Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-12-23

she SAW Il falling star, anu re- s25ftssaNSS
membered that she had heard =
that ii a wish was expressed at
the moment when a starfell, the
wish would be fulfilled. And
when she looked again heaVenWard,
another star shot into space, ana she
cried as quickly as she could: "Good
luck and Il blessing good luck ana il
blessing for my poor mother Wheh'
presto, she ran against some one. As
her eyes were turned upward she dld
not see the portly gentleman who
stopped the way so suddenly, and who
now stood before her, and with some
show of displeasure exclaimed, us
this proper behavior for the street?
The gentleman had just come from
his dinner at the hotel opposite. tie
was bachelor and a good liver, and
to-day his dinner had been prolonged,
because it was Christmas eve. wv ny
do YOU run so heedlessly, and knock
me in the stOmach?' and he looked
vervangrv. and caught the childby the
arm so firmly that she cried out with
pain. She stammered an apology,
and said that she was looking at a
falling star. and asked for a blessing
for her poor mother.
Nonsense. superstition. STUFF eX-
claimed the gentleman. "Atallng star.
Pshawn'
Then. recovered from the shock OF
the sudden meeting, and his good ma
ture asserting itself, he looked curl
ouslv into the pale, yet beautiful face
OF the child. The moon at that mo-
ment appeared above the houses and
it's light fell directly upon the two.
The childish face upturned to him,
lighted by a half-frightened, half-plty-
ING expression. held him. and aroused
the remembrance of his own chlld-llfe
and of the merry Christmas in it. In
every mans heart there is place for
love and sympathy; in ometheSrowth
is SMALL in others large, and IN some
there is only sterility. So with the
gentleman suddenly stopped by the
little girl. But as he looked into the
troubled face, the little place or gar
den in his heart, heretofore barren
began to show signs of life, and soon
the plant which we may call sympa'
thy, or charity, sprouted, grew, bud
ded, and bloomed with marvellous ra
pidity.
'What is your name little one, and
where do you live?'
She told him that her name was SUI
san, like her mothers, that her moth
erwas a wash-woman, and lived IN al
allev where the sun, even in midsum
mer, never shone.
''Come," said the stranger, 81 vii
take you home, and if allis as yousay
then, indeed, will the falling star have
brought You what you wlsh-gooc
luck and blessing"
They went through the market
place, into a narrow street, where the
poor people lived. "Here 1T Isl" sale
the child, and, running before, stood
by door on the lower floor. The
stranger was obliged to stoop, ant
that he had never done before
"Mother is within, and has fire II
the stove," exclaimed the child; "1cal
see it through the chinks."
The poor woman, who, like he
daughter, during the day had been EN-
ployed IN preparing rich people:
houses for Christmas eve, had ar
ranged a surprise for her child. Sh
sat upon low stool before a littl
iron stove in which q fire burned
briskly, which gave hergreat pleasure
for fire did not glow in the room al
often as the good woman wished; ant
the little stove-it seemed to be {
L of 1;fo arI or6 t0 l.