The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-18

frock and g gold watch on. l don't know
who it wss-I don't know what his name
was, but Katie hadn't much sense, and she
loved fine clothes, and it seemed such a
mean thing for maa TO take advantage of
a young thing Ike her, who hadn't courage
to resist temptation"
KATIE WAS TEMPTED AND FELL.
just then a voice that I knew to be Chin
mics said: Damn himw And l echoed
that wish. Then y continued Maggie. II
heard of her going from bad to worse; I
| hoard OF her being In the opium joints and,
as the day came for Billy to get out, Won
dered how it would all end. Last night,
when it was blowing so hard. and Chimmie
and me were sitting here busy making some
paper dolls for the Christmas tree that the
little lame boy downstairs is going to have,
somebody knocked at the door. Chimmie
opened it, and In fell Katie. Poor, pretty
Katiel Not enough clothes on her to keep
her warm. Coughing so, she hadn't the
strength to stand up. put her on chair
and made him go outside. She looked at
me kind OF vacant like, people who smoke
| opium look that way, and then she says,
with funny laugh: Mag. I've come TO
meet Billy, | his girl then she tainted
| right over. l got him in, and / says:
| This amt time for standing on cere-
monyr He picked her up and laid her on
| the bed, and then went for the dispensary
doctor. got one of my nightgowns on her +,
and, just as you see her now, she has been
ever since. The doctor, he looked at her,
and, says he: Bow old is sheP Says l.
Seventeen, last Easter Says he: Il can't
do anything Says /: What's the matterP
Says he: Men, whisky and opium And
he went away. and Chimmie and l have
been taking care of her all to-day. and
wouldn't have sent for you, miss. but,
here's something found in her pocket"
She handed me much crumpled piece of
paper, on which this Was written:
Dere Katie, .
will get out erly crismas mornin. You be at
mags. I've KEEP mi word an am honest. I am
goin to marry you, you was aIlus billy's CURL.
| your freind
B. FLAHERTY.
"You see." continued Maggie, ''he will be
here this morning now, don't you hear the
Christmas bellsl" The door opened and he
| came in-this he being Chimmie-he leaned
| over and kissed Maggie, aud he said to her:
Its sad Christmas for YOU, my girl, but
| your dom Gods work. Yes, miss, there's
not girl in this house that would have
| taken Katie in; but my Maggie is one of
Gods women, who can be with sorrow and
sin, and come ous Of it as pure as the Virgin
| herself.
DEATH VISITS A TENEMENT HOUSE.
We four sat there Observation-Disclosures and
Maggie, the little dog aud l. all watching
| the sick girl; every few minutes her lips
| were made cooler and about 3 O'Clock she
began to talk SO we could understand her.
She said: what was made pretty for, if
l wasn't to have pretty olothesa He says
there 'aint any harm-he says that I took
lovely. Yes, l wish he would give me some
more whisky; don't want to think about
| Billy-pOor Billy, but Billy he couldn't get
me a silk dress. l won't go to see Mag
| Mag, she'd say to me, stick to your work
and be an honest girl for Btliy's sake. Hon
est girls don't get watches and diamond
rings. Why don't that fool OF a Chinaman
COOK that opium for me-Td say my pray
ers, l amt forgotten. but God faint looking
after me. He's too busy; he's forgot me I;
he's thinking about people who've got
| homes and people TO care Of them. III 20
to Maggie; Maggie's always my frien'; I'm
so cold; / wonder il she'd let me lay down
on her bedP' After this the eyes opened
wide, and she called out to the top of her
voice. HE says he'll forgive me-rm
Bnly's grill"
Aud then she was still And the little
dogs moan told us the truth.
CONVICT BILLY's SAD HOMECOMING.
The clock rang out its alarm at O'Clock
at o'clock Billy would be there Katie
| was stretched out on the bed looking as in
nocent as she did the day that Billy left
her. In one hand was a bit of blessed palm
and at her head burned the two candles; on
waited for Billy Chimmie7 heard him
screaming "Merry Christmas" to somebody
on the street and went down to meet him.
How he told him of the sorrow that awaited
him / do not know, but when he came in,
this rough boy Of the people, he knelt down
by the dead girls side and cried as il his
heart would break. Then Maggie spoke
oath for me, and 1 know by
your looks you've kept it; now you
have got to take another for Katie's sake
you have got to promise on the crucifix that
you'll never let anybody speak to you about
her-you got to keep her name so sacred
that il a man or woman starts to tell you
anything about her you will walk away
and you have got to promise TO stay with
Chimmie until after she is buried, and ther
this lady, Katie's friend and mine is goine
to see that you get good, honest work way
down south where nobody will ever know
anything about you"
He looked startled, and asked: "ShC
didn't never do anything wrongF'' Maggi'
answered: LOOK at her. Her last word
was, I'm Bily's glrL' That satisfied him
and he swore to do what was asked of hin
on the crucifix that lay above the heart O
his dead love.
T. DINNER AND BURIAL.
Leaving the men 60 watch her, Maggi
came home with me; she looked me in the
face and said: Ibid / do right2 | didn'
lie" kissed her, and from my heart
said: IF there wers more women like you
the world would be better every way"
That's the story of Christmas eve-it'
the story OF what but for the grace of God
might come to your girl or mine. It's tht
story of the weakness OF one woman anC
the bravery of anOther-it's the story, tn
true story OF a little, ignorant, beautiful
girl made pure and good by God and de
PRAYED and wicked by man. But, as Mag
gle says: at is God who will judge her
and not man."
The bells will soon be ringing all over tn
world proclaiming good will. There ar
thousands of happy girls who are just poo
Katle's sgel | shall have dinner party TO
night-Chimmie and Maggie and Billy, an
and tomorrow we shall see that beautifu
mortal frame of Katie's laid in the ground
and l, can only think of one thing, Of on
promise: Though your sins are as scarlet
l shall wash them winter than snow"
God bless everybody, give them a Merr
Christmas, and make them generous wit
good will and forgiveness. Bah.
THE WOMAN OF FASHION.
What the Popular Skirt Now Wor
| Looks Like.