The Mineral argus., 1884-12-11

for a second stepping and drinking.
Then she put two little cups of very old
china on the little table, a small loaf,
and a tiny bit of butter; then she
thought a moment, and then going to
the closet, took out couple of dried
herring and warmed them at the fire.
"How good they smell, don't they,
FLOP" said Maggie cheerily, but Flossie,
exhausted with cold and hunger, an
swered not Was she asleep? Maggie
hardly knew, she looked so white, so
death-like. 40 my love-" she grasped,
"what can I do? o Lord, help, me,
help mep
A knock at the door brought her
quickly to her feet. She trembled as
she walked across the floor and opened
1T. What was going to happen Per-
haps it was Mrs. Arden for the months
rent, or Mr.. Bins, the coal man, and
she without dollar Yes, it was Mrs.
Arden, indeed, and man, but strang-
| er.
"Will you walk in ?" TREMENDOUSLY.
"I can't stop a minute, miss" said
the landlady. "but this is our good
neighbor, Mr.. Sims, the baker, just
round the corner. He has a message
for you," and she went down the stairs.
Mr.. Sims stepped in. He looked at
the pale, trembling girl, at the little
table with the cracked cups and the two
herrings, vainly trying to get comfort
ably warmed up at the mite of a fire,
and then at the white face on the pill
low.
"Children," he said aloud so loud
that the girl on the bed started and
opened her eyes in alarm, "mother
wants you to come home, now, right
away You see," he said more softly in
answer to Maggie's look of wonder, II
mean the old lady you have seen look
ing at you from the window of the
brown bake-house on the corner. Her
| little girls went home to heaven this
time last year, and 1 suspect twas to
make room for you two. VIII you
comeY
BY this time Miss Brown, the teapot
lender, had heard the report and hur-
ried in to offer her help and advice, and
then Mrs. Arden had bethought her
that good strong cup of coffee and a
bit of meat might be a good thing to
carry up, now that such good friend
had appeared, and Mr.. Sims, seeing them
so well cared for for the present, had
himself opened all the draughts of the
stove, and emptied the contents of the
hod into it. Remarking that he would
go and get carriage, for he guessed
"the little girl wouldn't feel much like
walking that night" he disappeared
from the scene only to reappear in
few moments, and then he wrapped
Flossie in big blanket shawl he
picked up in the hall, and took her up
in his arms as easily as if she were, as
he said, nothing but doughnut, and
carried her down stairs and into the
carriage. Maggie, having first put away
] the little loaf and the two herrings, fol-
| lowing after.
"I declare" said Miss Brown, wiping
her eyes as she slowly returned with
her teapot for comfort and company, to
her own scarcely less dreary room,
"God don't forget, does Hep"
! Meanwhile Mrs. Sims, tired of wait
ing for her husbands return, had pick
ed up her daughters letter and read it
over.
well" she sighed, at does seem as
if might have Just one to cheer me-"
and then her eye caught the word per
| maps ueI uuSDduO Was ICdhAnB mhOh
she called him to the window, and she
eagerly turned the sheet a CLEAN of
hope in her heart that after all she
might be coming perhaps, mother
dear, the dear Lord will come Himself
and spend the day with you, in the per-
son of one of His suffering ones, if you
ask Him to-"
Just here carriage stopped at the
door, and to her great surprise she saw
her husband get out, and in his arms
the youngest of the two young girls,
followed by the other
"Here, mother" said the CHEEKY
voice, as the light burden was laid up
on the soft, wide lounge, "Tve brought
you what you wanted, something tolove
and care for, and plenty need there will
be for it, too, I'm thinking, for this little
one, at any rate, and 1 guess little of
it won't come amiss to her sister either,
judging by what I see and heard at the
house."
The story of the two girls was like
many others, left orphans and pen
niless, by parents whose only fault lay in
so carefully sheltering them from every
cold blast, that when they found them
selves homeless and alone, the storm
swept over them unprepared to resist
its fury.
The older girl had learned to make
flowers as pastime, and this she brave
ly turned to good account, and for a
time made good wages and decent liv-
ing for herself and young sister, whom
n n