Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-03-30

Mrs. Lowell, Katie's mother, was a seam
stress and there were many days when she
had but little work TO do and the pay was al
ways small-only few cents for garment
that she must work at the whole day long.
But she struggled hard to pay the rent and
keep Tim and Katie in school.
In school-that was the great thing. "Plen-
ty of money may come one day, little ones"
she would say, "but il will not be worth
much il you do not know how to use it. This
is the most wonderful country in the world,
my brides. Tim may be President and Katie
a Mrs. President, and you can't know too
much of schooi-books. I'm sure that, when
you're grown up, you can never be glad and
thankful enough that your mother sent you
regularly to school. So don't mind the patch
ed clothes, but keep at the head of the class
if you have MT hat for your head ~
But the winter Katie was eleven years old,
the brave little mother had less money than
ever before, and as the spring-tme came on
they grew so very poor that there was not al
ways enough of bread left after breakfast to
make a schoolluncheon for Tim and Katie.
"Give it all to Tim" Katie would say II
believe l don't want anything at noon"
Poor little Katie How hard she tried to
think that she was not hungry How empty
her hands felt at first as she trudged along
without her dinner And how her heart beat,
and how the blood burnt in her checks, when
the noonng came, and she of all the girls
had no luncheon to eat Oh, if anybody
should notice it she thought, and she stud
led how she might behave that nobody should
know she was so very poor. The hunger in
her stomach was not half so hard to bear as
the fear that somebody would know that she
had nothing to eat.
But, after a few days, poor Katie began to
think that the girls noticed that she brought
no luncheon. Then she thought that perhaps
if she brought something that l00ked like one,
they would never think about her eating it.
How she thought il all out, l cannot tell; but
if any of you have ever been in trouble and
tried to think your way out of it, perhaps
you may remember that you thought of some
very foolish and queer things, and this was
the way with Katie. She might tie up a few
Goals in a paper, she thought, but her mother
would need every coal to keep up the fire.
There were some blocks in one corner of the
small room-Tim's blocks, that Santa Claus
had brought him one Christmas two or three
| winters before. She could tie up some of
| those in paper for make believe luncheon,
and nobody would know So she tied up
| few blocks neatly, and when her mother no
ticed it as she started for school, and asked
in surprise what she had in the paper, the
| poor child hung her head, and then burst in
| to tears.
/ vi, mhlUulh sue bODDtu4 Hhhtth "
make believe that had some luncheon-it s
only Tins blocks."
For one moment the little mother did not
understand, and then suddenly it all came in
| to her mind--how the pride of her child was
wounded because she could not appear as the
| other school. children did, and that she had
fixed upon that simple device to hide her
want. And how it made her heart ache more
| than ever that her poor little girl must go
hungry But she would not deprive Katie of
the poor comfort of trying to keep up ap-
pearsnces, and her throat was too full of
choking Jumps for her to trust herself to say
much SO she smoothed the little girls hair
and wiped away the tears from her face, and
| said bravely: Never mind, Katie Better
days will come Mother feels sure of it,"
And then Katie slipped away with her little
bundle, and the poor little mother sat down
and sadly wept at the hardships that had be-
fallen her little ones.
When the incoming came, Katie sat at her
desk with her make believe dinner before her.
Her teacher noticed that she kept her seat,
and seeing her luncheon, went to her and said:
why do you not go into the lunch-room and
| eat your luncheon with the other girls! 2 at
the same time reaching out for Katie's bundle.
"Oh, teacher" cried Katie, bursting into
tears, don't touch it and oh, teacher, don't
tell, please It's only blocks"
"Only blocks" softly repeated the teacher,
and tears filled her eyes. Never mind, Ka-
tie, I'll not tell the girls. You are a brave
and dear little girl, and one of the best in
the school"
Poor, poor child The kind words were
like mama to her heart but, longing as the
teacher was to give the child a portion of her
own luncheon, she would not hurt her pride
by the offer before others But during
short session of the teachers when school was
over, she related the incident, and spoke in
such high terms of praise of the little girl,
that each one resolved to do all possible to
bring better days at once to the poor moth
er and early the next morning the better
days began. No one touched the brave little
mothers self,respect by offering her charity,
but plenty of work, with good pay, was car
ried to her, and enough of bread and milk,
and new shoes, and coal, and all other need
full things, soon came to their home through
the mothers industry. And Tins blocks
went back into their corner, to stay there
Happy little Katie
st Nicholas for ADyI