The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-12-21

~ GlLN> 1NE""Nr.
From S.. Nicholas.
10 every girl and every boy in North
America, South. America, Europe, Asia,
Africa and Australia:
Ny Dear, Dear Friends. Doyou know
what 4 "club' is.
hear your answering echo back from
all the cliffs and mills Of oar land, and
the sea breeze brings it TO me family
from the countries far away.
'Nou get alot of people TO belong, AID
YOU have a president and rules, aud pay
50 much to join, and vote. and"
Yes, taAt is it; you all know what a
''club' is.
Now | want to write YOU abouta CLUB
"A true cluh-9 very proper and thor
oughIy organized club, eleven months
Old; and you may believe every word,
.or it all happened right here, in Port
land, Maine, less than a''year AGO.
On Sunday December 10, 1882, a lady
: ting in q warm, coy room, while the
wind whistlcI about the house, rafting
the windows, and piiing the snow fakes
in deep drifts across the steps and against
the fences, was thinking Of the houses
up on The Hill and down at Gorham'5
Corner, and IN Salem Lane, which had
no steam radiators, no glowing CRATES.
no double windows to keep out these
searching winter winds.
She thought, too, Of the little children
in those houses and. "a It was nacem-
Ter, ofthe ioyou' dly coming 50 soon.
he day for giving gifts to ali the world
overland wondered if in those houses
little bare feet would spring ont of bed,
and lance across the Chiuncys in the
dim dawn Of Christmas morning; if
numb, blue.ingers would eagerly snatch
down shabby, faded stockings; and find
that 81. Nicholas had really been there;
il, later on, fathers and mothers, with
brothers and sisters, and babies in their
high-chairs, ''for just this one day."
would come gadlv around dinner tables,
where plump Christmas Turkeys lay at
one end, and plum buildings we're ready
for the other and huge stacks of oranges,
nuts and apples rose in the middle; and
If, in the evening there would be great
mysteries in the par!ors, d fragrance of
spruce, an exciting r~ustlIng Of paper
parcels, mothers slipping sly!y in and
out of doors with hands hidden behind
them, a general scurrying about-and
then al eyes dazzled by a hundred twink
hing candles caught in the branches Of
a graceful tree laden with toys.
She wondered if in those houses would
60 up that wild shout of glee, those ring
ing hurrahs and joyous clapping Of
hands she had so often heard. And as
she wondered, she shook her head sad
ly, saying:
They have never known these pleas.
ures, they never will, uuless-oh! unless
somebody remembers them. Why can't
something be done? | would work. but
person can do go little alone. I
want a hundred helpers-where shall I
find them2p
She thought intently for a few mo.
ments, and then cried; II know! The
children will do it, the Portland chill
dren-those who have happy homes and
Christmas-trees, and play rooms full of
toys. They will load a Christmas-tree
as n was never loaded befoae; they
will spread n Christmas dinner which
cannot be eaten in one day; thev will do
1.-THE warm-hearted generous Portland
! children
The bells from ell fine chsse.les were
ringing for Sunday-school. That was
the time-that was the place to find the
children. A number of notes were writ
ten, asking two or more girls and boys
from every Sunday-school in the city to
meet at that house at five o'clock, on
the following THURSDAY afternoon.
Did they conner
Come? They did not know what the
cell was for, save for a whisper about
Christmas work; but they came; came
In pairs, In trios' in quartets and quin,
~tets-1a whole squad from the Butler
school; big boys with big hearts, wee
tots only four years old from the kin.
dergarten one hundred children ready
for ANYTHING,
Oh, / wish you could have been there
at the forming of that clubl
Al lady came forward 10 speak to Tneu
and their voices were hushed in D
tati0n. i can't tell you just what sht
said, but her words We're beautiful. She
spoke Oftheir Christmas festivities every
year, OF their pTeaentc and their friends
then OF the unfortunate children who
had Fewer, some none OF these JOYS.
When she asked: docs any one her,
trTE".#