Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-12-22


Eve there'll be a good many I'm
; the streets; but don't wait till il's
real dark, you know, only just kin
, der dim.n
Obedient 10 these Instructions,
Tessie walked till she was very
tired, but as she sold many boxes OF
} matches, and had good deal of
money given her also, she kept on
until the twilight began 10 gather
and the glow of gas shone from the
houses.
She thought at last that she must
go home, and her shortest way lay
past the big house where the dog
lived. Still, he WA not always
there when she went by, ard so she
boldly walked on until she got OPP
pOsite the windows of the parlor.
There she paused, spell bound. The
curtains and blinds were pushed
back, and she could see rising high
mp almost to the ceiling, a Christ
mas tree, all ablaze with lights aud
glittering with beautiful things.
The little candles shone with q soft
| glow, their yellow lustre falling on
bright colored balls aud motto pa
pers full OF candy, and Tesiie could
just see the head OF a lovely wax
doll.
So absorbed was she i'm the con-
temptation of these delights that she
never noticed pale lady in black
who came 10 the window and look
ed with sad eyes into the street.
The lady stood in shadow, hut the
light streamed full on Tessie's up
turned face.
There was a cry inside, but at this
moment n low growl close beside
her startled Tessie, and with a
scream of terror she turned to fly.
Too late, however. The dog, who
was not bad at heart, but like all
aristocratic dogs had dislike for
shabbily dressed people, snapped at
her aud caught bit of her dress in
his teeth. Poor Tessie was at the
end Of her forces, tired, cold and
hungry. This attack overcame
what was left of her strength, and
with shrek of utmost fear, she
fell on the sidewalk in a dead faint.
1t was the grand footman him
self who drove the dog off In the
midst of crowd of eager, excited
faces, and then stopped and raised
in his arms the poor dilapidated
little figure. They carried her in,
and laid her, in all her wretched
rags, on a sofa in the beautiful par
lor, under the lights of the Christ
mas tree, and the pale lady bent
over her, kissing her white face and
her soiled blue little hands, crying
with tears of joy:
"Its my Tessie, my darling child;
my little one! God has given her
back to mew
For few moments Tessie lay so
still that they were IN terror lest her
feeble life had gone from her; but
at last, as her mother clasped her i'm
her arms aud warmed her in her
bosom, she opened her blue eyes
and cried with swift joy:
mamma Mamma %
While TeSsie's mother was vet
hugging her, and her aunt and
cousins were looking at her with
kindly smiles, there was wild
at the front door bell,
so peremptOry and long
that the ding dong Of the
silver gong resounded even in the
parlor, and the grand foOtman go-
ing To answer the door, was present
ly heard in violent alteration with
some one.
"She's in here and | will come
i'm / shall in spite Of you, you
stuck up monkey" shouted a shrill
voice.
Tessie started from her mothers
arms.
"It's Ellen" she cried, "Ellen,
who took care OF me. Dear good
Ellen ~
And to be sure, Ellen camel ying
into the room with belligerenteyes.
But when she saw how il was, and
all the story was told 10 her, she
would have turned sadly away, only
that Tessie clung TO her, and her
mamma said:
"Yes, darling, Ellen shall go back
with us TO our home, and live with
you always"
"And my Kittie, too" said Tes-
sic, "my dear little white KittieW
Neither were good Patrick Flynn
and his wife forgotten. A generous
present went to them next morning.
Indeed every friend in SquaIter
Town was bonntifully remembered;
while in all the wide city on Christ
mas day were no happier creatures
than Tessie and her mother, Ellen
and the little lame white kitten.