Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-25

placed the chlld In IL, ana Oruereu ner
driven home.
"Oh," said the child, 81 CAM go home.
l must find some one to help my mother.
She lives just round the corner and she
is ill.,"
Stanton hesitated moment, bit his
lip in vexation, beat the flags with his
foot, and then, pulling himself together,
entered the carriage, and said: "Go ou,
| will see what can be done
He entered the wretched, fireless
room, almost devoid of furniture, and
lighted by the most miserable excuse for
a lamp.
The woman who lay upon the uncom.
Portable. poorly covered bed was sick,
very sick. Stanton laid some money by
the lamp, then turned to the man at the
door and said: 81 can do nothing. For
heavens sake go get woman and a
doctor somewhere. L will walk home!
Then, turning, he caught sight OF the
chlds face. At the same moment the
sick woman raised her head from the
pillow and looked at her visitor.
The features of the child told him too
clearly he was in the house OF Leila Law
ingston. The tone, of his voice, changed
as they were, spoke unmistakably to the
woman's ears. He turned, and their
eyes met once more. He looked at her
for a moment. She was the first to
speak. Proudly calm still, she raised
her hand to him and said: "Nol Not
| from you. Take that money, so, leave
me. Some one will come to my aid.
Not you! Not you"
He went and some one did come. He
took the silver, toe, as she bade him.
But he did not rest until he had found
nurse and physician, too, for the sick
woman. She was much relieved by
care, by warmth and by stimulanis.
Next day the doctor whom Eugene Wis
tied to make enquiries of, said she was
| doing well. For days he did not 90 near
the house. Leila thought it was the
| doctor who was taking such good care OF
her. She told him many times, when
she was well she would go to work again
and try to repay him.
But Eugene often met the child,
who was named Leila, too. He made
enquiries as to the mothers health, and
at length learned she was able to go
about.
The young Leila had often told her
mother how kind the gentleman was
whom she has sent away that night, but
she could not explain anything to the
child. Thus, little by little, she was
accustomed to hear again of Engene,
and when at length he came TO the
| house she had become little reconciled
| to see him.
She explained that her brother had
been killed in the war, that her sister
had died, and thus, when the loss of her
| fortune and her husband came, there
was no place for her to go. She had
been obliged to take place as account
ant in house down town to earn her
| bread She had here contracted the ill
ness from which she had suffered.
Thus it happened that when once more
the eve of Christmas came around, peo-
pie said old Stanton had undergone
some wonderful change. His manner
and voice, and even the hard lines of
his face had softened so and relaxed!
He was so much interested In all around
him, and had become so kindly that peo-
pie were led to doubt his identity. But
had any one seen him as daily he
| watched Leila grow well, and well look
ing again, or as he sat looking at the
young Leila and dreamed of something
evidently very pleasant to him, they
| would have known what subtle power
was thus working upon him, as surely
as Medea's magical charms, albeit with
out the Intervention of the knife and
cauldron.
But this Christmas Eve he was there
in the cottage where the mother and
daughter dwelt. The young Leila had
crossed the street for q moment to
speak to friend, and while she was
gone. Eugene had gone across the room.
Once more he held Leila by the hand,
and he said: ''Leila, take off those
weeds. You have worn mourning long
enough. Come across the street and
look after my house for me. Let me
come here to morrow and get the answer
you promised me so many years ago."
"Ah! Eugene" she said, ''Do not
speak Of thai! Do not remind me of
my sin to you! Come tomorrow and
let us try to think il is twenty years ago,
and that never was so ungrateful-so
treacherous to you.'
mo; Mo-" he said. "Not treacher
ous-that you could not bel"
II did not know" she replied, how
much you were to me; how impossible
it would be for anything to take your
place! But, my punishment if not all
deserve, has been more than l could
bear!"
So the Christmas which brought gifts
from heaven to earth, and which brought
gifts from friend to friend the world
around, had at last brought its gift of
love to these two at last.
When Eugene came the next day he
gave the young Leila some pretty and
| costly present, such as she had not for
some lime been accustomed to, and she
looked to her mother for permission to
receive it. The mother crossed the
room, and taking the girl by the hand
said, Eyes, Leila, take it from him; and
now let me make you my Christmas
present. 1t is a new papa, and he is
Mr.. Stanton"
AS the mother placed the girls hand
in that of Eugene she turned her head,
saying, "Oh, mamma, how nice this is
of you. And shall love my new papa
better than any daughter of his very
own ever could do"
And, SO after many days, love so long
stifed. now, in the declining years of
their life, came to make these two what
nothing else in all the world had been
able to make them. Wealth, ambition,
honor, art, luxury--all the best gifts of
life had been theirs, and had been theirs
in vain. They were not happy, were
not even content. Death would have
been a welcome messenger to the heart
of either. But now in their age they
found what youth had failed to give.
Gray hairs and failing steps with love
brought what the hey.day in the flood,
without love, was powerless to insure.
They were very happy, and young
Leila grew up with the lesson often re-
peated in her ears:
"True loves the gift which God has given
To man alone beneath the heaven.