Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-03-06
TIE EvERaREEN wREArH.

THE EVERGREEN WREATH.
1t was three weeks before Christmas. but
the Widow Bertram's little cottage. on the
edge of a lonely forest in the northern part
of Maine, was fragrant. with the spicy
odor of pine, holly and hemock, great
branches Of which We're heaped upon the
floor IN the kitchen while Millys little
fingers were tired enough of breaking off
the prlcky twIgs and making them into
branches for her mother and Brother jim,
who deity twiued them into graceful gar
lands, Wreaths and festoons: for soon
there would be a call from the great cities
Tor Christmas greens, with which to deck
their homes and churches: and the Ber-
trans hoped to supply this need. 20 earn
enough money to keep them comfortable
through the long cold winter, for they
were very poor, and sometimes had hard
york to drive the wolf from the door; and
Jack Frost comes early and stays late in
that northern state. So seven-year-Old
Milly had TO help all she could and her
hands were skilful, and her bright eyes
very quick IN picking out just the right
spray, or bunch of berries, and che worked
away steadily, only stopping occasionally
to hug Miss Araminta Cleopatra Fltz
James-a curious little specimen of a doll
made of corn cob, and dressed in a bit Of
faded calico, to which Milly had given so
high sounding a name as some compensa-
ton for other deficiencies and which she
loved with all her atfectionate little heart
There, mother, isn't that a beauty? ~
said JIM, holding up a wreath he had
just finished of rich, heavy evergreens,
dotted with the bright scarlet holly Der
ries.
The prettiest one of all, SAID Milly.
~ wonder who will buy it?'
1t don t matter so long az we get the
money, said Mrs Bertram, signing. Il
had hoped to give you children little
taste of Christmas this year, but it mas
been such a bad season ! am afraid there
won t be anything for toys or candy, even
if we can pay the rent.
"Oh, never mind us, said Jim cheer
fully Perhaps good luck will come
with the new year, and anyway all
we want, only | wish Milly could have a
real nice doll instead of that scarecrow
yonder.
Don't call my dearest, sweetest Ara
minta Cleopatra names, cried Milly,
kisses upon its rather scrubby mead.
''You ought Just to see the dolls saw in
the toy store at Tt continued jim,
with hair, and cried when they were
pinched as natural as Ms. Rattle's baby.
! tell you they'd make you open your eyes
You d never look at Araminta Cleopatra
Fitz James again.
Eyes / should" said Milly royalty,
though wouldlik to have a real dolly;
but have never seen one.
Mrs. Bertram sighed again, and softly
wiped away tear; but Jim exclaimed, -
have thought of "a splendid plant
"You see that sumner of a wreath We
just made?'
Eyes.
"Well. ! think deserve something for
the extra pains I've taken, so ] will write
a note. telling whoever buys it about you,
and ask them to send you a doll; and we
will tie it among the green's and who
knows but some kind-hearted person may
find it and do as we ask? Wouldn t it be
Jolly if they should?'
TOO lovely for anything?' exclaimed
Milly. and she capered around the room
at the very idea, ending her impromtu
dance by embracing Araminta Cleopatra
and declaring that she would never love
her any less if she had a hundred china
babies that cried just like Mrs. Battle
Tommy.
So that evening when the pine knots
that served both for fuel and lights were
blazing merrily in the open fire place. Jim
hunted up an old inkstand and pen, that
had not seen the light for many day,
earned a sheet of paper from neighbor
by bringing her pail of water, and to-
gether he and Milly composed the letter.
badly written and poorly spelled but filed
with sort of pathos that must find its
way to any heart at the cold Christmas
tide
xvii the one who gets this reeth please
send a dol to my sister milly she never
saw one 'cept araminter kleopatrer htz
James who is nothin but a corn cob. We
are artful poor and make up greens to
sci. milly Bunches and mother and ]
tie. We has not had krismas or New
Yeer' present since tree fell on father
and killed him. please be so kind as 20
send the dol it would make us so glad.
milly is seven and ! am ten.