The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25
Harry's Skates.
"A Short story for Little Folks.
BY MARCIA BRADBURY JORDAN.
Written for The Press.l

Written for The Press.l
Sin small proportions we Just beauty see
And in short measures life may perfect be-"
Harry SaDton was ten years old. At least
he would be on Christmas Day. Perhaps this
was one reason, he had always so many beau
tiful presents Christmas and "Harry's birth
day." there was strong appeal! Then toe
MS parents had great deal of money and SC
were able to indulge their boys longing;
where other people with just the same wish tc
do so would be obliged to be careful and eco.
nomical.
Really" said Harry's mother at a consul
tation week before Christmas, when you
may be sure Harry was not admitted-O, no
he was safe in bed and sound aslesp-'re-
ally, Harry does not need the new skates al
all. His old ones are perfectly good and
large enough for year yet. The new pain
are the same size: he will outgrow them in
the same time. do not want to make the lit
tie fellow extravagant in his IDEAS"
81 know said papa, "but these are finer
and of newer pattern. He admired them SC
much the other day as we passed them in a
window I think he would rather have them
are right, we must not lavish too many knick-
knacks upon hi but these really must go with
his Christmas treasures" So Harry's mother
said no more and the skates were safely hid
den from sight to await the eventful day.
But before we go on with our story have to
tell you little about Harry. He was man
ly, honest boy: very good looking with his
frank blue eyes and sturdy form and not a bit
OF a prig. Neither was he in the least what
his cronies would term 'sstuck-np." But he
had one fault, he was little-well not stingy,
he shared his goodies fairly enough,-but just
little inclined to look out for himself first of
all. 1t came partly from having the means to
crafty all his tastes. He was not like some
boys L know bubbling over with generosity and
unselfshness. No one realized thisso we'll as
his dear mother and that was the reason that
come-Harry's tenth birthday!-she had TAX
en- him aside and had little loving talk with
him.
She had told him that Christ came on earth
to teach men to love each other and to live
not for their own happiness alone, and last of
all she said, II want you to think Of others,
my dear little boy, and remember it is not real
generosity to give away only what you do not
want yourself. think she said this because
Harry was pluming himself a trife on his
liberality in getting together package of his
discarded toys to send down to the Christmas
Club. That was very nice and she liked to
have him do it, but not to feel that it was
sacrifice, because it was not when he had SO
many beautiful new gifts himself.
Well, Harry went on arranging his Christ
mas Club box; but somehow what his mother
had 20 gently and affectionately said remained
with him and he thought "a boy who gives
away only what he doesn't want isn't so gery
generous" Little did he think that bye and
bye test would be made of how much this
thought really weighed with him.
After dinner the Christmas presents were
all discussed. Harry explained the joy to
be derived from working with mis- new set of
teols-"as good as a carpenters, sir'-this, to
his mother whom he often addressed with an
entire disregard of gender. He tried on his
seal skin cap. Then he opened his fine paint