The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-01-06

- :, hetty's Uncle John and his wit.
three childrep,s and Aunt Maria a Gnu
was q widow, with her two seh;s,S Nno
came IN season for the Chr;stmaS S sn,
t ner: AND the little Raymouds showed
thelr presents to the five cousins '" "sa
the hve cousins told the littla p anu
monds what beautiful presents t tbSr.
had. And Ben told the five cous;ns Il,
auouG netty present to Santa OLE
ana Santa Claus letter to uatt,, "us
then the letter had to be read ovsr an" Gnu
over again; and the cous ns on. an9
their flve pairs Of eyes very Wide I foa
they had never heard of si,cb . H.; ,or
before, and they all wondered hng
Hetty dared to doit. now
After dinner, when the oror, en-,
had gone off into the parlor tha i 1;,.,s
haymonds and the five cousins had tho
kltchen all to, themselves, and tbav
popped corn and roasted chestnuts and
Piayea all sorts of games until n;na
o'clock, and then they, had I'd % 10 70
eed. There were so MANY of tbsm ths,
Uncle Johns two girls had II s,a" Lat
with Hetty. and they talked and ~
gled and told each other stories IN
they were too sleepy for anything and
linen just as they were almost asleen
Hetty rolled out Of bed, and that ' maSp
more fun, and it was nearly midnicbt ha
lore they went to sleepin good earnest.
but the strangest part of this story il
YET TO come. When Hetty went to
church the Sunday after Christmas sho
saw Old Father Goodwin, as he was
called, come into church with scarf and
mlttens ON that We're exactly like tha
ones she made for Santa Claus. Father
GOODWIN was Very GOOD man Int
very poor. He lived alone. and did
not always have clothes enough 70 keen
HIM warm, or food enough to keen him
from being +, hungry. Mrs. RAYMOND
always sent him Christmas dinner
ana sometimes pair %ofswarm5 stock.
lngs, or coat that Mr.. RAYMOND had
done. wearing Hetty wondered who
could have made just such a present
tor Father Goodwin as she had nmlade
Tor Santa Claus. but she said nothing
only pondered on it the rest of the dav'
"A few days after this, Father Goodwin
called to see Mr.. RAYMOND about
something, and as" he sat by the fra
Hettycame to hisside, and timidly asked
nm where eIl be got such q warm scarf and
sThey were. q Christmas present INV /
dear, answered the old man, kindly. /
land l am not at liberty to tell where |
they came from,l don, = know what |
L should do this cold weather with |
out them, and L bless the dear hand
that knit them, and the Kind heart that
thought OF giving them to an old man
like me-"
Hetty didn't ask any more questions.
but all the winter whenever she saw
Father Goodwin with his scarf and nit
tens she had the queerest little sus.
picions in her ibewildered head N and
one day her mother caught her burning /
up Santa Claus letter, and it was prii I
vately whispered among the older mem.
bers of the family that Hetty's conf. I
dences; in Santa Claus. seemed to, be
shaken. When next Christ.
mas approached Hetty did not men,
ton his name, but she did ask her
mother to let her give Emma Watkins al
warm new cloak, instead OF having anvil
presents herself, Emma's mother was
widow, and so very poor that she
could not dress Emma warmly enough
so that she could attend church and
Sabbathlschool in cold weather Mrs
was, very willing that Hetty
should deny herself and do good to
others, and readily consented to the
plan. So. although sHettys, idea was
The means of her losing faith in Santa
Claus. it was also the means of her be.
coming a blessing to the poor, and al
great comfort to her parents. -Mrs.I
BtS6ee, IN Golden Rule. f3tssiiJGT 5H