighted, and she com
forted Davie with the promise to tel
him all about it, and waited eagerly fol
the evening to come.
Children who live in pleasant homes
who have kind parents and plenty O
toys, who never feel either cold or hun
ger, can have little idea what tina
church festival was to that little stree
wait. First, there was supper, and TO
the first time in her life she had pleps,
to eat-good, substantial food, 40
broken victuals, choked down in breath
less haste, lest it might be sDAtcheC
away, nor yet the cold bread and cup o
tea given her now and then by Mrs
Brennan from her own scanty store.
After supper came the tres, with
small paper of candy and toy for eacl
child. The children sang hymns and
gentleman told them again ebout Jesus
how He loved and lived, and how H
even died for others.
Bones crept home when il was al
over, feeling as though she was n
longer fr1endless anA hugging her to-
"a cheap wooden doll-close to he
heart.
Creeping up the stair, not daring t.
make noise, lest she might rouse som
drunken brute who would take it fron
her, she saw as she passed a stocking
hanging on the knob of Davies doo1
She hid her treasure under the straw
and, too excited to sleep, lay thinkin
the evening over. And as she recalle
it all there came the memory of wha
the speaker had said of how even tn
smallest child might serve Christ b
serving others for His sake; might iv
for Jesus by living to do good as Fl
did. But what can I do2" though
Bones. And then, almost like blow
came the thought of Davies stocking
She had not much faith in Santa Claus
she knew that his mother cared nothin
for Christmas, and she felt aim ost Gel
tain that in the morning the empt
stocking would be empty still. He
doll-it was all she had-how could sh
give it up2 But had she not had tn
supper, seen the tree, heard the must
and had her candy2 If only she ha
kept some of thatl It was gone, how
ever, and wishing did no good.
The doll! the doll poor, cripple
Davie. What would Jesus have don,
1T was not AN elegant doll-1O cent
would have bought it anywhere-but
was the only toy she had ever had, an
heprized it more than many spoile
child of fashion does her most cost
French doll. So the struggle was
hard one. Still, the newborn love 9
Jesus in the childis heart conquered
and, stealing softly down, she droppe
her doll into Davies stocking, and |
make it safe opened the door and yer
gently placed it inside. Then she sto
back and slept the sleep Of the Just.
Is In the morning, as she crept dow
Davie called her, and, radiant. shove
the doll. aThe Christ-child did come
he said; aonly see what he brought"
Bones told him of her evening, an
then went out TO her work, leaving hi