Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-12-24

been pfoYlS1onary, and his employer had
made no sign as to whether his service
was acceptable. He crawIed rather
than walked to the office in his
nervous dread, for the past had
been so persistently unlzind to him
that he was coming to dread the future.
'.Sit down. Sit down, SIR" said Mr..
Dale, cheerfully.
Lionel took a seat near the prosper
GUS business man, who noticed, as he
did so, the look of care and detection on
his employees thin face.
at has been my custom, sir, for some
years to make my employees little
present on Christmas eve," he proceed
ed genially, as he took bill from his
desk drawer and laid 1t in Lionel's
hand. 81 presume you can find use
for it; or if you can not, no doubt the
good wife can, ehp'
Lionel looked at the bill in dumb as
constituent; if an angel had come in and
clapped him on the shoulder he would
not have been more surprised. for it was
a fifty bill.
"But, SIR" he stammered, 81 have
been with you SO short time, have
not merited such consideration"
THAT'S all right, sir. You'll have
ample opportunity to make it up in your
future years of service, for do not in
tend to part with so faithful an assist
anti
There was more in the manner than
in the kind deed itself. and Lioners
heart bounded up with gratitude. He
thought Of Mary and of the many, many
uses the money could be put to, warm
blankets, the winter cloak Mary had
needed for years, and-but his face
fell. There was dunning letter in his
pocket at that moment which he had
concealed from Mary-from the holder
of note against him for fifty dollars
and peremptorily demanding payment.
No, no, it would be wrong to appro-
pirate one dollar of the gift for personal
needs. MIR. Dale was shrewd reader Of
faces, and Lionel's thin, anxious face
had appealed to his sympathies strongly
since he had entered the Office, and he
noted the change of expression.
'What is it, Webb?' he said, kindly.
You look depressed and troubled"
AS Lionel heard the kind voice and
looked into the kind face an impulse
came to him to tell this man his troubles.
1t was so hard to bear it alone and to
wear smiling face over heart so filled
with anxious care, and hardly knowing
what he said, he poured out his story Of
the past, of Mary and of her pitiful
shopping to-day. cit hurts me so, Mr..
Dale" he said, in conclusion, shat
can not use even dollar of your gener-
GUS gift for her."
Chow much now would cover this en-
tire indebtedness?' asked Mr.. Dale.
He was drumming thoughfully on his
desk and looking keenly at Lionel, not
in blame or in doubt of the truth of his
story, but in making an effort to put
himself in another's place.
Fifteen hundred dollars would pay
every dollar"
Mr.. Dale rehected-in the light Of his
millions the sum seemed very trif1e;
yet here was man whose strength and
happiness were being wasted for the
lack of it. "What would you say, then,
if l should loan you this money and let
you work it out gradually as you can
afford it?"
"Say. sirI should work on wings, it
would mako my heart so light"
''Then put on your WINGS" returned
Mr.. Dale, smiling, "for we'll have the
matter arranged at an early date. And
now go home and spend this money for
Mary and the children with clear con-
SCIENCE"
Mary was filling the stockings when
Lionel came home and, poor soul, she
had evidently been shedding tears over
the task.
A pretty ruche and ribbon for Jennie,
and a pair of stockings and winter
gloves for Amy, the merest necessities
amid the ocean Of lovely, tempting
things she had seen that day; a pair of
warm gloves for Lionel which he would
not buy for himself lay in her bureau
drawer, and there had been just enough
left to buy small chicken for the
Christmas dinner, for turkey was not
to be thought of this year.
She had not heard him when he
opened the outer door softly, and he