The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-12-30
CHRIsTMAs AMONG THE LOwLY.
blessed are the poor in spirit p

CHRIsTMAE AMONG THE LOWLY.
Blessed are the poor in spirit"
Mr.. Spooner was not exactly selfish
man, nor totally indifferent to the moral
or domestic condition of those around
him; but he was usually too much occu-
pied with that what he deemed ''his
own affairs" to pay much attention to the
affairs, or even the necessities of his
neighbors-in fact he hardly knew what
he could do best in order to relieve, or
to assist those who might be entitled to q
share of his bounty or benevolence.
He was not very demonstrative man,
and not at all sensational one, nor by
any means given to feasts and festivi-
ties.
If he was just in the vein he might
have done kindness to any worthy per-
son who would ask him, but he would
suffer many things to spoil, rot, decay,
or to be eaten up by "moths and rust, .
before he would think of offering them
to anybody, simply because he thought
nobody wanted them.
He had never bestowed Christmas
gift, or any other kind of gift, on any
one in his life, nor had he ever received
one, and hence he permitted the annual
festival to come and 60 without an active
participation in it. Nevertheless, Mr..
Spooner sometimes did wish that he
could or had taken an active interest in
that which seemed to concern everybody,
and which was every year becoming
more fixed in the hearts and minds of
people; especially, thought Mr.. Spooner,
those people who have children. or
fokhnro vnnk1,oro hrnfhnrS
nephews or nieces, to say nothing about
grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins,
etc.
Mr.. Spooner, although something of q
philosopher, yet never for a amoment sup
posed that giftmaking is largely the re-
suit of habit, and that the habit once
formed continues to grow stronger and
stronger by exercise, and that the hap
piness resulting from such habit COR
respondingly increases, so that after q
time the giver is more signally blest and
feels more Joy than the receiver.
It is true, OF late years he had fre-
quently been tempted to make gift to
some worthy object, but the obstacle in
the way of its nltimation was the counter
temptation not to do it, suggesting the
while What's the use?"-''save your
money" or perhaps the super cautious
suggestion i that his gift may not be &c.
ceptable; nobody wants it; and, that
modification and self-reproach will be
the consequence. The greatest obstacle
in the way, however, was the fact that he
did not know what to give, or to whom.
If he could only have known before
hand who was in want, and what they
wanted, it would greatly facilitate the
act, because he was always afraid his
gifts might be too good for one class of
recipients and not good enough for
another class, matters that are very apt
to control the actions of those who are
only half in earnest, or with purposes
only half formed. But the opportunity
came at last.
Mr.. Spooner, on the day before Christ
mas, had Jared sumptuously at hotel
in large city, and had repaired to the
front of the building to pick his teeth,
smoke his cigar, and read the morning
paper; after which he thought to take a
stroll, partly on business, and partly to
"gawk" into the showy windows.
The building next to the hotel was a
large shoe store, and as he was passing
this he observed little boy and little
girl, peering into the window wistfully,
and admiring small pair of
boots, with copper-toes and q
smaller pair of misses CATERS. They
were bright, intelligent children, but
poorly and thinly clad, and the air, al
though not very cold, still was raw and
unfriendly, especially to those not COM
fortably clothed. He only stopped
moment to take superficial gaze and
= A1at ont tho bow fo
the paddock of his heart was developed,
and it continued to ''burn" him until he
introduced it into the lock and finally
opened it.
20 Sissy" exclaimed the boy, ''but I
do wish that Santa Claus would bring me
pair of copper-toed boots like those in
the box, tomorrow morning"
''Yes, Bubb," responded Sissy. land
If he was to bring me pair of CATERS
like those just below them, wouldn't
be good girl?'
Mr.. Spooner passed on, but every little
boot and gaiter he saw all that blessed
forenoon, and every noise he hesrd,
seemed to be re-echo of the wishful
words of those two little children and he
hasf wished they had importuned him to
purchase the articles they so much
needed; and then he reproached himself
for not having done 80 without being
asked.
After dinner Mr.. Spooner hied himself
again to the front of the hotel. The
weather had undergone q perceptible
change; clouds obscured the sun.
and vagrant flakes of snow were
falling. Turning his gaze towards the
shoe store, he beheld the same little boy
and girl of the morning, their teeth
chattering with cold, and engaged in an
earnest and wishful colloquy on the sub
iect of the boots and CATERS in the win
dow. He now scanned them in more
minute detail. Their clothing was thin
but clean, and considerably patched, but
their footgear was bad--very bad-and a
world too large for them insufficient for
the season.