Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-12-22
A CHIsTMAs STORY.
Something had happened.

Something had happened.
1t was not that the fire was out. The
fire was apt to be out where Popsy and
Pease lived.
1t was not that they had not had any
dinner Pease and Popsy very often had
no dinner.
1t was not altogether that Pease had
been crying. Poor little Pease erred SO
much that she and Popsy had both got
used to 1t.
II was not SO much that Popsy had a
sore throat. Popsy usually had sore
throat.
1t was not even that Popsy had cut bis
finger. Popsy was apt to cut his finger
when he tried to stuff the broken W indow
to keep the wind from Pcase.
Nor was it entirely that it showed. 1t
usually showed since Tom Joggins got
drunk, and stuck mop-handle through
the window. and SO made room for the
storm to come In on Pease.
Then it Was not the landlady. exactly.
To be sure. she had just been up, and said
she &c ,uldn't be bored with the two of
'em. back luck to 'eul. and they raust take
thei'sels off sharpr'
The landady almost always said that.
| The thing which happered had never
happened before; it could never, never
happen again to Pepsy and Pease
The thing which had happened was
worse than the landady. it was worse than
the snow-storm, it was worse than bro
Ken window, it vas worse than no fire, and
worse than no dinner; it hurt worse than
sore throat, and it ached harder than
the blue. cut finger that Pnpsy put SILVER
inl cut to wrap the end Of his old 1ippet
round the neck and shoulders of little
Pease.
The thing which had happened was that
Manmt vas dead.
The window might be mended, if one
J had the glass. The fire could be lighted,
! il anybody brought the wood. The land
| 'dy would stop talking, if people paid
their rent. If you hurt your finger or your
throat. you might get well Even Pease
wonld not cry forever and ever.
The snow itself would stonp softly and
lie down in the streets and stop one day,
and the grass would come. and it would be
spring.
But when your mother is dead there is
nothing to be done.
Popsy. in Popsy's wav. thought of all
this, or some of il, or enough of 1t to nm
derstand that something, not like an, thing
else in the world, had happened to himself
and his sister Pease.
ut can't unhappen, ''said Popsy, speak
ing quite aloud.
Pease stopped crying and looked up
Pease was pretty-when she had had her
dinner and a fire, and when it didn It snow
| in the window, and when her mamma was
there to brush her hair. and tie the plaid
fipreu on somhow different--how did
mamma tie that tippet?
Popsy wondered, studying the twist of
the fringe prave'y and with care. He
liked to see Pease look pretty, even if the
| fire we're out.
sSWeet Pesse," mamma used to call her
| Her mamma was different from the nd
| lady and MS. Joggins. They had little
girls, hnt they called them Bet, and Bid
get. and Mariarann. Popsy thouth his
mnt,er had ben different from everybody
| in the I'll.
Trne, he did not know great many
people in the world, but he felt sure of
this. His mamma did not let them play
| with Bet and Mariarann.
His p ,pa was dead. too. Mamma said
he was in heaven with the Lord jesus
| But that didn't matter so much b+cause
Popsy could not remember about him.
All that Popsy could remember was
that they had cone from place to place,
and room to room, he and mamma End
| Pease; and that everything that happened.
| happened worse than the last thing, and
now the worst of all bad happened, and
mamma lay dead upon the bed in the cor
ner one day. aid another day man came
and took her off, and Tom Joggins said
they had buried her.
And it was cold. and Pease was CRYING
and his finger ached, and when mamma
made ruffled nightgowns-a dozen for If
ty cents-they sometimes had dinner,
and a breakfast, too, bread, maybs, and
molasses. or an Indian meal pudding.
wished had bread 'nlarsy!" sobbed