Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-23
THE COBBLER'S CHRISTMAS.

i THE COBBLER'S CHRISTMAS.
cts no use, Becky" said the little lam
I'cobbler dropping his head upon his HAND
and looking as he felt the personifcatio
of despair; 81 have offended the Lor
somehow, and he won't let me have til
chance to keep home over your heads.
know Pm not all I ought to be, and II
punished"
Becky went across the room and pate
her husband on the back.
Snow, don't take on, Nick" she sale
''that can't be, for he as knows all, know:
how good you are. Better days will come
They're sure to; and you'll be rev ar !e
for all your patience yet. The darkes
hour is just before day.
The cobbler shook his head.
1--we gin up hope," he said, what Will
rent and the bill for the medicine. 1t wal
like me to get sick just at the worst, and
no work coming in; and the new shop
with the gilt sign tempting the folks from
| our shabby basement even for the mendine
Of their old shoes. Pm crushed down
Why, you are as thin and whitesas a ghost
You haven't tasted meat this week, Becky
''No more have you," said Becky, 'bu!
la, why, there is folks thinks meat unhul-
some, wegetarians, Nick, they call 'em
where I lived out once, I saw one"
did he say bread was unhulsome too?''
asked Nick. ''Oh, gal, wish d.left ye
living out at service, rosy and bright and
happy, but 1 meant to do better, said.
If was an able bodied man, I'd work
somehow and somewhere, but its the last
or nothing with me. Becky, why didn't
you take Tim Rolf, the wheelwright, and
send the little limping cobbler about his
business!'
Il didn't like Tim," said Becky. cana
just knew how nice AID cosey we'd be
together. Never quarrel, Nick. And
how we used to go to Hoboken and have
lemonade in the garden, and come home
after dark of an afternoon, and how we
used to go to church on Sunday morning
in clothes as good as any one"
'Used," sighed poor Nick.
"Why, it can't be all up HILL" said
Becky. II haven't time to go out gallant
ing now, but la, I don't miss it. We're al
ready married folks now you know"
ooh, Becky" said the cobbler, ''you-t y
to keep up heart, but you know it's come
to starving
They looked at each other. aud then
Becky put her arm about her husband.
She did not weep upon his bosom, she was
so big and strong, and he so small and frail
that it seemed only natural to reverse
matters. She Rugged him up to her shout
der and covered his head over with her
apron, and put her cheek down outside the
bundle thus made and smoothed and pat
ted him as if had been a baby-but she
cried, too, and the apron was wet through
in no time.
Il was bad state of things for the day
before Christmas; or for any other time of
the year for that matter. No money, no
food, no fire; and water at its coolest. No
work to be had; the little cobbler as help
less as man could be except at his trade,
and Becky's washing stopped, for heaven
only knows how long, by great felon on
loved the queer little mortal-she stopped
crying first, and kissed him between the
eyes-great frightened blue eyes, that
seemed made for crying.
"You stay home and mind the place."
she said. Il am going out while. Per-
haps there'u be a bit of luck-who
knows?"
She put on her bonnet and shawl-such
a thin little shawl-which had been used
for an ironing ciotil, and had an iron shape
between the shoulders-and took
up basket.
The cobbler looked at her.
Becky" he said hoarsely; "Becky." She
knew just what he meant.
''The little children, Nick" she said; "we
could starve-but them poor little critters
Nick, it won't seem like begging when
it's for them"
And when the door shut behind her
and poor Nick limped after her as though
to stop her; then paused, and fairly flung
himself on the floor, wishing he were un-
der the ground beneath it.
God forgive the man who marries q
woman to starve her." he sobbed. "Why,
if had known it would have come to this,
I'd never have oourted her. It's time I was
dead"
Perhaps being strange, impulsiye lit
tie fellow, there might have been tragic
end to this scene, out that the children
came in and begun to cry--partly a. the
sight of their PROSTATE father, partly be-
cause of hunger-and Nick forgot him
self, to do what he could for them.
He had no dinner, but he had q great
deal of love to give them, and some pieces
of red kid. And the fact that mother and
the basket were both gone together, i'm
pressed them with the hope of provisions.
Meanwhile, Becky had gone a begging.
It would be horrible, no doubt, she thought,
to take food from strangers-but she
found that there was one thing even more
terrible, not to take it.
Door after door was slammed in her
face-once a dog was set at her, or she
thought SO. Professional beggars had
made themselves nuisances to many peo-
pie and how were they to know when real
poverty asked aims. Men whom they had
pitied as paupers, proved to be owners of
real estate. Cripples and blind men whom
they had aided, were found to have bound
up strong limbs and glued their eyes to-
gether-so they were hard upon real dis
tress, and refused it broken bread.
At that evening, Becky stood at a
street corner, with one crust In her basket
and no more.
Beyond lay pawnbroker's shop. and