Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-25

tie hard featured, but it smiled a welcome
to her son.
II thought you'd like ham and eggs"
she said, land apple sass goes good with
that. and my bread has turned out lovely,
and made some of the dough into plain
cake. / know you love plain cake, Fordy."
He bent over and kissed her on the top
Of her head where the hair was thinnest.
He remembered it thick and dark, and how
he used to play with it as baby and pull
it all down. Marjorie had hurt him, and
he turned to his mother for comfort.
"After all, rather think that people can
be happy without much money" he said.
"We are as happy as they are up yonder on
Broad street and on the Heights Mamsy,
you never would have been happier with
father if he had been rich, would you?"
The mother Strengthened herself as he
spoke, and came toward the table holding
two hot dishes carefully with opposite ends
of a clean crash towel Christmas is the
time for hopes with young people, Of
memories with old folk.
'Fordy, dear" she said, "it's kind of
Gurus that you should ask me that ques-
tion, just when | was thinkin how | used
to wish was rich; seemed as if my young
years all went that way. and my good
tOOhS, Dulllu JO fndkD DODu GDuS meet. Ou,
yes, should have admired to hev your pa
real rich, specially at Christmas time,
when l wanted to give you prese uts, and
your little sister that died. Yes, Fordy,
even pa and me would have been happier
together-though we always done our duty
by each other--ef we'd had money. Mar
ried folks find that out pretty soon, though
when they are courtin it don't seem posi-
BILE. Ycs-yes-yes; lots of things wouldn't
hev been said that feel to be sorry for eff
your pa and me had been forehanded.
Even the little legacy l have come into
since hadn't come then, and l couldn't do
nothin | wanted to-"
Herford turned his back on his mother
for moment, and stood looking out over
the little half curtain into the back gar
den, where the vines and rosebushes were
all wrapped up in straw, and where some
garments pinnod to the lines were dancing
wild fandangoes in the evening breeze.
"But if he had had to leave you, mother,
to go away for years in order to make the
money" he said slowly, "and had given
you the choice between being as you were
and parting. what then?'
"Well, Fordy," answered the old woman
with sigh, ''considerin all things, I'd hev
had to say, Lord, bring you back safe,' but
l should have had to say 'go.' But your
pa never had no such chance my son, and
he warn't ambitious. Icouldn't rouse him
up. l used to wish was the man some
times; I'd have showed him."
A little touch Of reproach was in her
voice, and the hard look was strong upon
her face as she poured the tea into the old,
pagoda pattern teacups. They were very
quiet that evening, and Herford went to
his room very early.
The day before Christmas Groton is
buster than ever. There are extra clerks
in all the shops. Servants are running in
haste to the groceries. Mothers are slip
ping in at side doors and back entrances
with parcels under their wraps. Children
whose faith in Santa Claus is fast fading
are watching them with big, round eyes
Behind locked doors girls are hard at work
putting the finishing touch to bits of fancy
work. Wagons go about the streets loaded
with little Christmas trees. A white head-
ed old negro hobbies from house to house
selling buncfles of ''dried YARDS" Mrs
Wayne buys some for the stuffing of her
turkey. She is making mince pies. Her
heart is very soft, for in the annual clean
ing up she come across old Christmas
gifts marked "Eben to Annah." No one
calls her by her odd, old fashioned name
now. She remembered what a soft sound
it used to have on Eben's lips.
"He was just as good a man as ever
lived" she says to herself, land eff we
warn't rich we was real happy, Eben and
me, mostly; anyhow, twas my fault eff we
warn't always"
The demon of discomfort has totally de-
parted from Marjorie's heart. She sings
as she ties up her Christmas gifts in little
parcels, adding u painted card to each.
The prettiest of all the gifts is for Herford
and on his card is tender little motto.
II wonder what allied me yesterdays"
she asks herself as she looks in the glass
Pm sure don't envy any woman, rich or
poor" and she kisses the little ring to
which she gave a contemptuous thought
the day before.
At this moment Herford, at his desk in
the factory, where he has d clerkship, SITS
feeling very bitterly He is disappointed
in Marjorie. Yes, and in his mother Like
most men, he fails to comprehend the evan
escent nature of women's discomfort, and
fancies that what they say one day they
think the next.
Robins was right" he says to himself.
money and what money will bring is what
they value most. Even mother blames
poor father yet for not having been rich.
All, WE'LL it is hard truth to know but it
is better than to deceive myself"
He has made out the pay roll, with its
extra work and deductions. One name has
been scored out. The poor fellow hanged
himself last Sunday.
''If man amt rich, he'd better be dead"
Herford had heard him say. He gave
bitter smile as he thought of it. Then he
drew a pad of paper toward him. wrote
two letters and directed them, and beck
oned to old Mike Flanagan, who was max
ing up the fire in che Office stove. The hours
wore on until it was noontime and a half
holiday. AS the paymaster paid the men
they filed out of the building Old Mike,
with his wages in his pocket, came back to
sweep the place out.
AT O'Clock Herford's mother looked out
of her window wondering that her boy
did not come to dinner.
Marjorie was at hers. Herford often
went out of his way to pass her house and
get a word with her, but this time she
waited in vain. Suddenly low rumble
fell on her ears-a sound that she would
have taken for thunder but that it was
frosty winter day. The mother heard it
also and ran out upon her porch. The next
moment Marjorie lay on the floor in a
swoon, and Annah Wayne was one of a
terrified crowd all bent in one direction.
The rumble had been followed by re-
port as of cannon, and flames were issuing
from the factory windows, and before their
very eyes the tall brick walls of the build