, 1881-02-25
THE THREE LEAVES.

The day was bitterly cold in Virginia
City, as winter days most generally are
in that Alpine town, and though the
sun was bright, 1t was as cheerless and
chill almost as moonbeams. Wild
gusts whistled through the streets,
breathing icicles and frost in their furi-
Gus 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 business to transact was
summoned by inexorable duty to come
forth to his post, or else, when the day
of reckoning came, abide by the con-
sequences; but, with such exceptions
as these, he male population generally
sought the warm and friendly atmos-
phere of the drinking saloons, where
with "hot Scotch" and a glowing fur
mace, they managed to keep themselves
from freezing. OF these luckless ex-
ceptions, Abe Denning, the baker, was
one. In sunshine or storm, hail, rain
or snow, people must eat-eat, in fact;
all the more VOraciously because it does
hail or snow, as if to perpetrate an IN
seasonable joke upon the baker, who,
especially in appetising weather, must
see to it that his customers larders be
properly stored with the rarest and best
productions 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
of his class. While disappearing into a
customers house with an armful of
bread, u girl of some fifteen years OF
age emerged from a 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 re-
turned 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 the consideration which he 9TH
erwise might, gave her IN custody on the
charge of theft. The girl, without any
attempt at expostulation or explanation,
burst into an agony of tears, a sufficient
evidence, perhaps, that she was but no.
vice. after all, III the art of stealing.
"Oh p she exclaimed, don't take me
in this way. Let me wrap shawl over
my head, or the people will know me-"
The officer, consenting, accompanied
her into the cabin, the baker having
driven away, telling the policeman he
would be in court the next day to prefer
the charge before the police Judge.
The officer. on re-entering, found no
one in the cabin but three children-the
youngest about three years of age, and
the eldest six. The hut was cold and
cheerless; there was no fire. The two
elder children, alarmed at the presence
of the officer, exhibited discolored eyes
-. L l.
ing and recent tears; while little Willie,
the youngest, was crying and inappeas-
able, moping aimlessly around the cab
in, looking into the empty closet, and
putting his little hands mechanically
into the empty dishes on the table.
''What made you steal the bread, my
girl 2" asked the officer.
At the mention of the word "bread,"
little Willie looked tearfully and pit
eously in the mans face. The girl hug
ged the little fellow frantically in her
arms, covering him with tears and kisses.
''Oh, my poor little brother p she
cried, bitterly. "What will become of
You now? This man is going to take
your Lena away with him."
Here the child threw his arms around
her neck, as if to detain her by force;
while the other two children screamed
HL 10 Dfeak Ine1f hearts,
The officer, suspecting the actual state
OF affairs, began to cough convulsively;
but instead of applying his hands to his
chest or throat, as most people do on
sneh occasions, he applied his handker-
chief to his eyes.
lis there no coal, or nothing at all to
eat in the house?" said he, in a gurgling
sort of voice.
mo coal. no bread, nothing to eat"
replied the girl, wringing her hands,
''and poor Willie and the rest of us
have had nothing TO eat ever since yes
terday morning"
Here the officer had another fit of
coughing, and went away, saying that he
would be back again in a short time.
SIS the man gone for bread?" asked
the Oldest of the children.
Hush, Mollie dearp' said Lena. at
don't know what he is gone for. He's
not bad man, anyhow, for he hasn't ar
rested me, as l thought he would"
In a very few minutes the officer re-
turned with his arms full of bread and
groceries, not forgetting some cakes and
condiments for the smallest children.
while another man at his heels carried a
big sack of coal on his back.
At the sight of the bread the children
screamed with delight, while the officer
now laughed, now coughed, and fire.
quently applied his handkerchief to his
face, 10 wipe off the inspiration, as it
were.
While Lena cut up large slices of
bread. and helped the children and her
self, the two men set at work and made
large fire in the stove, the glow of which
soon diffused warmth and comfort
through the cabin. Then they cooked
the meat and made the tea, and spread a