River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-12-27

| Inere was great pat0OS IN the apoie
ogy with which she SOU ht to quiet her
conscience concerning this unwonted
lapse from self-denIal, but the widow
was unaware of it.
Next came forth pair OF small, new,
shining shoes and pair of warm stock
,g5. These she placed on chair In
ne corner, where on were already ar
rayed a child's undergarments, spotless
white, print dress, evidently newly
made and fresh, bright-colored WOOL
IN sacque. The shoes and stockings
completed the little toilet and the wild
ow stood, with clasped hands and
moist eyes, regarding them.
"How pretty she will look" was her
thought. No more fortunate mother,
imagining her darling arrayed in costly
draperies, ever experienced a more ex-
qusite thrill of pleasure. She held up
her thin, toil-worn fingers and viewed
them.
cat least you have gained her that
much" she said, with sort of triumph.
But the pleasure was gone, and pain
as keen, followed it. How keen, let
those mothers say who have suffered,
not for themselves, but for their chill
dren.
But it was not yet time for sad reverie.
Rousing herself, she continued her task
OF love.
The next investigation brought forth
a fine orange, two large apples. and
three sticks of canIy. 1t happened that
fruit was unusually dear, that winter,
and to buy these had taxed her slender
resources to their utmost. Uncle Ben's
package was found to contain fearfully
and wonderfully colored assortment of
confectionery, at which the widow shook
her head doubtfully, proving the cor
| rectness of her doubt, by tasting cherry
| whose sugared coat having dissolved left
behind it chalky core which reminded
the faster of something sue vaguely re-
| membered to have seen somewhere in
| poetry, about certain Dead Sea fruits.
| The ASSOCIATION was classic, but incon-
| gruous. The widow laugheda little, and
| then she sighed.
Poor old Ben," she said, lyon have
thrown away your money. No you
haven't either; you have put it out at
| interest"
She laid the gift carefully upon the
| mantle, where it wouid attract the
| child's notice, and committed the APP
| pies and three slender sticks of candy
| to the hollow OF the little stocking that
| hung beside the fire. The seed cakes,
| taken from a hidden store, to make
which secretly, che had robbed herself
| of sleep, helped to round it out; and the
| orange, WHICH was too large To 20 inside,
balanced its golden sphere perilously at
| the top.
After that, she took, from secret
corner of her drawers, a book; a child's
story-book, boarded carefully these
many years. Somebody had given it to
Bessie Whon she was a baDy. She had
never seen it, but she could read quite
well now, and she should have it. Neat
| ly wrapping it in paper-.ngenieus eX-
pedient of love to prolohg delighted an
ticpation-she placed it beside the
stocking.
A second research in the drawer dis
covered bundle of gay-colored scraps,
and with these in hand the widow pro-
ceeded to draw forward large wooden
box upon the floor, whose open side
hal been pushed to the wall, thereby
disclosing within a venerably ancient
plaster OF Paris doll, surrounded by q
motley company of rag dolls ofall shapes
and sizes, all put to bed and neatly COW
cred up beneath lilIputian patchwork
counterpdne. The box occupied the
corner, under which hung the little
stocking, and upon its top lay calico
covered cushion, on which kitten was
doing. The widow placed the bundle
within and pushed the box back to its
place carefully, without uIsturDlng the
kitten, lingering then moment to view
the whole.
There are all her treasures" she said
at last ''all but the dog, and he is in his
bed of straw that she gathered and made
for him herself. Well, she'll have plen-
ty to do, dressing her dolls Tomorrow"
She sighed again and turning away,
sat d owr, wrapped her shawl about her
shoulders, and took up the work she
had laid by. All was done that she
could do, and now the speCtres which
had retreated fer a while into the shad
owed corners of the little room, crept
forth aud stood at her elbow, and whi5-
pered in her ear; Knocked her with the
past, tainted her with the grim and
buren, present, and froZe her blood |
with terrors for the future.
1t was not so much that her larder |
was lean, or that her clothing was scant, |
or that her back ached, and her fingers |
trembled with WEAKNESS in her efforts
to compass even that slender portion of
the worlds goods which was hers. Many
were poor beside her, she reflected; it
was equally as hard for them as for her.
But she longed for little human sym
Dathy and fellowship. Had some one
of the wealthy neighbors. i'll charitable
mood, entered her humble home, laden |
with ali of food or clothing that she
could have found in her heart to desire,
she would have thanked them
it is true, for the sake of the
child, but the proud spirit would have
WINGED under its burden of gratitude.
But were there only one among them
10 come into the silent room, and sit
down in the empty chair at her side; to
ook at her with warm, kindly human
eyes, to take her by the hand and bid
her bear and hOpe-ah, then-and as
the salt tear trickled drop Oy drop upon
her work she glanced up unclnsciously
to where Uncle Ben's gift lay upon the
mantel. The kind -hearted old negro
had unwittingly touched to the quick
the sorest spot of her sore heart. Yet
they were good people, these neighbors
Of hers; very good people, indeed much
better, all of them, than herself. She
felt thoroughly convinced that fact.
That they were not unkindly disposed
10 ward her, when they thought of her
at all, she had had frequent proof. But
the truth simply was that they did not
think OF her. She was a noneutIty to
them: they were busted about their own
iffairs ana their own emotions; so busy
that, if they thought of her casually, it
never occurred to them that she could |
have either affairs or emotions.
Well, she had her child.
And TO the Cnltu Ter thoughts turned, |
ana to it her prayers assembled as-rhe |
ire grew dull and the hour late-she |
folded aside her work and sought her |
couch, there to clasp the tiny form |
to her heart and find forgetfulness in
sleep.
Blessed sleep, in which the tired heart |
and the tired body alike find rest and
renewal of strength. And while the |
mother and child slept on, the last faint |
glow of the embers fell UPON the little |
stocking, swelling with its riches. And
without the whie frost crisped and |
cracked, showing even through the dim |
night, and the multitude OF Christmas
stars, shining in the sky. And there
was one angel WIN said to his fell
low, "What shall we do that we may
please Him best?" And the other an
swered, Those two that are alone; let
us so and keep watch over them, for
they are of them concerning whom He
said, whatsoever ye do unto them, We
do unto Me-"