The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-12-26
Select gturp.
Mary Martins Christmas Eve.
BY EDWARD E. HALE.

"She must be good girl she must be
neat, and quick, and tidy she must not
use bad language; and [ like to have them
pretty, or reasonably pretty.
Such was the request made by the ex-
cellent Mrs. Shepard, as she sat, weary
from walking, in the reception room at the
Orphans Home.
II have heard you say that before, " said
Mrs. Metcalf, the good-natured matron,
"and | have heard ten thousand other peo-
pie say it. So I dare say you have heard
my joke, that you had better go to some
institution where they keep young angels, "
Mrs. Shepard laughed, as she had laugh
ed at the same joke before and, when she
was little rested, the nine girls at that
moment under the roof were brought in.
But, to say the truth, they were not an
attractive "lot," as Mrs. Metcalf, alas,
would have classed them. She had done
her best The frocks were clean, and the
hair was prettily arranged. Mrs Metcalf
had changed all their names. There was
not Cynthia Ann nor Bridget nor
Polly among them all. Every child was
named Maud or Alice or Constance, or by
some other name which might please a
sated fancy. They had neat stockings and
tidy, even jaunty little boots, Their hands
were clean, and a good many of them had
little coquettish air, which intimated that
neat clothes were doing them good, and
that they were waking to the knowledge
that it is the business of at least one sex to
try to please, whatever may be said of the
other; but, on the other hand, small pox
had done its worst with some. Bad beer
and whisky, alas, had had their way with
others, With others, there was certain
hang-dog air, which showed only too well
how they had been kicked about by such
relatives as they had, before they appeared
in this "Home," which was so far happy
that here nobody pretended to be relation,
One by one the girls came into the par
lor and talked with Mrs. Shepard, and one
by one they went out and talked about her.
When the last child had gone Mrs, Shep-
ard said, rather wistfully, to the patient
official, who had been displaying these
goods as best she could:
"They look nicely, poor little things,
but some how do not fancy any Of them.
Where is the girl I saw on the fence as L
came in p
''On the fence ?"
This was Mrs. Metcalf s exclamation
and Mrs. Shepard knew that she had made
a mistake-that to climb the fence was
crime
"WelI, do not take me up" she said.
II should not have said on the fence-by
the fence, in the garden.
Mrs. Metcalf's brow cleared. "That was
Mary Martin. She has only been with US
two days?"
evil you call her in? l liked her
face
Mrs. Metcalf coughed. She even blush
ed. really-dear Mrs. Shepard
-she-she-ha not been we'll brought
up. She came back from Ashby
Yesterday, and she had come back from
Bernardson the week before. She is heal
thy and good-natured, and willing and
strong; ut-but-they tell me she lies
and steals, and swears sometimes, and-and
that she uses bad language.
'sThe truth is, she never remembers her
father and mother. She never had any.
She was brought up in a poorhouse in
Rhode Island, and they were so good to
her that she wants to go back there. But
of course she can't go back, because she is
old enough to earn her living"
'sDoes she swear very badly? asked
poor Mrs. Shepard, who was afraid of COM
promising her church membership.
'To tell you the truth, I never heard
her say anything worse than de0tt, but Mrs.
Goss-she is the Bernardston lady-says
she swears all the time"
But, as the reader knows, the woman
who hesitates is lost. Mrs. Shepard had
liked the pleasant smile of the girl, who
was astride on the wall of the home as she
went in. She asked to have her sent for,
and the result, which is all that the reader
need care for, was that In the 3 P. NJ. train
for Bedington crossing, Mrs. Shepard and
Mary Martin went together.
"The trustees are very particular about
their going to school, said Mrs. Metcalf,
as she tied the girls scarf round her neck
and bade her good by.
aNever fear" said Mrs. Shepard, "She
shall go to school enough-whenever it's
convenient" she added as salvo to hel
conscience, as she went down the steps.
Mrs. Metcalf heard the first part, and il
she heard the second she never reported it
to the trustees.
A nice time had Mrs Shepard with Mary
Martin through the next week. 1t was
not convenient" to send her to school
for the school was two miles away, and tht