Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-12-24
CHRISTMAS BLESSING.

frayed and worn overcoat, and woman'f
anxious eyes looked deprecatingly into fbt
husbands face.
"Wbat is it, Mary?" his tone was gentle,
with an undercurrent of sadness and des
pondency in it. "Christmas comes to-mor.
row, Lionel" She did not look in his face
now, but closely scrutinized the frayed but
} ton as if it were the absorbing obisct of bel
thoughts.
; 81 know it, Mary"
"Could-could-you let me have little
money. Lionel? For the children, you
know, dear-we have never let the day 60
; past without something for them."
"ADd We must not now," he said: "they
will never be youug but once, poor things
He took o 1t worn wallet from his pocket.
II have looked over all the old things in
search of bits to make over into garments
: or fancy things for them," she continued
apologeJically, sbut every thing is worn so
close, Lionel. try to be frugal and saw
ing" Her eyes were filled with tears now.
"And you are, Mary. Where would we
have been had it not been for your careful
management Will two dollars be enough3
1t is all have this morning. Heaven
knows wish could make it twenty or a
hundred-there is no llmit to the deserts OF
the good wife you've been to me, Mary.
Don't cry, dear. 1t takes all my courage
and strength to see you unhappy"
The faded face was pressed against the
frayed button now in vain attempt to
hide the hot tears which would come, and
his worn glove, much too thin for the sea-
son, smoothed the thin gray hair tenderly.
"Then must not cry" she answered,
looking up with forced smile. ''Yes, it
will be enough-more than had expected,
but feel go 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 differences between
the strictly useful and the more chldllke
but less material gifts. Two dollars after
all was such little drop in the bucket of
necessities, to say nothing of the ornament
al or the beautiful. 1t was not debt of
carelessness or of extravagance, she could
scarcely 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 younger days
had just escaped with his life from an at
tack of spinal meningitis which had result
ed ina partial disability for life. He was
very ambitious, and though obliged to ac-
cept work which had as little of manual Ia
Dor in it as possible, still he did it often
when stronger men would have been in bed
with physician in attendance, did it in
such bodily torture that he hardly realized
what he was doing.
Mary had her share of sickness, too; the
anxiety and sare attendant on Lionefs dis
ability was enough to break woman of
iron, which she was not, and in addition to
it all, three darling children had sickened
aud died.
Lionel had secured new situation of
late-he was growing better with years and
could now take up different class of work,
and his present employer was a man of
large wealth, employing many clerks in his
great business.
All this day Lionel worked 10 mazs of
perplexity aud regret. Mary's face, with
the tears on 1t, was ever before him. To-
night was Christmas eve, and all day long
a procession of richly dressed mothers aud
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 TO do her Christmas
shopping, and it grieved him to the very
hearts core.
The rush was over now, and in half
hour more the great establishments would
be closed. when an errand boy touched his
nm. "Mr. Dale would like to see you in
the private office, SIR" he said respectful
| ly.
L;oners heart sank in his bosom like
| lead. Could it be that in addition to his
| other misfortunes he was going to lose his
situation2 This engagement had been pro-
visionary, and his employer had made no
Sign as to whether his service was accept
able. He crawled rather than walked to
the Office in his nervous dread, for the past
had ben SO persistently unkind to him
that he was coming to dread the future.
''St down. SIT down, SIR" said Mr..
Dale, cheerfully.
Lioue! took seat near the prosperous
business man, who noticed, as he did SO,
I the look Of care aud detection on his en-
rloye's thin face.
1T has been my custom, sir, for some
years to make my employees little present
on Christmas eve," he proceeded ganially,
as he took bill from his desk drawer and
laid it in Lionel's hand. 81 presume you
can find use for it; or if you can not, no
doubt the good wife can. ehP'
Lionet1ooked at the bill in dumb aston
| ishms ant; if an angel had come in and clap
| ped him on the shoulder he would not have
| been more surprised, for it was fifty dol
| lar bill
"But, sir " he stammered. 81 have been
With you 30 short q time, have not merit
ed such consideration"
sThst's all right, SIR. You'll have am
pie opportunity to make it up in yonr future
years of service. for do not intend to psrt
with SO faithful an assistant"
There was more IN ths manner than in
the kind deed itself. and Lionel's hart
bounded up with gratitude. Hs tn ought
of Mary and of the many, many rses tho
money could be put to, warm blankets, the
winter cloak Mary had needed for years,
and-but his face fell There was dun
ning letter 10 his pocket at that moment
shioh he had concealed from Mary-from
the holder of a note against him for fifty
dollars aud peremptorily demanding pay
ment.
No, no, it would be wrong to appropri.
ate one dollar of the gift for personal needs.
Mr.. Dale was shrewd reader of faces, and
ILioael's thin, anxious face had appealed to
his sympathies strongly since he had enter
ed the Office, and he noted the change of
depression.
ssWhat is it, Webb2" he said, kindly.
"You look depressed and troubled"
As Lionel heard the kind voice and look
ed into the kind face an impulse came to
him to tell this man his troubles. It was
so hard to bear it alone and to wear smil-
ing 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 bel pitiful shopping to day. ut
, hurts ms SO, Mr.. Dale" be said. in conclu.
sion. "thst can not use even dollar OF
your generous gift for her "
, allow much now would cover this en.ire
, indebtedness2" asked Mr.. Dale. He was
drumming thoughfully on bis desk snd
looking ksenly at Lionel, not in blame or
in doubt of the truth Of his story, bat in
; making an effort to put himself in an
othey's place.
"Fifteeo hundred dollars would pay
every dollar"
!, Mr.. Dale reflected-in the light of his
miiisos the sum seemed very trife; yet