The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-01-10
THOMPSON'S. DREAM.


somehow gone wrong with him all
day, and he felt irrated; consequent
ly, when friend accOsted him with a
request to buy ticket for the or
phan's home ball, to be held next even
ing, he declined somewhat brusque-
ly and hurried on towards home.
Give dollars for a ball ticket" he
unused as he walked along, "that's
altogether too steep. l suppose
they'll use the money well, but there
are lots of people better able than l
am to give that amount, and then
business has been so bad the last
week that really can't possibly af-
ford it,
And just at that juncture, happen
ing to pass cigar store, he remem-
bered that he had smoked up the last
cigar he had at home, and going in
purchased a box of fragrant Havan-
as for $3.50, and renewed his Journey
homeward.
Arriving at his home, he ate his
supper, and after lighting one of the
new cigars, lay down on the sofa for
a quiet smoke, and after watching
his two fair-haired children, a girl of
10 and boy of 5, playing before the
fire for a few moments, fell asleep.
When he regained consciousness, to
his ast enlistment, he found himself
standing in the hallway of a strange
house. For Il moment he rubbed his
eyes, to make sure that this was no
hallucinntiOn of his vision, and then
finding it was not, pinchcd himself to
make sure that he was awake and not
dreaming. He felt the pinch asplain
as he ever did any touch in his life,
and realizing that he was in a strange
house, with no reasonable excuse for
being there, like sensible man he
sat down on one of the chairs near by
to consider what it was best for him
to do. 1t was still night, the hall in
which he found himselfwas lighted by
single gas jet at the farther end,
and outside he could hear the wind
bowling dismally and driving the fall
ing sleety snow against the windows,
with a sound that made him shiver,
as he realized the wildness ofthe night
outside. For quite a while he could
not for the lite of him imagine where
he was, but all of sudden he recog-
nized it as the hallway ofthe orphans s
home, where he had called
on business a day OF two
before He tried to think
what particular business had called
him there upon such a stormy even
ing, and what excuse he should make
if any one came before he discovered
what he had come there for. While
in the midst of his cogitatiOns, sud
denly the door-bell rang, and a
woman whom he took to be the mat
ron came, and without apparently
seeing him, admitted two shivering
mites of humanity, a boy and a girl,
of about the same age as his own
two darlings. He could not see their
faces for they kept their backs to-
wards him, but he saw that the girls
golden locks were of the exact shade
of those of his own May, and the
boy, too, strangely resembled his
Johnnie. The blast that swept
through the open door as they en-.
tered chilled him to the very marrow
and the tears stood in his eyes as he
surveyed their shivering forms, and
saw that the clothes of both were
threadbare; that they were without
stockings, and that barely the sem
blance of shoes covered their half
naked feet.
The little girl, with the left hand OF
the boy held tightly in her right
faced the matron bravely, but the
boy, upon whose face could be seer
the trace of recent tears, shrunb
timidly behind her, and tried sur
reptitiously to dry his eyes upon the
corner of his sisters ragged apron.
"Well, my little dears," said the
matron kindly, what can | do tol
you to-night?'
"Plcase ma'am," said the little
girl, for she being the older of the
two was by virtue eofseniority leader
"a lady told me yesterday that yor
had shoes and stockings here to give
away to poorlittle boys that had nj
gotany, and we've come to see if yor
wouldn't give us some, cause oul
feet s most froze."
81 am very sorry said the ma
tron, "but we gave away the last
pair of shoes and stockings that We
had this morning"
"Haven't you even got o pair fol
Johnnie?" said the little girl, her lips
beginning to quiver and the water tc
come into her eyes with dispppoint
ment, "cause, you see, ma am, it dom
make so much difference about me
cause Pm big and can stand it; bu
Johnnie here, he's SO little, and h
cries so much cause his feet's 81
cold" And as she spoke she drew
herself up to the full height other tin,
figure as if to impress her audito
with the full extent of her highness
and at the same time, with one O
those motherly gestures which tn
poor of her sex learn so early, placet
her arm around the form of tn
shrinking boy beside her, as if t,
shield him from the cold.
"No, DEAR" said the matron, wip
ing a suspicious moisture from he
eyes with the corner of her apron
81 am very sorry, but haven't evel
got pair for Johnnie. But come u
to the fire and warm yourselves be
fore you CO." And as she led then
to the fireplace she said, as if to hel
self: ooh, dear! if we had only sol,
Just one more ticket to that bal
than could have given both ofthes
poor children such a nice pair 6
warm shoes and stockings" Fl
tried to speak, to say that he woul
furnish them with shoes and STOCK
ings, and warm clothes as well, upo
the morrow, but somehow the word
stuck in his throat. He tried t