St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-26
Street Waits Made to Feel
That Christmas Has Joys
for Them.
Ladies of st. Paul Whose Kind
Hearts Brighten Fair
Faces.
A Scene Of Many Which Are
Confined Not to the Holt
days Alone,
Where Little Hearts Are Glad
dened by Kind Thought
fulneSS.

dawn of Christmas eVe-WaS to rich and
poor alike time of considerable mo-
ment. The former class thtOnged
Third street with fashionable vehicles,
while the latter lodged up and down
the muddy thoroughfare, belated be-
lated with the wares of shop and larder.
1t was miserable evening. The poor
man was compelled to wade the street
without rubbers-the rich could sit in
his fur-lined coupe, with them ON. But
the heart that beat beneath the rags
was as passionate with cheer as the
cold, chiseled organ of the aristocrat.
The weary, worn father appreciated
just as much tie jay he could bring into
: the honest bosom of his home by eau
tious expenditure of his weekly pit
lance, or perchance the. savings OF
season, as his more Fortunate fellow
whose purchases were vast and costly.
There seemed an unusual cOmmlngllng
of all classes on Third street that even
ing, and rare gown could often be
seen jostling with coarse tweed. Ons such
an unpropitiouS night. the well-fed
and daintily cared-fOr children of the
UPPER Cluob NClCs al 90 tiuttOA VI
course, snugly housed in their nurSer-
les, where maid and attention banished
all the cares of the morrow, and left
only the satisfied hope of .'bOw much"
and "what S0rt'' it would bring. That
with the birth of the festal day, the be-
stOwalS upon the little. one would be
many, the said little one was assured,
and could, as to that. rest for an Dppor-.
tunity to cry for more, Or find fault IN
what was given unto it. -.e.,
For all the foulnesS OF the night. and
the scant attire with which to meet its
endangering elements, the poor mans
.'lzid'' was more or less out. Some were
there who helped in the transportation
of the numerous bundles and packages,
and bags and boxes, and things of ey-
cry sort and description. The bright
little faces of nearly all of such were
perfect blooms of happiness a. +. con-
te ntment. Gleefully eXulting over their
probable possessions on Christmas
morning, they betrayed their innocent
emotions In many ways-peculiar and
hOmely. But alas! If all the little
tOddlers that were stocking their future
matinees or childish play and rollick,
that were seen moving about in Third
street that night, belonged to this class
all would have been well, and Gods
blessings would have been materially
manifest in every home.
A little beggar, out for what chance
and appeal might bring, on the eve
of Christmas, and pushing a way
through crowd whose every individual
member was skies above the little beg
gar in the possession of this worlds
goods, was an incident which. if real
lied, would appeal to the nobility of
any man. To feel that you were pillng
your two arms with glory and picnic
for your little ones and that the little
ragamuffins, tumbling about your
movements from store to store, were
probably starving on this cherries
night, would certainly halter your
charity to the spot. There were many
of these poor, dirty little beggars on
the street Tuesday evening. Little
girls and little boys with ripped and
worn shoes, with skirts and kits SO
dirty as to compare well with the be-
slushed street, bareheaded or rank
excuses for headgear. OF this
great family of unfortunate and
nearly destitute medicants, which
every great city harbOrs of necessity,
three little mud-bedraggled girls met
happy issue at the hands of one of our
nobleSt mothers, leader in our society,
and none other than the esteemed Mrs.
Flandrau, the hOnored wife Of Judge
Flandrau. The scene was on Third
street, about the middle of the square
between Cedar and Wabasha streets,
in front of a confectionery store. The
three little children-all girls-were
standing before the well-filled show
windows of the shop, intently gazing at
the contents, and, childlke, pointing to
the goodies which almost tempted
t.,,-c.io ,,;0ue en;1,,ro Tho ol(i idrtSfl xyarQ
sOpping wet, about the same size, and
were dressed in ill-fittipg little blanket
suits, the homeless garb ever put about
human form. AnxiQuS1y they gazed
in at the window, and watched the hosts
90 in and come ont. No one seemed to
notice them singular as it may seem
for they were as they stood there smack
ing their dirty little lips the very picture
of want and Disappointment. They
walked from one window to the other,
and dare say that they had obtained
graphic impressions of each and every
sweetmeat i'm both windows. Oh, how.
they longed for just taste of the I'M
attainable. AS the crowd passed them
they would occasionally lift up their
little red faces and with piteOus mien
beg recognition. But no, there were no
hearts in the crowd that went by for
the first five minutes of my study of
tn ose forsaken little "kidS." 1t was
affecting to note the pride of the eldest
one of the trio battle with the pangs OF
her tempted taste. They crayed what
seemed to them heaven, and yet every
moment of such unqualified desire made
their little lives seem so blank so
empty, desolate and miserable.
The soul that would not melt before
that scene shoulc be damned, and l
venture to say that goodly number of
those who pushed aside those poor, suf-
fering little wretcheS spent the yester-
day diScOntentedly, or suffered blight
J Of some kind. Some of those hearts
must have been made out OF pig iron or
bridge timber not to have awakened to
s UGH humane calls.
After the lapse of few moments
watch over my little sisters of poverty,
from the shielding entrance of another
establishment, pushed forward, patted
the little creatures on their wet, knOtty
heads. and with an assuring glance
proeeeded, in the name of the GLOBE,
myself and human charity, to buy them
enough candy to last month. How
their gaze followed me as | leaned over
the counter and pointed TO several two
hundred-pound boxes, etc. They were
picturesque study. seen through the
plate glass window, and their renewed
hope burst its rebellion over every
eonntenance.
! Mrs. Flandrau was just accepting
large package of SweetmeatS as the
GL0BE's order was about to be filled.
Nodding to my fair shop attendant,
called her attention to the objects of my
purchase-the faces peering in at the
window. As glanced toward my sweet
little brats. | saw the form of Mrs.
FIandrau bending over them, caressing
and cheering them, as they held out
their unwashed hands for her package.
This she extended to them with a hearty
spirit, full of kindness and pity for the
poor things. How eagerly the little
girls grabbed that package. no one
but an observer can realize. The two
smallest ones just fell upon it, while the
elder acknowledged the gift with
smiles and tears. Their grateful little
hearts dumbed them and they couldn't
speak. The magnanimous deed was
characteristic of the lady. She put a