Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-09-14
WHAT CANE OF A HOLIDAY.
cHAprgR IA BROKEN LEG.


stroking his brown beard and looking at
the fading light over the sea.
'sWe have been going down hill for so
long," he says presently to his wife, who
sits at a table near, busted in renovating
some old straw hats for the children to
wear tomorrow on a picnicking expedi-
ton, in which they have all-father and
mother and all-been invited to take part
by some kind neighbors.
A pause, and then John Fordham adds:
Y"And l don't see how we are ever to get
up again. l don't care about taking a
holiday tomorrow, either ; and wish you
would agree to leave me behind, Dorothy"
Nonsense, Johnp returns little Mrs.
Fordham cheerily; she is almost always
bright and hopeful. "The children would
not like that neither should /. Let us be
thankful that we have our health and
strength, so that we can put the worries
out of sight for a while, and go off and
enjoy ourselves like other people for once"
industriously sponging away at some
soiled ribbon as she speaks. 'One or the
other of us might have been laid up" she
goes on "and how much worse that would
have been than anything we have had to
put up with yet. Cheer up, dear. "A
good heart breaks bad luck We have
only to go on, doing whatever lies before
us, and leaving all the rest to One who
knows better than We do, and the way will
be sure to open"
Here the four children, two boys and two
girls, run in from their play in the quiet
country roadway.
ooh, mother, have you finished our
hats p asks the eldest of the girls, a
curley-headed little maid of eight, while
Dorrie, the youngest, takes up the sponge
which her mother has just finished using,
and next casts her glance over the table in
search of a stray bit of ribbon.
"Not quite, Dorrie, put down the
sponge and find my large scissors, there's a
good child! And, Hilda, thread a needle
with white cotton for me. Boys, have you
cleaned your boots?"
Yes, mother"
"And brushed your clothes?"
Yes mother. Oh, look Johnniep peer
ing delightedly through homemade ka-
leidoscope their latest toy), and then
gently holding it out to his older brother.
." It's all rose-color and yellow-like sun
shine And green, and blue, and purple.
Oh, isn't it pretty! And you've only got
to keep turning it, and turning itr'
But before little Alfred had got so far
John Fordham, the elder, has looked
down at his own boots, and bethought him
self also of his own clothes
As he goes into the little back yard,
brushes, ETC., in hand, he signs heavily.
Once the kaleidoscope of his life had been
blue, and roses, and gold; but the gay and
hopeful colors have all vanished long since,
and in these days he can only see dull
gray, with a lowering blackness of doubt
and dread on every hand.
By trade he is a cork-cutter Once he
had business Of his own in the large ad-
jacent town of Eastbridge, and had been
doing we'll. But the demand for corks
had fallen off by degrees, for glass-stop-
pers, etc, had come to be used instead |;
and, at length, after months and even
years of anxiety and suspense, he had
failed
Removing from Eastbridge, he had come
to live in Yarley for cheapness, feeling
himself a broken and ruined man. His
wife had taken in washing, and he had
got little painting, or something else of
the kind to do every now and then; and
SO they had gone on from day to day
se.ntil now.
However, as he-not very theoretically
cleaned his boots, he tried hard to shake
off his depression; he did not wish to
cloud the enjoyment of others by his own
detection, and he determined that he
would do as his wife had said, namely,
go to the picnic tomorrow, and forget in
its little CLEAN of brightness, that there
was nothing but gloom beyond
The morning came, clear and cloudless.
They all set off in good time in roomy
covered van, with hampers packed with
provisions, and plenty of wraps, cloaks
and umbrellas, ETC., in case of a change of
weather before night. In short, their
kind friends, the Wynnes, had taken care
of everything, and they had nothing to
do but enjoy themselves.
How beautiful the country lanes were in
their fresh summer greenness, how exhilar-
ating was the COOL pure morning air, and
how glorious the June sun shown down on
the Towering hedgerows!
John Fordham was just beginning to cast
of his dependency, when-snap went
something A strap At the same moment
the van began to go down hill-the horse
kicked out yiolently-poor John Fordham
was thrown out into the road, and it was
very evident that his leg was broken.
All was confusion in an instant. The
children were screaming with terror, and
the mothers almost fainting. Three men
who had been passing ran up, and gave all
the assistance they could and a very little
later there was poor John Fordham being
wheeled away on q truck to the nearest
railway station, in order to be taken to
Eastbridge Hospital.
And the remainder of the sorrowful
party returned to their several homes.
CHAPTER IA NEW FRIEND.
Three weary months had passed. Au-
tumn browns and yellows decked the
country lanes and gardens, and the field
hams were at play, while their mother
stood at an open window above putting on
her bonnet. She was intending to snatch
time from her hard work to go and see her
husband, who had not yet left the hospital.
His leg had been very badly broken, and
he had only quite lately begun to mend
Friends had been very kind, and had
got up small subscriptions among them
selves, which had been Of material use.
But there were no rich people living near,
and, for the most part, poor Mrs. Ford
ham had had to get on as best she could.
As she was about to chose the window
she called to the group below:
BE good children while / am gone
and you can have your tea early, and start
to meet me directly after. And don't for
get to lock the door before you come away,
as you did last time"
Once away from the house, and fairly
started on the lonely road along by the
beach, Mrs. Fordham felt her tears begin
ming to come. Her children were not near
now to ask, What is the matter, mother ?'
No one was near, no one saw her, save the
Great Father above, who could and who
would helm her when the RIGHT TING came .