St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-12-10

says Pm going to be real nice house
keeper when l get used to it. / can
cook hasty puddin' real nice, and fry
pork. Only the children do take lot
of tendin' to. What did you get in the
box, Clare %
sOh, I-n, Glare broke off suddenly,
with Illuminated eyes! ss'Maggy Bril-
an, got heaps of things! You just
come and see! Why, you're just as big
1 am and they're mine! And mother
always says you're just as brave! And
what will your father say when you go
home? Hurry!" He ran up the grav-
ell walk, waving his hat as he had done
when the box first arrived, while Mag
gy followed in dumb amazement. She
had an inward fear that Glare had sud-
denly gone crazy, but the chance to
have a nearer look at those tempting
treasures, was too enticing for her.t to
resist. She went into the sitting room
and stood in the circle about the table,
an astOnished little figure, while the
family gathered about her; Mrs. ROl-
Inns rubbing her cold hands, Janet and
Kitty unfolding their new dresses for
her inspection. Baby standing back
to look at her, and the minister listen
ing, with kind eyes that grew a little
dim, as Clare's confused words poured
forth.
"And just think, father! standing
outside to watch us have good times,
and all the children to tend to, and not
warm enough, and the coat on the
twins bed and she knows how to cook.
Kitty Rollins and the things are
mine, arn't they, fatherg Can't she
have them.q just my size you know,
and that muff gave to Kitty, but the
rest of 'em she could have-and oh,
can't she put 'em on now and go home
and surprise her father ?"
Clare's mother came over and put
both arms around him with a warm
kiss of pleasure, as she saw his face
bright and eager as ever, and the min
lister sprang up himself, to bring the
despised bundle of ''girl's things" from
the bedroom where they had been put
out of sight while Glare was out of
doors.
But when Maggy understood this
marvellous piece of good fortune she
sat suddenly down on the rug and
burst into tears. That anything like
this should come to her-little hard :
worked Maggy Brian, with so much to
do for "the children" that there was
no time to think of herself from one
weeks end to the other! That it
should really be for her that Glare and
Kitty were unrOlling these wonderful
things that warm, new dress, and the
cloak and hat, such as she had never
worn i'm her life
81 shan't know myself" cried Mag
gy through her tears at amt right
to keep 'em for myself. But they're
too big for the twins, now amt they,
Mis- Rollins? They couldn't wear EN- |!
Oh, never did see any thing SO nice
in all my days."
But to Clare's intense amaZement,
the warmest welcome of all was given
SO deeply, an hour before. Maggy
sort of awe, touching its shining curls
with reverent fingers.
81 just can't believe it !" she said,
softly. "Why, wanted a doll, always.
I'll just keep it forever, and lock it up,
SO the children can't get it till they're
big enough to be careful. And oh,
Glare won't I have something to keep
me company when they're asleep! It's
like fairy story"
And Glare and Kitty performing a
war dance of triumph, around the emp
ty box, agreed with emphasis that it
was
l cannot say that the disappointment
did not come back to Clare's heart that
night, in spite of the memory of happy
Maggy, going home through the moon
light in her pretty blue suit, with the
precious doll clasped to her heart nor
that there were not few secret tears
shed, when the boy was quite alone in
his room, cuddled under the bedclOthes
with his face buried in the pillow. He
thought no one knew of them. He did
not know that his mother, stealing in
to cover him more warmly with one of
the new blankets, found his pillow wet,
and cried, herself, softly, in the dark,
as she kissed his freckled little cheek.
But the sun was bright and joyous
when he awOke; the lake was all toss
ing and glittering outside his window !;
the new shoes and stockings lay on
the chair near his bed, and through
the door he heard Kitty's gay voice
calling lovingly, "COme Clarence wake
up! It's Thanksgiving Day !"-[Chi-
cago Advance.