The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-25
SAD FACED LITTLE ANNIE.

from his head and his face rs white IL the
dead. Mrs. PEBBLES gaspei, hut could not
speak, for 10, following Honor into the room
tall, good looking young man with
frank blue eyes, brown heard and brouZnd
face their own Tom, the long hoped for
long absent son, who had returned on Christ
mas night, exactly rs absent SONS frequently
do i'll books hut very rarely i'll real life. lie
fell on his lu~cS before Mrs. PEBBLES Solbing
in her lap lille the little tailor was wildly
shaking bands with everybody. The happi-
est moment had come for all three of the
Pebbles family. Their story had told itself
Grace Fairlie, tie little schoolmistrcss,
said: Il ann obliged 10 acknowledge that
owe the happeSt moments | have ever expe-
riencei 10 the receipt of letter that came
10 me one day when l was terribly in need
of the help it brought" Over the poor
dodgers face stole an expression of almost
angelic joy, but only Aunt Margaret noticed
it,
Then they all turned to little Annie-fe-ble
prematurely old, sad faced little Anuie-yho
sat gazing effectively into the fire and then
said: II member once father said he would
give me a worse hiding than when he
came home, cause l waited for him outside
the public, and when he come he fell asleep
and forgot to give it me. Ii that VIII do,
MISC
Little Annie! Poor little Annie, How
could she know that this story which She told
- simply IN few words was the. most Ia
thetic that had ever been written
Then it was Honnr'S turn L. talk. She had
just begun her story-a fairy story y hen,
Glau,iug up, her fac" expressed astoui~uucmt
confusion AMI happiness, all in an instant
There, standing in tn" door un;tmnuunccd
Sir Edward Dus;trt. Anyone who I'M
'lerstood the language of faces would know at
once 10y glance at Houur's that her happicst
moment had come; that her story. too, had
told itself, for only one thing could gave
brought Sir Edward Dusrt to her from
Uncle Brysons on that Christmas night And
wasn't it curious that the schemng of the
Brysons to keep him from again meeting
Honor had brought about the very thing
they had tried To prevent. And isn't it al
ways sos Behind Sir Edward came Mir Red
mond, who, after greeting everybody, said
something to Aunt Margaret which seemed
To make her face radiant and caused her to
tell the story of her happieSJ moment with
her eyes only. She IL was, not Honor who
had been the cause OF his visits there AMI in
the fewest words possible ON that Christmas
night he made this plain to her; and later,
when addressing IA few words of good will
and good wishes to all before the curious
company rose from the table, he said tins was
one of the happiest moments Of his life
But just after he and Sir Edward had be
come one of the company. Mr.. Williams the
poor lodger, was seen making his way toward
the door holding his handkerchief up to his
face. He telling Sally to excuse him to
her mistress, rs a sudden attack of neuralgia
obliged him to leave rather abruptly when
Sir Ed ard Dusart caught sight OF him. ami
called out: "Elston Is it: Why Elston.
old fellow, where on earth have you sprung
fromf" The poor lodger moved on toward the
door, making no answer. Sir Edward spraug
after him, and with his arm around his neck
school boy fashion, wcnt with him into the
hall. When they both returned Sir Edward
introduced the poor lodger the best friend
he ever had, and one of the best scholars Of
his own university The little company was
greatly astonished to learn that he wasn't
Mr. Williams at ALL but Mr.. Elston; but
they were still more astonished some weeks
later when they learned that he and Grace
Fairlie married-they became engaged
that very night, and We're married a. soon as
he was established as a lawyer. So his story
also, was not told, but told itself.
The little tailor and his wife are as happy
rs they could desire Mrs. Parneu is better
Off now. and with Lady Dusart for her
friend, more 'genteel" and exclusive than
ever When any one refers to that memoir
able Christmas night she says there is an
advantage u be derived from an occasional
mixture ot CLASSES james Brooks, the old
soldier. is in receipt of pension, which finds
its way TO him, he imagines, from France,
and is a frequent visitor at the hall, where
Sir Edward and Lady Dusart are always
glad 10 welcome him, and to the Rectory, "a
mile away. where Mr.. Redmond and Aunt
Margaret are host and hostess There is a
pretty cottage in the village, of which
Johnnies mother is the mistress There old
Nannie's last days We're spent in comfort.
Johnnie became a sailor lad: but after some
years of seafaring, came homo and settled
down" in the village with his mother. Poor
little Annie Not all the love ami care of her
kind friends could keep her long with them.
Tho tired little spirit fled early from a world
which it found too cruel to linger in
NJ NEWMAN