Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-12-20
FUNNY'S CHRISTMAS.

Yes, | know its rather an odd name,
but then you see, il was rather IN
odd little girl who owned it. Her real
name was Ciaribel. She had a funny
way Of jerking herself round, as if she
couldn't turn quickly enough, and
staring al you, with her eyes stretched
wide open, as if she was afraid you
would vanish before she got good
look at YOU. And on one occasion,
when one OF the Brady children had
offered her Il bite OF apple, this little
girl had looked irst ut tho apple, then
ut the child, giving her head solemn
shake, and walked off; the other chill
dren laughed, and Tommy Green
called out "IEollo Funnym and the
nickname had clung to her ever since.
She was only six years old, and had
no papa, no mamma to love and care
for her. All she had was Alice, and
poor crippled Alice was both papa and
mamma to herself, and sister. For
Mrs. Brady had then little ones of her
own to feed and caro- for. She had
given the children bite and q corner
30 sleep in ever since Funny was q
baby.
One day, almost six years before the
time write about, poorly clad wom-
an with q child Of about six years,
and baby, had rented the room next
10 Mrs. Brady's, all tho luggage she
brought was Il big trunk, she APP
pcared i'll and clreworn.
About u week after their arrival Mrs.
Brady was called from the wash tub
one day, by Il litllo girl, WHO begged
her to come ia to her mama; she was
very sick. Mrs. Brady wiped the suds
from her arms, rolled them up in her
apron and went into the next room.
1t was entirely bare of furniture.
The sick woman lay on n pile of cloth
ing which served for n bed; in corner
stood the trunk, on which the child i'm.
mediately seated herself, with tho baby
in her arms, and began rocking back
and forth, making q low, cooling sound
to sOo;he it.
The sick woman motioncd to Mrs.
Brady to come to the bedside.
There was nm air of superiority about
her, q certain something that told Mrs.
Brady this was q lady. So she dropped
Il courtesy, aad stood at q respectful
distance.
"Pleaso come near said fceblo
voice, and the sick woman scrutinized
her face closely. "You look honest,
You look kind, are you soP" ooh, my
lady, am 50 sorry for you, and tho
little childors, God bless EN-" and
there was such 4 genuine ring to her
voice that the lady knew she spoke
the truth.
II cannot last much longer, | am
leaving my little ones entirely alone,
what is to become of them / do not
know, but do not let them become
boggars, send them to some institution
where friendless orphans secure a
Christian bringing up" But Mrs.
Brady, who knew of no such place, sup
posed of course she meant the poor
house, and she resolved to herself,
"them swatc little creatures shall never
go there, to be bated, and trated shame
full" and with tears in her eyes, she
promised the mother, that the childers
should he looked afther, and no harrum
come Of them.
Tho lady went on slowly, "they have
q grandfather in England; but he will
never betriond them, l married their
father against his will, and he never
forgave me. When | anu gone, they
will have no friend left" Then, seeing
the leproachful look in the others
eyes, hastily added, "but you" "You
will find in that trunk some papers,
and portrait, it is my fathers pic
ture, the frame is valuable, take and
sell it, and keep the money for your
kindness to these poor little ones Of
miue, but give the portrait and letters
to the head of the institution where you
place the children, and the God of the
widows and orphans will bless you.'
And the poor woman spoke no more
Mrs. Brady had been true to her
promise that no "harrumi' should come
10 them. She was worry poor, but
willingly shared her bite with them,
but us sho had three little ones of her
own, the share was very small. She
had look at the handsome gilded frame
once, when they had nothing to cat;
but had finally shut the trunk.
mo-" said she, ''It's the cAilder's,
I'll never sell IL at ALL"
So the children had been growing up
for about six years with alley children,
and as Alice was u cripple, and could
not play with the others, she spent
most OF the time in the room. Think,
ing was her ohiet occupation. Some.
times sha would seat herself by the
window and gaze out at tho square
patch Of sky, and speculate and won,