Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-12-19
THE ELEVENTH COM
MANDMENT.
Mrs. NJ. l.. Rayne in Detroit Free Press.

1t was one of those unequal balances
which we are constantly finding both in
the world of architecture and the world of !
humanity, a great. splendid residence upon |
one corner, and poor, shiftcss, tumble
down dwelling on the other. which the |
law protected from the covetous eyes of |
the rich Spectator, and reserved for minor |
heirs. Meanwhile it WAS rented for what |
it would bring. to n class of people who |
were always either moving in or out and |
In tie summer time, when the windows |
of the great mansion were open. and the |
cream Of society holding its revels, such |
hilarities as these would be tobacco. waited |
through the India null curtains.
"Whack de tidel Pass the cratur this |
way, an don't be kapin' the bottle idle
"Shure yees hev had morn's good for
yez now.
"Sthand oop and foight like man"
= "Murther. don't Interrupt whilst I'm in
joyin' mesclf.'
And similar dialogues of domestic
character
But for some months preceding Christ
mas there had been q new family in the
old house-two young people who lived
alone and were out of sorts. The man
had nothing 10 do. he was a sfim pale,
sickly- looking young fellow and some one
had found out that he was southerner
well educated and of good family, but
poor as poverty itself and likely to starve
to death as he was proud as well rs poor.
Every day he went out looking for work
in the aimess way n man gets into when
his Overcoat is gone and lac has to button
his other coat to the chin, and every day
he came back empty handed or with
something that had Leen acquired on the
border.land between respeCtnbility and
vagabondacc turkey won at n rattle or
n measure of potatoes that he had acquired
at guessing match.
Life was at this low ebb when Christmas
came hrislmas. bringing cheer and
light, music, warmth, presents. hope and
| jolity to nearly every body but certainly
not 10 the poor family in the tumble down
house on one corner nor 10 the patrican
people who lived in splendid misery on
| the other.
What was tie matter with thcmI Lv-
| erythinC. In the inst place there were
only two pope in the great house; they
had neither chick nor cEiid nor bird, nor
any living thing about them except their
| own two dry as dust selves, and they got
mighty tired of each other sometimes.
! Then lh1y both had Indigestion and lived
on q diet Of hot water aud graham toast.
! Next, their servants robbed ami deceived
them Systematically, and finally tieir chill
dren-happy little oGes-wcre all dead.
| Their young lives had been smothered out
under the capfrills and embroidered
stomachers, and they had gone to plac,
where there were no velvet carpets, or if
there We're, they Were not too good to play
| on
This Christmas morning when the
millionaire got up lie looked ont of his
plate glass window and cast an tnvious
glance at the corner opposite, Jack Frost
had been playing tricks there He had
sent soft white fall of snow, which had
wrapped its beneticent arms about the
unsightly pile, and ii was now trans
figured in the silver flood The frost
king had made each tiny pane of glass
Respondent with castle and turrct and
fcathcry palms, and the rich man acknowl-
edged 10 himself grudgingly that it was
pretty sight; he wanted 10 buy that
spot. tear the old house down and do what
he chose with the lot; his neighbor had
bought ono next to him for n play ground
for his children. But heaven had given
his own little one, play ground on which
he had no title or presumption, While
he stood looking, his family physician, a
wealthy man, who had almost retired from
the profession, came out of the old house
He was walking briskly past, when Mr..
Markham thew open the window and
la1 Ia m
aGood morp;rr Dr Earnbou Marry
Christmas Il Won can fnd one bo' h., :,
Returned to practice / see with n con.
ten,tuous r,nnce At The old corner
we said tho nhvsici,n grav,lv ";t
is rather n sad cosc Fonr months ~ food
md netting m mi in thorn Uowever
thc somc Odd who sont Tho rovene IN food
FI;iah iivoe do,. ''''
aDoctor said Mrs Markham crowd.
inc , Lace breat fact canned h"ad ont ha.
side her bushond's ZONE in and ont
breakfast with MS Nv apnetitc is worse
and - :, ,rosor;r,ior y
A' an, .n n,i' i hc hipwed,n oro,,lod tha
do,,,r ',,as os Ill ,s 80, w -,
tI" III, wy al, -" =, " ha an, al
,So , j,,a ot lit w""' to oia,T,h
W a., ,Av we "''' ''' '''''N'i'
- ni",.nn,i' .c,,,o,,d,o,t, yyh,, u,o.o
e''I', NJ, 'nI'
? iS. NY oo', "" mus; ?" ~ '. in"
an an .Iete any saiu tac uoo'o y, =
e gun! 'ioufn. sou , unuu Np T, II,
Low Wy ne'snpoi ~ NY sci sen, iheiei
1 liiciiS Nh ~ " you ION alu no
: oyspepsi'' 70" 10 {out mdo'e MY;
~, az H., od a. III soo'
h'an, .n ,an 'no Ue NJ ,o,o,,os qua,
n ,ho 80 "s ON To tha cnrOar Whnn ' tha
GOOD doctor had announced 70 The youno
: Husband in real Christmas phrase into
Won n son ia horn y the news had been re-
+, ceiyed Mt FIRST with natural spasm of de-
light and then ,he detected query "Wha,
. oS earth am 7 poinr 10 do with him y
But when later the doctor went TO him
: with hi, face beomhg with mischief and
/, said IiInto Won two Son, are horn. Tho
n CONSERVATION he caused would have beer
o AMUSING if il had not been so real There
q was a gloomy outlook for the pale young