The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-12-28

nina me glueu ~ W HC',o
her ole Uncle Ben wish her Merry
Christmas?"
THANK YOU for youI kindly thought,
Rem " said the widow, as she took irom
the hearth a steaming tin cup, which had
been waiting there, and handed II TO the
old man, who received It with a bow
and srraDe "Here IS some not CoHeS
ihat will warm you. Its very good
If Won knew 60 bother yourself about
INV little commissions, when h WCath,
ar is so cold. It's not what your Obliged
cd Ben drank the coffee in great
| guIps, and set the cup cRreinIiy
! S9rk on the hearth. Thank ye, ole
Miss" he said. Dat pear like hit dun
| zone right straight to dc spot where NIL :
needed de wu5t. Now I'll git home
! mick. De white folks spectin me, an
| 10 black folks too. Ole Miss she Wuz
To- scndin' one O dem youngsters; low
cd rs how twas cool TO me. Ole Marsa,
he saw. Better sen Ben; fus' ting yen
knOw fin de wngVin begged on De Iona
nil AN dem bows inside % It, sleepin.
de Christmas off, Hi, ole Uncle Ben
Santa Claus dis time, sho,' Ole MarSo he
amt no fool.
1 moment later, the chorus OF whip
| cracking, whoa haWs.' and "gee-upS
! RECOMMENDED without gradually lessen
Ing until ii died away IN II distance,
leaving q stiffness. hrCSen OC~caslOnsily.
for awhile, by the far of cracking Of the
whip.
The widow was slowing away the con-
tents of the bag within the tiny cup
board, in the tiny kitchen. There were
A lew groCeIies-COtt5e sugar, a ham, a
few potatoes.
mice ones. they are, too said skc to
herself. smiling q pleasant smile. And
she is so fond OF them with a glance
of unutterable tenderness toward the
room where slept the child.
Vixen all had been neatly disposed Of,
she came back to the table and began to
uuwrap the various packages, but
paused, and glanced over her shoulder
with apprehension. Then she drew her
s,iH, high backed ~T0ckiug.Chalr so that
il ~interposed between the table and the
bed: and taking Oft her shawl, threw It
over the back to form a screen. For
she might wake she whls3ered.
She did not heed the in Voluntary
shiver that crept over her thinty clad
form, but returned eagerly to her work
The first opened was'a small package of
tea, one luxury she had allowed herself,
Her c@ountenauca fell as she examined
il.
How very dear" shs said. eve
done wrong. | ought to have gone
without it; but did 50 long ior Il cup
OF tea"
There was a great pathos in the apol,
ogy with which she sought to Quiet her
conscience concerning this UnWonted
lapse from self-denlal, but the widow
was nawar Of it.
Next came forth a pair OF small, new,
shining shoes aud a pair of warm stock
Ings. These she placed on a chair III
he corner, where on were already ar
rayed q Childs undergarments, spOtless
white, a print dress, evidently newly
made and q fresh, brigat-c0iored wool
en- sacque. The shoes and stockings
completed the little toilet and the wild
or 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
draperies, ever experienced a 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 a sort of triumph.
But the pleasure was gone, and a pain
as keen, followed it. How keen, let
those mothers say who have suffered,
not for themselves, but for their chill
dren.
But it was not yet time for sad reverie.
Rorsing herself, she continued her task
OF love.
The next investigation brought forth
a fine orange, two large apples. and
three sticks of candy. 1t happened that
fruit was unusually dear, that winter,
and to buy these had taxed her slender
resources to their utmost. Uncle Ben's
package was found to contain a fearfully
and wonderfully colored assortment of
confectionery, at which the widow shook
her head doubtfully, proving the COR
rectness OF her doubt, by hastings cherry
whose sugared coat having dissolved left
behinl it q chalky core which reminded
the faster of something she 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
| LuFOWu away yOuE ulOucys NU YOU
haven't either; you have put it out al
| interest"
She laid the gift carefully upon the
mantle, where it would attract the
child's notice, and committed the ap'
pies and three slender sticks of candy
10 the hollow Of the little stocking tina
hung beside the FIRE. The seed cakes
taken from a hidden store, to make
which secretly, che had robbed hersel
or sleep, helped to round it oft; and the
orange, which was TOO large TO 60 inside
balanced its golden sphere perilously q
the top.
After that, she took. from a secre
corner of her drawers, q book; O child
story-bock, boarded carefully thes'
many years. Somebody had given It Il
, Bessie when she was q baby. She has
navar seen IL. Int she could read omit