The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-12-27

paused, and glanced over her shoulder
With apprehension. Then she drew her
stiff, high backed rocking. chair so that
it interposed between the table aud the
bed; and taking off her shawl, threw it
over the back TO form screen. "For
she might wake," che whispered.
She did not heed the Involuntary
shlver that crept over her thinly clad
form. but returned eagerly tn her work
The first opened was'a small package Of
lea, one luxury she had allowed herself.
Her countenance fell as she examined
it.
"How very DEAR" shs said. "l've
done wrong. l ought to have gone
without it; but I did SO long ior cup
Of tea.'
There was great pathos in the apol.
ogy with which she sou .ht to quiet her
conscience concerning this unwonteJ
lapse from self-denlal, but the widow
was unaware of it.
Next came forth pair Of small, new,
shining shoes and pair Of warm stock
ngs. These she placed on chair In
he corner, where on were already ar
rayed child's undergarments, spotless
White. print dress, evidently newly
made and fresh, bright-coiored wool
IN sacQue. The shoes and stockings
completed the little toilet and the Wild
ow stood, with clasped hands and
moist eyes. regarding them.
"How pretty she will look" was her
thought. No more fortunate mother,
imagining her darling arrayed in costly
draperles, ever experienced more ex-
Quisite thrill of pleasure. She held up
her thin, toil-worn fingers and viewed
them.
''At least you have gained her that
much," she said, with sort of triumph.
But the pleasure was gone, and pain
as keen, followed it. How keen, let
those mothers say who nave suffered,
not for themselves, but for their chill
dren.
But it was not yet time for sad reverie.
housing herself, she continued her task
OF love-
The next investigation brought forth
fine orange, two large apples. and
three sticks of canly. 1t happened that
fruit was unusually dear, that winter,
and to buy these had taxed her slender
resources to their utmost. Unc'e Ben's
package was found to contain feartulIy
and wonderfully colored assortment of
confectionery, at which the widow shook
her head doubtfully, proving the cor.
rectness Of her doubt, by tasting cherry
whose sugared coat having dissolved left
behind it q chulky core which reminded
the faster of something sue vaguely re-
membered to have seen somewhere in
poetry, about certain Dead Sea fruits.
The ASSOCIATION was classic, but incon-
gruous. The widow laugheda little, and
then she sighed.
Poor old Ben," she said, "you have
thrown away your money. No you
haven't either; you have put it oct at
interest"
She laid the gift carefully upon the
mantle, where it wonlu attract the
child's notice, and committed the ap-
Piles and three slender sticks Of candy
to the hollow OF the little stocking that
hung beside the fire. The seed cakes,
taken from hidden store, to make
which secretly, she had robbed herself
Of sleep, helped to round it out; and the
orange, which was TOO large to 20 inside,
balanced its golden sphere perilously at
the top.
After that, she took, from secret
corner of her drawers, book; child's
story. book, boarded carefully these
many years. Somebody had given it to
Bessie when she was a ba,y. She had
never seen it, but she could read quite
we'll now, and she should have it. Neat.
Iy wrapping it in paper-:ngenious ex-
pedient OF love to prolong delighted an
ticipation-she placed it beside the
stocking.
A second research in the drawer dis
covered a bundle of gay.colored scraps,
and with these in hand the widow pro-
ceedcu to draw forward large wooden
box upon the floor, whose open side
ha been pushed to the wall, thereby
disclosing within a venerably ancient
plaster t-Parls doll, surrounded by 4
motley Company of rag dolls ofNll shapes
and sizes, all put to bed and neatly COW
cred up beneath liilputian patchwork
countcrpane. The box occupied the
corner, under which hung the little
stocking, and upon its top lay calico
covered cushion, on which a kitten was
doing. The widow placed the bundle
within and pushed the box back to its
kitten, lingering then a moment to view
the whole.
''lhere are all her treasures" she said
at last; "all but the dog, and he ia in his
bed OF straw that she gathered and made
for him herself. Well, she'll have plep-
ty to do, dressing her dolls Tomorrow"
She sighed again and turning away,
sat 4 owr, wrapped her shawl about her
shoulders, and took up the work she
had laid by. All was done that she
could do, and now the spectres which
had retreated fer While into the shad-
owed corners Of the little room, crept
forth and stood at her elbow, and wllis-
pered in her ear; Knocked her with the
past, tainted her with the grim and
buren, present, and froze her blood
with terrors for the future.
1t was not so much that her harder
x-.1 1aon that hor r.(0tj,i,,,v
Or that her back achel, and her fingers
trembIed with WEAKNESS in her efforts
to COMPASS even that slender portion Of
the worlds goods which Was hers. Many
were poor beside her, she reflected; it
was equally as hard for them as for her.
But she longed for little human SYM
pathy and fellowship. Had some one
Of the wealthy neighbors, in Il charitable
mood, entered her lluinule home, laden
with all of food or clothing that she
could have foun in her heart to desire.
she would have thanked them
it is true, for the sake of the
child, but the proud spirit would have
WINGED under its burden of gratitude.
But were there only one among them
to come into the silent room, and sit
down in the empty chair at her side; to
look at her with warm, kindly human
Cyoo, w 1ahc AeI Wy Cllo Itduu Ntlu Diu
her bear and hope-ah, then-and as
the salt tear trickled drop by drop upon
her work she glanced up unconsciously
to where Uncle Ben's gift lay upon the
mantel. The kind hearted old negro
had unwitting|y touched to the quick
the sorest spot OF her sore heart. Yet
they were good peop'e, these neighbors
Of hers; very good people, indeed; much
better, all of them, than herself. She
felt thoroughly Convinced o. that fact.
That they were not unkindly disposed
to"ard her, when they thought of her
at all, she had had frequent proof. But
the truth simply was that they did not
think OF her. She was nonentity to
them; they were busted about their own
affairs ana their own emotions; 50 busy
that, if they thought of her casually, it
never occurred to them that she could
have either affairs or emotions.
Well, she had her child.
And to the child Eer thoughts turned,
ana to it her prayers assembled as-Ihe
fire grew dull and the hour late-she
folded aside her work and sought her