The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1882-12-28
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FAITH.

FAITH.
1es. We call her Faith. She's our,
. On. III tell ye how il was.
va r1ghting up things round nv
market-stan one day, hanging green's
an mem everlasting wreaths nv old
Wis etnerally call her Betsey-ties
WIN punches Of red berries, an eettin .
eaay Tor customers, when voice be-
ana mo says,- -
Got cheap Christmas.tree mister?n
A Chrismas.tree' sonny? How much
you want to give?" says a-turn;ne
round. An bless. you! it Want no bov
At all. but just the queerest mite of q cal
you ever set eyes on.
Maybe she might a been ten year old.
out und>r the Clothes she had on-k;ni
OF buried In 'em LIKE declare if sla
seemed more than six! There WAS q
skirt that come to the tops of IN old pair
ooys shoee.-I guess they was.-an'
over that she had on regular bows
coat that covered her lcet]e hands all up.
an on her head she wore hat tied down
over her ears with a shoe-strinp.
But never mind the garments; it was
the gal l looked at. Such a pair CT
dancing eyes couldn't tell, bless me il I
could, whether they was black or grey;
an such face! Just as round as one of
my pippias, an just as pretty color
IN tho cheeks, an teeth that were more
IKE Kernels OF corn than anything ever
see off the farm.
A q fnr 1ni ,,,nv, ~. o..k
der that old hat, an for the life of me.
! couldn't think of nothing but leetle
risky stems off my squash vines a-grab-
Ding this thing an u. curling round that.
An thar she stood, a Christmas picter,
between two Of my Christmas IT, es!
1 want a cheap tree" says she, an
out come one of them lettle red hands
a'hol't!ng two coppers. An when she
looked at them an up at me, how her
eyes danced an twinkled! had to laugh
myself, and you'd have thought, to have
seen the satisfaction Of that little one,
that she was goin' to purchase out an
out, hull forest of pine trees.
Two cents worth of C',ristmas green's
won't go far towards decorating" says 1,
trying to ct my face into material trade
seriousness. "You amt buying tor a
church society, or nothing like that, be
ye, sissy"
''No," she says, walking round me an
surveying my highest priced everlasting,
nm runners. II amt tixin up a big place,
and don't expect to hang up miles OF
Christmases, nor have wheels of them
things with them red drops in 'em; but
l mean to keep Christmas this time,
mister, an I've been saving up for this
tree"
1t was SO funny, the matter-of. course
way She had, aud it seemed so serious a
matter with her to spend her two cents,
that l had to 80 behind my stall to laugh,
l didn't want to hurt the child's feelings.
When l got my face composed once more
back | went, an / tell ye, the minute
she see me coming, her eyes begun
to twinkle an her curls to crnkle an her
teeth glistened out, and couldn't help
it, but laughed right there before her.
But she appeared to think that was the
way maybe market men had when they
sold customers Christmas trees, an she
laughed, too.
Mister" she says "if could have this
one, it'd do fur me" printing to a:pretty
spruce worth, guess, two dollars in the
trade. II amt much to put onto it,
says she, "but that don't make no diff.
ference; it's the be.yutiful tree want"
IFS rather bargain fur ye, SIS" SAYS
l;"an' If you haint nothin to but onto it,
you'd better save your coppers an buy
something to till up your stockings"
"Oh, | don't wear no stockings!' she
said, laughing, Tan l borrar these ere
shoes when goes out to shop. But the
rest Of TIE things is mine-left me-"
'Where's your father?" said !, trying
to be sober.
II never had none." says she.
"a ~ vOur rOthOrpn
''She's dead. mister. Miss Chrissio
says 80. I live alone down in Pin Alley,
an does jobs.
"What in the world" says I, a.break-
ing out. "do you want a Christmas
that she broke out laughing till
them cd shoes of hern wiggled on her
feet as if they enjoyed it.
''''Therc amt nobody but me coming,
tell YOU" she says: II want that there
tree for my own Christmas, an want
to jest whisper something to you," an
before knew it, she had my ear pulled
down near them leetle teeth OF hern, an
was saying, soft like, as if some OF our
nIarketmen might come between any
plan of prov idence an hers,-
"Maybe the Father Miss Christie told
about'll come an hang something onto
see, and Ill tell you, mister, if He does,
cents to buy the tree for Him an me. if
He don't think. amt too bad an too
poor to git something. Miss Christie
says you never can tell when He's a.
listening an a-watching an making plans
for us children down here, an Pm going
to help along an have the tree all ready"
ooh, la!" she gees on, ''the best Of
trees wouldn't he too good if He should
come, would it, mi-ter?"
did wish my Betsey was there! I
never did have no natural dignity, an I
amt in no wise hardened in my old age.
Well; the truth is, felt it come on me
to appear sort OF rough to that gal just to
save my own feelings.
II amt got tree for two cents"
says, turning away gruff like. "I'ln
afraid you'll hayc to 90 somewhere else."
Now do you think that gal acted any
ways put out? I peeked round at her
while l went on hanging up an everlast-
ing wreath. Bless you! what said never
troubled her q mite. Out came them
teeth a-sparkling, an her eyes laughed as
prcttily as I'd presented her with five
dollar tree. an she says
THANK we, mister! thank We! Where'll
1go?".
Listen 10 tnat! says 10 myseH.
The confidence of that gal! that she
should think was standing in that cold
market of mornings to help her along
with her Christmas tree! Tho custom
ers we're beginning to pour in, so said -
''Sis," says l. II haint got tree for
two cents this morning, but when come
in Tomorrow I'll bring you one if I
can"
II just knowed it! Iknowed it!'' she
said, an cIattered her big, loose shoes
around, an in a minute she was gone.
All day long, every once in a while,
off I'd 20 into fit amusing and smiling
for that little gals face would come afore
me like, bright bit Of sunlight in rainy
day. An to tell the truth, was little
impatient to get home to Betsy, for 1
felt I'd like to tell her abont the gal.
When drove into the barnyard that
evening Betsey-tllat's my wife's name
she was feeding the calf, an when the
"a r.