The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25

motto, worked on silver cardboard. They
had not meant it for that place, but had
made the best of misfortune. This was
the misfortune:
The day before, when Dora was working
the motto in pink worsted letters that
spelled "Merry Christmas" for a present
for Grandma, her worsted knotted. Instead
of untying the knot carefully. Dora lost her
patience and twltched her thread and tore
the cardboard. 1t was mended with piece
of paper pasted behind the cardboard so that
at short distance the torn place showed
but little. However, Dora declared she
would not send it, it was not good enough
for Grandma So she finished another,
which met with no mishap; and Minnie, by
way of comfort, said the motto would be
lovely for their room.
Mrs. Beletti admired the motto very much.
She said Sit would be a great pleasure if
/ Paolina could embroider so beautiful senti-
ment,' which was politely translated to Do
ra by Paolina; and Dora was quite glad she
had torn her motto and lost valuable af-
ternoon in repairing the loss
And will ask to mamma to menda me
re Toe Of re stocking not to lose what Santo
Cloz bringa me-" observed Paolina.
| She noticed carefully how the stockings
were hung; and little Giuoco, too, was great
| ly interested. Soon Mrs. Belletti took leave
of Mrs. Morris, and Paolina and the mon
key went with her.
When they reached home they found the
twins wide awake. Their papa had them in
his arms, walking up and down the floor
singing to them. If he stopped to take
breath Valerie and Carmeina began to cry
so he had no choice but to run one song into
another as fast as possible. While he sang.
both the babies stared at him. They en-
joyed the music, and liked to see his nous
tache move. He sang about Luisela, and
Beautiful Naples, and ever so many other
things, and lastly, the Garibaldi Hymn. The
twins liked that best, because papa's mouth
opened so very wide. But while he sang
about the Italian martyrs arisen again to
fight, he felt quite willing to change places
with any one of them, he was so tired OF
seeing the twins stare at him, all ready to
scream if he stopped singing.
Then Mrs. Belletti took the babies and put
them in their CRIB; and busted some plaster
off their fathers shoulder and sent Paolina
to bed. Giuoco went with her. He slept
on an old shawl in basket in her room.
Paolina took large pin, and hung up one
OF new pair of stockings that Mrs. Morris
had given to her mother. She hung it ur
carefully near the fireplace, although she
had very little hope that Santa Claus would
expect to make presents to any but Ameri-
can little girls. She talked to the monkey
in Italian while she hung up the stocking:
Thou knowest, my little old one,'' said
she. 1--WE shall have nothing-thou not even
astocking, and I only a stocking full OF
cold ARP
Yet Paolina went to sleep half hoping
that Santa Claus would bring her some
thing.
Mr.. BelIetti had gone out to buy some
needed provisions for the family; and his
wife, sitting beside the twins, had time to
think. She would dearly have liked to give
her Paolina dainty dresses and toys like
those that she knew Mrs. Morris would give
her little girls; and for moment Mrs. Bel
letti's pretty face looked quite sad. Then
an idea struck her favorably.
CAT least" she said to herself, ssif we
cannot have fine gifts, we can yet have a
beautiful sentiment"
So she went quickly into her little kitchen,
where beside the charcoal stove lay heap
of waste papers for lighting the fire. From
among these Mrs. Belletti chose handful
printed in red and blue letters, which had
come that day from the grocer's with par
eel. She smoothed it carefully with her
hand, went softly into Paolinas room and
pinned the motto over the fireplace. She
stood and admired the effect of the red and
blue letters as the white moonlight of win
ter fell on the wall. To be sure, the motto
read, "RoUGH ON RATS but Mrs. Belletti
had no doubt that it was some American
greeting appropriate to the season.
"Ah, my Paolina,o she said, looking ten
derly at her sleeping child, 1--WE are not toe
poor to have beautiful sentiment
She left the room, but Giueco's bright
beady eyes had watched her. He, too, was
inspired. He shook off his old shawl,
crawled out of his basket, climbed up
through the chimney and down on to the
roof.
Minnie and Dora had gone to sleep early,
as they had planned. After they had been
/ asleeD for some time their mamma cane
into their room, filled the waiting hose with
sugarplums, pink, red and blue ribbons, and
a little china doll peeping out at the top OF
each stocking. Then she went back to hel
own room.
/ Suddenly Minnie awoke, hearing little
noise. She touched Dora and woke her.
The children lay quite still. First came the
tinkle OF little bell, then soft footsteps in
the chimney-and now the girls were breath
less with excitement, for in the fireplace
stood tiny little old man. Could it be
Santa Claus? Was it a dream? They
squeezed each others hands under the bed
clothes to make sure they were not asleep.
The little man peeped into the stockings
but instead of putting gifts in, he pulled
them out, dolls, ribbons, sugarplums, and
crammed them into his pockets. Before
Dora and Minnie had time to speak-he was
off, up the chimney.
The little girls sprang out of Ebed and ran
to their mother, puzzled and somewhat
frightened by the strange occurrence. Mrs.
Morris was as puzzled as they for a few mo-