News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-01-04
THE LUCK POLL BROUGHT.
A GOOD CHRISTMAS STORY.
BY MARGARET EYTINGE.

Whew, how the wind did blow. Tt
bent the leafess branches of the trees
until they cracked and mOaned as though
thev couldn't stand it moment longer;
they must break off. 1t shook the win
dows of Mrs. Fayes little, wooden cot
tage-which stood block away from
any other house-until they ratified
again. 1t banked the snow up against
the cellar door until there wasn't sign
of a cellar door left. And altogether it
made so much noise and confusion that
when it ceased its pranks for a few mo-
ments the silence seemed wonderful.
| Poor Mrs. Faye, sitting in the rocking
chair in her tiny, neat kitchen, with her
tiny, neat baby in her arms, was down.
hearted enough. She was a slight little
woman with round, pink cheeks that
had been brighter and bluer, and soft,
wavv. golden hair that never could have
been softer. waiver nor goldener. Its
too golden" she used to say, ''for
mother of four children. 1t looks 50
very girlish.
But Mr. Faye and the children didn't
think so. Elbert-and for a boy only
10 years old must say it was an exceed
ingly graceful and pretty remark-said
to his mother one cloudy day, as he
looked at her with loving and admiring
eyes, Mamma, dear, Tn so glad you've
got such beautiful, bright hair. It's
like having sunshine in the house all the
time"
And it was well Mrs. Faye had some
sunshine on her head this bIowy, snowy,
gloomy morning, for there was none III
her heart And no wonder. Mr.. Faye,
one of the best of men, and consequently
one of the best of husbands, had fallen
on the ice four or five weeks before and
so disabled himself that he had not yet
been able to leave his room. And the !
sum Of money sent to him a day or two |
after the accident, by his employers, !
who were neither as niggardly nor as
s,5,aery,,a t,vy a.is5l>e E I..,.,r, .Ii.T,,'+
go far toward supporting a family of
six, whose expenses We're greatly in
creased by the necessity for lotions and |
medicines.
Fortunately the cottage in which they |
lived belonged to them, Mrs. Faye hav-
ing inherited it the preceding autumn
from her mother, but they never had
been able to save any money, for Mr..
Faye Was only clerk in wholesale
clothing house at a very retail salary.
"What shall [ do? What shall I do?"
said Mrs. Faye to the baby. "There are
only two or three scuttles of coal in the
cellar and scarcely anything to eat inthe
closet, aud quarter and a dime in my
pocketbook" But the baby only poked
his finger in her eye and answered her
with a weak imitation Of chow the
rooster crows" which wasn't at all salts
factory nor in the slightest degree appli-
cable to the case under consideration.
Dear me! Dear me p continued Mrs
Fave, rocking nervously back and forth
"James mustn't know how poor we are.
He'd never get well if he did. He's al
most fretted himself into a fever now,
! being kept from work so long. And he
! thinks, I'm sure he dOes-fOr no matter
! how good men may be they never can see
where the money goes-that I've enough
| to last a month or more. [ must have
| help, but to whom can | look for it ?"
And the wind, choosing to hide behind a
corner at this present moment, she heard
! a queer voice answer, "POll, ma'am; yes,
ma'am, clever Poll.
Snatching shawl from the hook where
it hung and wrapping it snugly about the
/ baby, who was now "mewing like the
cat, ," she hurried to the garden door, and
opening it a little way, peeped ont.
| Poll, ma'aml Yes, ma am-clever
| Poll, " said the queer voice again, but she
saw nobody but Elbert, who was coming
in the back gate stamping his feet and
| swinging his arms. He had been trying
to earn something by cleaning the snow
| from the sidewalks and garden paths, but
had not earned much, for the people of
that village were very economical and the
men of the families generally did that sort
/ of work themselves
'Tve brought you seventy cents,
mother, dear, said the boy IN a low
tone, as he bounded lightly up the stOop.
"Good boy, good boy, good boy.
Dear. dear, dearest Guy, said the voice.
Listen, Elbert what is that ?" asked
Mrs. Faye
''Why, it's parrot, mother; and there
it is sitting on the grapevine, and 60
ing toward 1t, he called out, coaxingly,
pretty Poll, Pretty poll.
To which fiattering salutatiOn, hop
ping farther away at the same time, Poll
responded sharply and promptly:
Nonsense. Pretty Bell. "
But in few moments, after turning
its head on this side and that, and APP
parently studying its new friends face
with grave consideration, it declared
itself "cold' and in want of something
hot, and allowed him to take it in his
hands and carry it into the house, where
the other children hailed it with delight,
baby bow-wowing ''like the dog until
he hadn't breath to bow-wow any longer.
''Weu keep it forever, " said five-year-
old Eve. Cant we, papa?"
But papa shook his head.
'I've no doubt it has been a pet in
some family for years, he said, ''for it
is an old bird, and we must advertise,
and then, if no one comes to claim it,
we'll see about keeping it forever"
"HOw can we advertise ?" said Agnes,