Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-05-05

Rafe took care of the baby, and the other |
baby, and WAS, so TO speak, profeeeiouauy
at home Besides, Rafe himself (indeed,
might say Rafe in particularl was apou. p
become the support of the family. As luck
would have it--or as God willed it--a group |
OF marine artists had discovered tairharpor
that wear, and were wiuteS&, by the mercies
of Providence and the landiady, in the closed
hotel. hard at work among them one,
portrait and genre painter, guest OF the little
company tor week or 81, had seen Rate AT
window one day, and, presto the childs
face-a cheruh strayed from paradise Into
misfortune, the fellows sad-shau 20 to tue
exhibition. ..
Raie was earning what occurred to him as
an enormous sslarv "a model by the hour
he failed to see why sue had no rubbers or
Tommy no coat, or why this kitchen fire
burned SO cold, or there was no meat for
dinner, in view ot his monetary receipts.
lie had often told his mother that he would
support her, and begged her not to cry. II
did not strike him that he had never seen her
cry since his father died.
AS Christmas Eve drew on, they were all
well in the house. Emma Eliza drew the
| curtains fast for the hard and bitter air must
| melt into snow from very force of sistance
| to its fate, now any moment, and the house
| was cold. RATE asked her TO leave one of the
| kitchen curtains up u little he had u fancy
| for looking out on dark nights he used to
| stand 80, sometimes Grooming and singing 10
himself, his bright hair pressed against the
window pane and his thin hands up against
the wtndow-lane, aud his thin hsnus uP
against his temples. Before his father died
| Rafe, sang f" Pull for the Shore great deal
standing by that window looking out some
times Emma Eliza would catch 1t up upon
the instrument and Join. But he ala not
| sing II any more.
The outside door did did not latch the one
| that slammed poor Henry out on that last
| night il never latched very well there
| WAS no man to fix II now carpenter could
not be afforded the women and children
had tinkered away at the fastening, In tnelf
| blundering fashion, with binding tears.
! such are the cruel small ways in which the
poor are reminded of their bereavement al
| every oreyice of their lives. Rate had pushed
up the wash-bench finally against the door u
keep il in its place.
Mrs. Salt looked about the little group try
ing duteously to smile. She had on a dyed
. black dress she looked sixty years old sh,
: was what one might be tempted to cal
| almost Internally changed an indescribabl'
: | expression had got hold of her face sh'
| seemed like dead person up and dressed
: There was something no less than dreadful
| in the mechanical gentleness and reserve
which had settled down upon this emotional
| volupe creature. No accident betrayed he
: | into any acceleration of the voice the eros
sest baby never raised ruttle in her accent
: she had such a monotonous sweetness an,
| bruised patience a. seemed like paraly
: sis OF common human nature. Her chill
7 | dren could not remember to have had ever
| a rebuke from her since that night when tn
| woman neighbor CAME in. They had de
served 1t twenty times
, .'Children," she said, duly aud gently
II haven't any presents for you this Christ
! mas. It's the first one, / guess. l can
help 1t, you know, my dears We are YER.
: | poor to night But I'll build you big, h0
= | tire-ips all | can do. Wen keep Christ
| mas Eve by keeping warm, II we can. Th
stove don't work, somehow; the linin
| needs fixing; 1t needs man." She hesitated
looking pitifully about the room, at each littl
, | sober face.
"won't that do? Won't that be better tha
. no Christmas at all? l thought mebbe
would. It's all mothers got Tor you. Sh
= | couldn't do any better. She wanted to. II
: always set so much by Christmas. He -"
The broken door blew in and slsmme
:. against the wash bench loudly. Rafe wei
q to shut it: but it resisted the little fellow
" " strength-fell inward heavily, and with it
70 huge object thrust itself, or was thrust, aler
IA the floor noisily enough.
. 'lts the expressman " cried Raie. SIT
" Tan and Salts express cart, for as, marm
Now the Salt family had never had
u express package in all their lives. So inten
~ was the excitement for the moment that
i was almost impossible to remember that one
III father was drowned. They gathered lii
g., bees about the box, which the driver lifted
10 for them compassionately even stopping
help Emma Eliza start the cover.
"Seein ye're only women folks-of
=, Christmas Eve. And never in my life d
/ see woman could open icoodca DO
~ Guess ye'd have to set on it all night II ddr
and no man else to do for ye-"
u, ~ But Tan aud Salts express checked himst
and departed hastily from the loosened GOV
| and unfinished sentence, letting in whi
e' of the now falling snow as he closed Il
&c rafting door. He wished, with all his sou
" ',i he had time to Tx that latch.
ne Continued