Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-05-05
Gales aud Sketfhfs.
SHOWED IN.
THE STORY OF A BRAVE GIRL.
Continued from yesterday


said Joe, when it began to grow dark.
Wont they. Charly?"
..Oh, Charly, won't emp"
"Do YOU s'pose a wolf chased father and
mother ?''asked Joe. with dismal quaver,
breaking in upon the narrative of The
Tiny Pig" =,
"A wolf couldn't catch our Dolly" said
Dean, very quickly; "she's too smart
and big"
| Charly laughed. For all the world she
would not have acknowledged that such
possibility had ever occurred to her own
mind.
"It's the storm that keeps them," she
said, cheerily. Its dreadful storm,
you know. But they'll be here tomorrow
Il know they will"
| But tomorrow came and went-a long,
dreary. freezing day. and the fifth morn
ing dawned How bitterly cold it was,
and how the wind wbistled through and
Through the house! The storm had ceased
hut OF this the children could not be sure
since the windows were banked high with
snow, and when Joe tried to open the out
er door white wall repealed him.
Their store of provisions, too. were
nearly exhausted, and that seemed worse
than all, until Joe came in from the entry
with his arms full of wood, and his eyes
full of tears.
"Thats every bit there is" he auaver-
ed "Oh, Charly, why don't father Gomez"
HE WILL" said Charly. with brave,
bright smile, though her heart was like
lead. Now well be real saving of this
wood, and only put one stick at a time"
Oh, how cold the room grew Colder
and colder, while time dragged on. and
those last sticks were burning slowly
away. They ate their last bits of bread
then, and because Charly said she could
not eat. there was very little more for
Joe, Dean and Emmy.
But Joe, though he looked wistfully at
the frozen morsels, was struck with a
sudden recollection.
You didn't eat any breakfast, Charlv,
nor anything last night because your head
ached. Amt you hungryP'
Never mind" said Charly, cheerily,
"I'll eat enough when they get home"
The bread disappeared then to the last
crumb
I'm awful hungry. now" said Joe.
Som l." echoed Dean, with pitiful
pucker: land Pm awful cold"
Charly Rugged Emmy tighter and look
ed around.
There were the kitchen chairs-stout
oaken ones.
Cant you break up a chair, joey"
she asked.
'But he couldn't. though he tried. man.
manfully-poor little Joe-with tears
standing on his cheeks.
Never mind" said Charly again. And
then the forlorn little group huddled to-
gether over the dying fire. How cold it
was And how the wind rocked the old
house, and blew its freezing breath in
through every chink!
Pm sleepy" murmured Emmy, very
drowsily.
"Charly looked at her in sudden terror
She had been sobbing with cold and hun
ger, and now her baby face looked pinch
ed and her hands blue with cold. But the
golden head dropped heavily against
Charly's ARMAND Emmy never went to
sleep at this time of the day. A dull, red
coal winked among the ashes. Charly
saw it and Strengthened Emmy up with a
little shake.
We'll have funny fire." said she,
with catch in her voice. Bring the-the
box, joey"
"Oh. Charly. no."
Eyes" said Charly, can make plenty
more. Wake up, Emmy
And in a minute Emmy was wide awake
enough to see tiny, bright blaze upon
the hearth They burned the box first,
and then the pretty carvings one by one.
All too soon they were gone, and there
only remained few ashes.
"Pm just as cold" whimpered Dean.
"I'm sleepy, too, Charlv."
"Well, you shall 90 to Sleep" said
Charly, land when you wake up I know
they'll be here. But we'll have some
nice fun, first. "Who wants doughnut Pr
"Oh. Charly Grace, "but you haven't
got one!"
Yes. | have" returned Charly, with
a triumphant little laugh. 81 saved these
out of mine" She stood Emmy on the
hearth, and hobbled as briskly as she
could across the floor, placing two chairs
one at each end of the room "Now YOU
run race around those till | say its
enough, and III give you one apiece.
Run just as fast as you can"
At first the children demurred, thew
were so cramped, and tired, and drowsy ;
but the sight of three. brown. delicious.
looking cakes which Charly produced
from her pocket. nerved them to action.
Around and around the chairs they ran,
Joe ahead. Emmy in the rear, breathing
out little clouds of steam. And Charly
laughed, and clapped her hands, and
cheered them on until at last they stopped
from sheer fatigue, putting like three
small locomotives, and with their pulses
beating in lively way
Charly hobbled over to the bed, and
said to them:
Get in, all of you. then III give you
your cakes. know they'll be here when
you wake up"
She tucked them in warmly and then
she went back to her chair. She put the
ends of her crutches upon two or three
| live Goals and blew them into a tiny blaze.
Pretty soon. when she had warmed herself
little, she would creep in beside Emmy.
She listened to the deep, regular breath
ing from the bed
They are going to Sleep" she muir
INJURED. II have done the best could
the best could"
The words echoed from the walls of the
cold little room, and rang themselves over
and over in her brain. How warm the
place was growing, and how dark She
would crawl over to the bed and get in
with Emmy and Dean and Joe. But she
did not STIR