Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-22
off into corner of the tent and cried SOFTLY

kinu. manly lace, &nQ the war 4 OF q
mothers fond embrace rem d and
abided with her. Hour after j passed
in this way till at last shs co., stand it
no longer. Slipping on her shoes and stock
fngs, and taking her little worn and ragged
cloak. which reminded her of home, she
went quietly and cautiously into the moon
light and over to the wagon road
Which way should she turn Surely
home lay this way, and she ran along up
the road, and for the first time in, oh, so
many months laughed aloud in her glee.
A rabbit ran along with it's queer, long
leaps in front of her. and stopped once or
twice to gaze back at her with its great
gray eyes, and she laughed again in the
moonlight and went tripping along. The
moon sank lower and lower as she kept up
her journey hour after hour without flag
ging, and presently the eastern sky began
to redden. The birds began to twitter on
the boughs, the cows to low away off ever
the hills, and all nature gave notice tina.
it was waking up from its slumbers for
another days life.
But nothing In animate creation was as
happy as Fay. She was free-free as the
breeze that tossed her tangled curls back
and forth And she was going home
home to papa and mamma. Could any
body be as happy as she?
"Howdy do. little birlS" she chirruped.
"Are you very happy, and is it going to be
your Christmas tomorrow Howdy do,
you great big round sum- see you COM
ing up over the hills away off yonder.
Quit hurting my eyes when leok at you
DO you know that Christmas is coming to-
morrow"
Once In great while she would pass q
nd ha,, =
above the horizon she came to where d
man was walking across the road with two
great steaming buckets of milk
Hello. little giri-where are you goingss
said he.
Il am going home" she said with q
smile.
You are out pretty early" he returned
Don't you want some milki" And taking
his cup he filled it for her, and then be did
+ again, laughing ne no left, saying. You
must like good sweet milk"
Fay nodded and smiled and tripped
along. After awhile she came to railroad
track All, that is the way to go home
surely. she thought, for railroads go every
where. But how could she rider The
past twelvemonth had taught her flnan-
cial wisdom among the traders she had
been with, and she knew that riding upon
the train cos. money. and she bad not even
SO much as a penny. But she dismissed
the thought OF trouble and tripped along
the track. plucking little flowers by the
wayside and laughing aloud. overjoyed at
the sound Of her own glad, free voice.
When she came to n long bridge with
the great beams lying very far apart for her,
her heart beat little more rapidly as she
began stepping upon them, but she kept
bray ole 10 I.te1
gayly when she got across. Soon she came
to little strange house, but no one was
there. and she sat upon a beam to rest. Is
was a very queer looking little house, and
looked Like great round tub set upon
immense posts. After awhile she heard
tho hoarse whistle of an engine; then came
the rumble OF heavy train, and the great
iron horse, with his carriage, stood putting
and blowing right by the side of the strange
kind or house, and big iron pipe swung
itself owe. TO the housetop, and she could
hear water running.
All, if she only had money to pay for q
rldel 1t was so far and already she was SO
tired. And she looked al the strong engine
till she could hardly see it, for the tears
would fill her eyes in spite of ali her eff
forts. But just then great gust Of smoke
and steam came out and developed her
and to her it became a kind faced old man,
with great, long white beard, and as it
wrapped its soft arms around her it said:
Il am the Spirit Of Steam. AS soft as l
am. draw this immense train of cars. But
for me they would lie here helpless and
useless. When am called respond with
joy, and | leap through the air, whirliug
this great rumbling train after me by the
weight Of my little finger. Climb up the
steps and get on my train. / will take care
OF you, and | will carry you home to papa
and mamma, and the Christmas tree that
was to be SO very long ago shall come back
again"
And wrapped IN the arms of the Spirit of
Steam she climbed up the steps of the
great engine and lay down in a corner 1t
was very black and dirty with coal, but
she was SO tired, and when n great strong
man sprang into the engine and it started
oil with a snort the Spirit OF Steam folded
her in his arms again and sang in her ear
such sweet and soothing lullaby that her
soul doated far away into dreamland while
she was carried swiftly over the country
toward the land where Santa Claus greets
Christmas amid snow and ice
Dick" said the engineer to the fireman
as their train went laundering across the
prairie, lis this some joke of yourss" and
IL sx