The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-24
a CHRISTMAS TALE FOR WOMEN READERS.

seem orearier thar eve before.
"Where did you get the picture?"
"Fouhd it in road" And she threw
Maway. "AIly tired, gran'ma. Want
so by by"
SEQ along, dear, and may the saints
give you sweet sleep and fine dreams.
Sure they're the best things ye'll ever
know"
The child disappeared in a dark door
way to the right after kissing her grand
mother good night. The woman sat still,
with her elbows on her knees, her chin
in her hands and her eyes glowering at
the little CRATE, where the fire had ceased
to show.
"The kindest thing he could bring to
her this night would be the coffin. God
forgive me for saying it," she muttered
through her teeth.
The outer door was suddenly thrown
open, and q man with a heavy burden in
a sack on his shoulder staggered in. He
dropped his load beside the stove with a
"chuck" that shook the frail tenement,
and blowing in his followed hands to
warm them with his breath exclaimed:
"Cripesl But it's mortal cold. The
fingers is nearly froze off of me crab
bin under the snow"
"Put yez feet up on the stove. They
must be soakin," suggested the woman,
rising and fastening to make up the
fire with coal she took from the sack.
"That they are. l might as well be
wearin ishin nets on my feet as them
shoes. But what's the good of growlin?
Sure they're no worse than your own,
my poor Ely"
"Ah! It's the bitter, black Christmas
this is for w."
81 met Fogarty," remarked the man
after a little pause.
"The watchmanf"
eyes"
"Pd'a' thought you'd show more marks
OF it, and you wake as you are wild the
hunger. Are you hurted?"
"We didn't fight"
"No%
"Ill tell ye how it was. He came on
me unbeknownst, while l had my head
down pickin among the culm, an the
first thing. l knew he was standin beside
me. Andy Corrigan,' says he, don't
you know it's agin ordhers for the strik-
ers to be let pick coal from the culm
pile?"
"Bad luck to them that gev the or
dhers," INTERCEPTED the woman ~fervently.
"Amen! But says 1, it's froze to
death the childher will be, to say nothin
Of ourselves if we don't be let
ovid that says he, I've nothin to
do. Ordhers is ordhers, and them's
ordhers."
The woman, with a quick clutch at
her back hair, let it fall in a loose, stray
Cling mass on her bony shoulders, and
raising her hands above her head in an
attitude of imprecation exclaimed:
MAY the curse of the needy and the
hopeless fall upon
"Howld on, woman! How'd on wild
your cursin! Bide a bit till you get the
rights of your message to the diyil. It's
mighty free with your curses you are"
"Sure it's all we have left to give"
Maybe not. Hear me out. Now
says he, I'm on my rounds, and l won't
be back this way for two hours, and l
don't want to find you here when l come
again
"'God knows Hope you won't, for I'm
nigh froze already, and the sack is half
full
ovid snow, Isuppose,' says he, wild a
grin, and off he whit"
"Sure," exclaimed the woman, with a
grim smile, sit was the same as tellin
ye to take what We needed"
"That's how | understood it, and
that's what / did"
''The blessin of the saints be on Fo-
garty. Sure it's a good heart he's got,
V if he is a Waterman"
"Gran'mal It's SO toldY called a
little whimpering voice from the next
room. Andy Corrigan quickly took off
his jacket, and his wife carried it in to
the child, whom she could be heard
soothing while wrapping the garment
about her.
"There, dear; lie still now and soon
yell be warm as toast. Try and go to
sleep and dream about the angels. This
is Christmas eve, and they'll be all
around ye tonight"
SIS Hugh in YETI" asked Andy when
Ely returned to his side.
"He's not been home since mornin."
"Ah, the poor boyl It's to lave us his
share of the meat he stays out. It's
nearly all gone, isn't it"
eyes, but there's enough to last over
Christmas"