The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-02-21
KEPT TIL CALLED For. y
By MRS. W. J. PAYS.

4.
Its all we'll enough for your highly
tightly rich folk to keep Christmas.
Where's the usc in our a-doin' il? !
'aint had square meal in month, an
I'd rather have baked beans than plum
puddin' any day. Shake the ashes on.
o that old rusty pot. Doll. an pick out
what We can fur the fire. Lor! how the
wind howls, en- the old roof creaks !!
Listen what's that noise?"
Was it the surf beating on the rocks,
or hungry demon bowling through
the storm?
II don't hear nuthin', Pop"
"But / do. Hark! there it is again +
The boy flung a handful Of half
burned Goals on the fire, and then fiat
tened his nose on the window-pane in
the effort to hear what his fathers
keener ear had caught.
"'rain't no use, Doll; these here Goals
amt no good. I'll go out an git some
drift-wood.'
Its all wet and won't burn" Doll
had lugged the Goals all the way from
the village ash heap on account Of
the storm, and in hopes Of having q
little cheerful warmth.
80 you won't keep Christmas, Pop?"
he asked, again returning to the sub
iect they had been discussing.
Keep it?-no. There's that noise
again. Tn goin' out. Jist you stay
here, an hold on to things, or mebbe
we'll be drownded out afore mornin,."
Doll held the door as his father
plunged into the darkness, or the wind
would have prevented its being shut
again.
Wrapping himself in an old pea
jacket much too big for him, Doll sat
down to await his fathers return. It
was after this fashion that his thoughts
ran:
Me an fathers lived oil alone here
as long as l can remember. We amt
had much to eat an drink an' wear, an
| amt had no schoolin'. CLANS is
about all we've got, an ef ii wnrnt fur
clans we might as well be drownd.d,
an done with it."
Then he drew from his pocket a
crumpled half-sheet of an illustrated
paper, and gazed longingiy ut the
picture Of a Christmas dinner party ON
it. Around . bountiful table were the
chubby faces Of well-fed children, look.
ing with delight at an immense plum.
pudding. Sprigs of holly and wreaths
of evergreen, with the usual branch OF
mistletoe, decked the page. Besides
this there was the old story in tho
corners-the three Wise Men on THEN
camels in the desert. The bright stan
above guiding them, the old inn II,
Bethlehem, the manger, and the Blesse,
Babe.
What did it all mean? In vain he
spelled out word or two. He could
not understand it.
Meantime the wind ratified at the
latch, and howled down tho chimney,
and shrieked through every loop hole
Doll was getting sleepy. and the fire
was almost out. Why didn't Pop com.
back? Should he 60 to bed, or would
he wait? Fatigue soon settled the
question, for lac fell asleep in the rock
ing-chair.
Waking late in the night, he found
that the wind had died down, and til.
storm was over.
/ uCIO Wuo 4 l1C ihuSl lIiitt Out
for he and Pop were all in all to eacl
other. Opening the door, he crept out
He had not gone far when he saw
something queer. Under jutting roci
a big bundle seemed to be lying, al
twisted mp with ropes and sea-weed an,
broken timbers.
Doll looked and looked; then he wen
nearer, then little nearer still, and q
last he touched the bundle cautiously
As he did SO, something cried. Wha
was it? and who was it that hugge,
something so tight? Surely not-yes
it was-Pop!
III.
| Dolls curiosity and fear were abou
equal. He knelt down and put hi
hand on Pops cold face; he tried to ge
at his heart, but as he did SO there wa
that cry again, and he jumped back in
fright.
How glad he was to see little fiut
ter Of Pops necktie, and a tiny littl
hand pulling at it, and Pops eyes un
close and shut again, and his old waist
coast give great heaye!
"Pop! Pop" cried Doll, burstin!
into tears, "piease wake up--please do.
And then Pop really did try to speak
but his voice was very low and faint.
"Take this home first, Doll, he sad
and he put the strange object he Wa
hugging into Dolls arms. Take j
home and put it in your bed: be YER
careful; and then come back and hel
me-"
| Doll did As he was hidden. Til
queer little thing struggled, and strucl
him with its tiny fist, and kicke
against his breast with all its smal
strength, but he did not let go; and
after putting il On his cot, and tuckin
il up carefully, he hasteneA back to I'M
father. Pop was badly hunt, hut wit
Dolls help crawlei home and got I
bed, meanwhile giving the boy diret
tions what to do.
| Doll must go lover To Grann
Cranes and get the cents worth {
milk which she always let them hav
when they could afford the luxr
ry, and he was to warm few spoon
fuls and feed the baby. And he WASH
to say word about it. 1t was a rul
among the rude people of the shore I
say little about tie wrecks in thei
vicinity; there was no lfe-sasing sts
tion there, and they wanted none fl
reasons OF their own.
| So Doll got the milk, and after h
had made the fire burn took the lttl
creature on his lap and tried to feed i
lie wished IL had been kitten, IL
then it could have fed itself; but
sinked its great blue eyes at him, an
spluitered and ehoked until he wa
scared out OF his wits. 1t wakened Ii
father, who was now groaning wit
pain, and to quiet it Doll thought of
way OF feeding entirely original wit
himself-She dipped the end OF towel !
kha milk and ths child sucks1 IA