Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1881-12-31

had begun to live. Ella Vander6iit
stood in the midst of it, confused DIS
.tressed, powerless to move or speak;
This was an awful revelation. she had
never realized that such sorrow could
be in the world, and her darling latie
brother Tom was only one among all
these sufferers.
He could not be taken home. IL
would have been impossible to move
him, even if it had been desirable; and
it was many days before he could recog-
niz, any Of the tender faces bending SO
lny;ously above his little bed. Ella
vas 1t the hospital every day. The
horror of it had quickly worn away,
leaving only pity, tenderness, and the
strongest desire she had ever felt in her
life t. b of some service in the world.
She gradually became acquainted with
the children, taking them into her heart
with some of the yearning fondness
which went out to her own little Tom I;
and as Christmas approached, utterly
forgot herself and her own wishes IN
the intense desire she felt to brighten
up the holiday somehow for the poor
children in the little white beds.
She more than ever mourned the Loss
ot.the money which the family had e1-
pected to devote to Christians gifts, but
from a very different reason than the
one which had formerly disturbed her
But one day she had an idea-one
which pleased her, too, judging from the
smile around the lips which told no
secrets, but looked wise aud happy
She spent little less time ct the hos
pital. The children missed her and
told her SO; but Tom was getting s"
much better, she said in reply, and eb''
vas very busy, for Christmas was CON-
ing and who could tell what Santa
Claus would give her to bring to the
chillren's ward Her own eyes filed as
she saw their dull ones sparkle, and the
pinched faces grow pleasedand anxious !;
then she hurried away, for time was
precious and she was anxious 70 make
the most OF it.
She had intervals Of disappearing
mysteriously into her own room after a
forenoon spent as mysteriously in The
garrett. where she would remain for two
or three hours, emerging with her hat
on an | q little bag in her hand for a
trip "down town." as she vaguely
stated.
"You shall have your small brother
home on Christmas day" the physician
said to her, sand he's Christmas
present worth having. You ought not
to complain il you don't have anything
else" and just then Ella Vanderbilt
wondered how she could ever have COM
phined Of anything while dear little
Tom was alive and well.
She pat into the little bed from which
he was taken q number of small
packages which she carefully COW
cred over with sheet. "Ihat
il to be your Christmas tree, to-
morrow" she explained to the children
as she left them in wonderful state CT
curiosity and excitement.
Little Tom Vanderbilt opened his
ewes the next morning in his mothers
familiar. homelike room, but for the
children who had no homes and no
mothers there was great pleasure in
store in the packages which ELLA Santa
Claus" as one of the little fellows
called her, hal LETT for them on Toms
bed.
Such pictures and such picture
booksl The children shouted in their
delight. ella Santa Claus" had rum
mayed in the garret to some purpose,
and accomplished considerable in her
trips "down town." From old papers
and magazines she had cut every pie,
ture, large letter, or figure she could
find. These had been nicely pasted into
old uccyun5 books of her fathers, which
had been thrown aside. Advertising
cards., bills, circulars-everything OF
the kind which was bright or fanciful
or funny in any way, had been cut out
and preserved. Old pasteboard boxes
had been cut up into convenient squares
and whole alphabets and sets of figures
pasted on them. On others were little
stories clipped from the same old books
and papers, and easy in that shape to
hold and read, as we'll as hand about
from one bed to another. There were
paper dolls, too some old-idshion
magazines and tailors' plates had fur
nished those, and the paper children
found ready welcome among the little
invalid ones. Ella was more than sat-
isfied with the state of affairs which she
found on her next visit to the hospital,
for, although the little brother was not
there, there were others to love and
care for. "And though perhaps may
never have piano, mother" she said,
The next day, eve had the very best
Christmas ever had in my life, though
it was a-a-scrappy one"