The Dickinson press., 1883-12-29
NED's STOCKING

HIS Deu. ANY one OuI 0ltla Tau
wsuld have been dismayel at the kwn-
ing guif which mightonce have be- the
toe. where only a narrow bridge sd hra-
tel it from the gaping heel; bl the
jolly little man only laughed ii his
sleeve, thinking what asharp fellow led
was to select this one: for such a Suck
ing wouldn't hold tritles anyway. Bnt
you and l know that Scd could dol 20
better, and its companion was in a vet
more hopeless condition. II any one
asks us who Ned is, L am afraid We shall
have to confess that he is onlya lihle
Arab, and if hs doesen't '%'silently steal
away" it is not owing to any
defect in his street education.
Such training is not usually conducive
to either mental, moral or physical
health; in the latter item Ned did not
lack anything, for he was hearty and RI.
bust a as young Esouinaux; quite too
hearty, lie felt sometimes. when his
breakfast or supper had been Gcanty for
often the supply wa not aaual to tue
demand. Morally he was not like other
boys OF his class: tenacious Of his own
rights. and 1 am sorry to say, somewhat
inclined to be tenacious Of the rights of
others: for he had, no very clear idea of
the relative position of meum aud ieuHa,
His code ofhonor was short and compre.
hcnsiye: IAN eye for an eye, and two
teeth for one."
Mentally Ned was not All imbec:le;
lie possessed Il large share of native
shrewdness, which perhaps stood h.m
in place of a liberal education. Ned
could read q little, ofwhich requirement
he was very proud, and delighted to get
a crowd OF boys around him (torlorn lit
tie objects like himselfl and read to
them the news of to-day, or even sever
al days ago, it mattered not to him or
them-spelling his words painfully as he
biunders. which, however, were re-
eeived with unmoved gravity by his
hearers. Ned lived will, his father, or
rather took care of him, for he, poor
man, was sucli a slave to appetite, he
was seldom seen in a condition to take
care OF himself. On rare days he would
keep sober and work diligently at his
trade, for he was an excellent mechanic;
those days were rare, i'll another sense
to his iriendless, ;nothcrless boy; for
then they would have q grand supper
together, and this father would sit beside
him IN the evening, smoking his pipe,
and telling sweet stories of the old home
and the times when they were ali SO
h%appy-the time before he had been
bound by the CALLING chain which the
arunkard bears, the Gear old times be,
fore his wife died offs broken heart.
There WAS a nestiul of little onestAen,
but n by they had gone to Join the
mother, and Ned and his father were
left alone. Best fail, Ned liked to hear
Of their Christmas festivities, while he
was too young to remember the nice
dinner, the church-going, the merry
games, the hanging OF the little stock.
ings, and once q Christmas tree. 1t was
like 4 fairy tale to Ned, or something
which had occurred in some other stage
of existence. Thinking of these things,
lie resolved that not another Christmas
eve should pass without giving his stock
ing a chance.
Most anything would come handy"
he soliloluized, looking obviously ut his
ragged clothing and torn shoes; 81 amt
always in full dress now, owing to the
pressure, an ] cau't afford to wear pat.
ent leather boots till times is q little
easier"
So it happened that the glad Christ.
mas came again and poor ragged Ned,
although he had no part i'll the gladness
and good cheer, could stand afar off
shivering and looking on, happy us a
ting his share in seeing the enjoyment
OF others.
That night after he had hung that
"once-upon-a-time" stocking and gone
contentedly Off to the land Of dreams,
the landlords agent opened the door
and stepped in. Some matter OF bust
ness which he had forgotten during the
day, brought him up to the third floor
of the tenement house where Ned and
his father lived OF rather stayed. Mr..
Henry saw his blunder and saw some
thing else OF the same time. He knew
who the boy was. having some times
employed him to do errands. Now he
stepped softly forward and surveyed the
place. There was brown-haired Ned
curled up in his rags, sleeping quietly.
with Il flush of red e%lintlng through the
brownies of his cheeks:" there was
the wretched stockings, and the ragged
shoes stood side by side upon the floor
much SO, perhaps, for a landlords agent
and he winked very fast as he stood
looking at them, while something he.
sides a smile shone on his face.
"Poor little fellow" he said to him
self, and, obe ing a sudden impulse. he
shut the door gently, went swiftly down
the stairs, and hurried away to his hap
py, comfortable home.
What ne said and did there on this
particular occasions no affair ofours; we
will only remark in passing, that he had
a boy who was a year or two older than
Ned who would outgrow his jackets.
When Ned opened his eyes the next
morning he looked toward the stocking
and-well,a s he expresseiit, che hadn't
any fault to find with Santa Claus way
full, happy laugh at the picture before
him. There, Underneath the stocking,
reposed against the wall, with its hat
drawn over his face, a something which
represented boy about his own size.
its limp arms were pinned about a pie
(Which might be a mince piel and a nice
roasted chicken, wrapped in @ clean
cloth. Inside this suit of clothes thers
vas another rather more worn, but all
whole and ciean; q pair of half-worn
boots stood beside tile image and the
stocking was running over. Filling the
awful rents we're other socks, soft and
warm; then came a few apples and or
anges, like the red and gold of s%unsets;
Il top. nocket-knlfe and q wonderful,
wonderful picture book, the like OF
which he had never dreamed of pos.
sessing; last but not least, Il cake o.
toilet soap. Ned looked at it %curiously
and said to himself with arch gravity
Mr.. Henry had his own way of doing
things, and he looked after Ned and
gave him employment. More than this
/ he looked inter- the Wretched C.ther