Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-12-25
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= + did not look in his face
now, but closely scrutinized tho frayed
button as If 1t we're the absorbing
object OF her thoughts.
II know it, Mary"
"Could-could-y let me have lit
tie money, Lionel? For the children,
you know. dear-we have never let the
day go past without something for them"
"And we must not now" he said
"they will never be young but once, poor
things" He took out worn wallet
from his pocket.
II have looked over all the old things
in search Of bits to make over into gar
ments or fancy things for them" She
continued alphabetically, but every
thing is worn so close, Lionel try to
be frugal and saving" Her eyes were
filed with tears now.
"And you are, Marv Where would
we have been had it not been for your
careful management? VIII two dol
lars be enough? 1t Is all have
this morning. Heaven knows
wish could make it twenty or hun.
dred-there is no limit to the deserts OF
the good wife you've been to me, Mary.
Don't cry. dear, il takes all my courage
and strength to see you unhappy"
The faded face was pressed against
the fgayed button nov in a vain at
tempt to hide the hot tears which would
come, and his worn glove, much too
thin for the season, smoothed the thin
gray hair tenderly.
Then must not cry" she answered,
looking up with a forced smile. "Yes,
it will be enough-more than had ex-
pected, but feel so wicked to ask you
for money when know you have so
little to spare me-"
Yes, debt was the skeleton which
danced, not only in the closet but all
over the house, in this humble home, and
Mary went back to her work, her face
drawn up thoughtfully as she calculated
just how many pennies could be spared
for this or that, and balanced the differ
ences between the strictly useful and
the more childlike but less material
gifts. Two dollars after all was such a
little drop in the bucket of necessities,
TO say nothing OF the ornamental or the
beautiful. 1t was not debt of careless
ness or OF extravaganza, she could scarce
ly have borne the self-reproach and the
shame Of It If it had been. but was the
natural result Of long years OF sickness
and reverse. Lionel Webb in his young
er days had just escaped with his life
from an attack Of spinal meningitis
which had resulted in q partial dlsahil-
ity for life. He was very ambitious, and
though obliged TO accept work which
had as little OF manual Dor in 1t ~
possible, still he did IL often when
stronger men would have been in bed
with physician in attendance, did it
in such bodily torture that he hardly re-
allied what he was doing.
Mary had her share OF sickness, too;
the anxiety and care attendant on
Lionel's disability was enough TO break
a woman of iron, which she was not, and
in addition to il all. three darling chill
dren had siekened and died.
Lionel aad secured a new situation of
late-he was growing better with years
and could now take up different class
of work, and his present employer was
man of large wealth, employing many
clerks in his great business.
All this day Lionel worked in q maze
OF perplexity and regret. Mary's face,
with the tears on it, was ever before him.
Tonight was Christmas eve, and all day
long procession of richly dressed
mothers and fathers thronged the store
buying, buying, from full purses, while
Mary, his true, faithful wife, whose
seventeen years of married life had been
one long struggle with toll and care, had
only pitiful two dollars with which tC
do her Christmas shopping, and il
grieved him 20 the very hearts core.
The rush was over now. and in a hall
hour more the great establishment
would be closed when an errand boy
touched his arm. Mr.. Dale would like
to see you in the private Office, sir" hi
said respectfully.
Lionel's heart sank in his bosom like
lead. Could it be that in addition to hi:
other misfortunes he was going TO lose
his situation? This engagementhad
been proyisionary, and his employer had
made no sign as to whether his service
was acceptable. He crawled rather
than walked to the Office in his
nervous dread, for the past had
been so persistently unkind to him
that he was coming to dread the future.
sit down. Sit down, sir said Mr..
Dale, cheerfully.
Lionel took 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 a little
present on Christmas eve," he proceed
ed genially, as he took bill from his
desk drawer and laid it in Lionel's
band. II presume you can find use