The National tribune., 1883-09-13
DORA, TIE GIFT OF GOD
And the Blessing She Brought With
Her---A FGlk-StOry.
[By Helen RayeS.l


Tt was duh, dark day, and q short one.
The sun went down behind tho hills early,
leaving little cottage where an old woman
sat knitting, even more dismal and dark than
il had been before. 1t was not much better
than hut, with two or three rooms, and was
wretchedly old and worn out; and the Old
woman who lived in it was quite as fororn.
She was bent, withered, wrinkled dame, too
mean and miserly TO keep herself comfortable.
She had money, but it was hidden away in old
stockings, and they were hidden in out-of-the-
way places, in erevices and crannies, under old
broken bowls, or between the layers OF her
rickety bed.
The house was tumbling down for want of
repair; there was not chair nor table in it
that did not need leg; the shelf for dishes
had not a cup that was not cracked nor plate
without nip out of it. The pitchers all had
broken noses the pals had no handles, the tea
pot was without sp ,ut, and the iron Kettles
were rusty and leaky. But this did not mat
ter for no one ever shared the old danes cruSts,
and even beggars thought the place too i'll
looking to stop there and ask aims The neigh
bors, and none were very near, never crossed
her threshold; the only live thing IN the hut
besides herself was the cat. Had 1T not been
for the many mice and an occasional squirrel,
even the cat could not have lived there, Tor she
was never fed by the old woman, whose own
10O0 was OF Gne plaltltSl, CodIoSSJ Mill OAiCC
a week, she hobbled into the town for a little
tea, a bit of meat and o small pail OF -four.
Upon this very same dark, dismal day, she had
bought her supplies, and had come home very
weary; so she put q stick on the lire. hung the
kettle oyerit, and took up an unfinished stock
ing TO knit till the water should boil.
Blacller and biacker grew the sky, and the
rising wind made the old shutters creak and
the old boards tremble. Dry leaves whirled in
| The air. but they were the only moving things
| ON the road.
Click click went the old DANES needles, for
she WAS used to knitting in the dark, and
would not have lighted candle for the world:
| such useless expense as that; no. indeed!
The cat yawned and stretched herself by the
scanty blaze on the hearth, then drew up and
sat in dignifed silence. She seemed to be
| listening.
There certainly was sound not made by the
wind 1t was not unlike the sobbing of a
child. 1t came nearer, then stopped, and q
| little knock was heard on the door.
The dame thought she must have been dream
| ing; no one ever knocked at that door, SO she
went on knitting,-clickety click, clickety
| click. The cat opened her eyes wider and gave
a little flourish of her tail.
Knock, knock There it is again So the
dame shufied over to the door, and, poking
! out her head, cried:
| "Who's there?"
"Me, ma'am," said tiny voice.
"And what do you want?"
| "rm so hungry"
"This is no place to come for food; l haven't
enough for myself"
Y But | am very tired"
$50 am l." And with that the old woman
banged the door and came back to the fire.
The sobbing began again, and the wind NUT
tered and growled in the chimney and moaned
| about the caves The cats eyes grew greener,
and her tail lashed about She drew herself
up even more than before; and then, to the
DANES utter surprise, the cat said:
You have made great mistake"
How so?" returned the dame, dropping the
| knitting, and peering over her glasses, as II it
was their fault she had not heard Alright.
"You have turned away peace and plenty
from your door," said the cat, very grandly.
Pooh, pooh !" said the old woman.
- tell you again, you viii rue it," said the
cat.
Are you sure?" asked the dame, impressed
by the cats dignified and positive manner
Quite sure" said the cat; she would have
brought you GOLD"
That magic word made the dame start.
"Who would have brought me gold?" she
asked.
"The child"
"Who is she?"
"No matter" said the cat
" Is it too late to call her back 2" inquired the
old woman anxiously, and shufiing again to-
ward the door.
"Try," said the cat.
The dame opened the door, but the night was
too dark TO see anything In spite of her deaf
ness, however, she thought she heard a cry
She CROPPED her way III its direction, and there
erouching under a corner of the rickety old
fence, was the self-same child.
"Come with me- said the dame; and the
child arose and followed her.
When they had come back to the house, they
found the cat curled up In heap, and appa
rently asleep. The dame muttered angrily
about being SO foolish as to listen to what cat
said. But just then she heard low Take
carei"
1t could have come only from the cat, fol
) the child was warming its poor little hands
before the tiny blaze, and the kettle had begun
TO sing.
Then the old woman took out candle
lighted it, and surveyed the child
She was little creature, thin, and half
starved looking, but her eyes were of the sof
blue of wild violets and her hair was yellow
/ as sunshine.
what is your name?" demanded the dame
! peering at the little girl.
, Theodore, or Dora, as Mamma called me-
9 "Where is your mother?"
"In heaven
"And you: where did you come from; wher
are you going?"
"I'm trying to find Mamma"
8 Nothing more could the old woman draw
from the sobbing little creature. But her old
withered heart began to pain her. Some dim
= far-of recollection stirred a faint feeling o
pity; something in the child's words and wist
5 fulness reused the old dame to warm the littl
G feet and bathe the little face, and give the chile
a taste of food and drink, and place her be
Q meath the warm bed-clothes.
= The dame rose early next day, and made
n fire while the child still slept and as she wa
: blowing the embers, she was sure the cat, VIII
/, was stretching herself in the chimney corner
! said:
e BE kind! Be CAREFUL"
When the child awoke and had risen, sh
If fell upon her knees and prayed; and the oil
e dame, listening felt tear trickle down tn
T wrinkles and fall upon her hand At once sh
went to the cupboard and cut a thick slice G
r bread; and then she watched the child eat i
with new sensation of pleasure. But th
10 little one, having eaten, came and kissed hel
" and the poor old woman sat down and cried
IS for no human being had so much as spoken
kind word to her in years. Then little Dor
is seemed SO sorry, that the old woman dried he
l. tears and began the household work; but Dor
e, and handy, that the old dame just sat dow
IA and simply watched her.
L Hither and thither went the little girl lik
busy domestic fairy. She swept the room
p she polished the candestick, she wiped til
L. table, and folded the cloth; she fed the cat an
the dame said never a word in objection; sf
sc filled the kettle and replenished the fire, an
as then she sat down and asked for some knitting