The gold leaf., 1892-12-22

SHE ALMOST RAN INTO a DECREPIT OLD
WOMAN.
told Fay she would carry her if she was
tired, and lifting her in her arms she did
not seem such an old. decrepit creature at
all us she went stalking through the snow
storm while little Fay fell asleep thinking
of Christmas.
The morning papers that Christmas
morning called upon all generous people
to add TO the happiness of Christmas morn
ing and help to heal two wounded hearts
by restoring to them their little daughter
Fay. with blue eyes and golden hair"
The evening papers found clews and chased
them down, and thus it went day after
day and week after week, but if the earth
had swallowed her up little Fay could not
have disappeared more completely
Winter SHOWS melted away and watered
the earth for the coming of spring flowers:
spring flowers blossomed into fruits of
summer and were succeeded in turn by
the falling of autumn leaves Winter had
whitened the northern fields once again.
wh2n on the edge of Il rolling river close
to the limpid waters of the Gulf of Mexico
where the sun still shone with warm,
bright rays and the Zephyrs still famed
the fragrance of the orange tree, a band Of
strolling gypsies were encamped. Dark
browed and swarthy visaged they were
from the child playing in front of the tent
to the old dame grooming over wild
melody But there was one exception; a
far-very far-llttle girl of perhaps six
years. with matted, tangled hair that still
EhOwed its gold, and with eyes of heavens
deep blue that seemed to have n world of
L
on the edge of the camp, dreaming dreams
and thinking thoughts she dared not
inter. Ia the weary tramps for the past
year she had learned well the lesson that
she must obey each nod and beck and
keep her thoughts to herself And so she
lay dreaming and hearing nothing of the
talk going on in the tent till she heard the
words
Day after tomorrow will be Christmas,
you know "
What was that? Christmasl She had
not heard the word for yearl What mem
priCS L brought rushing, crowdng back
upon her brain Christmas! Could she
ever forget? She could see the Christmas
tree now, and the snow falling upon the
streets of he dear old city, and Fido. too.
and at last little, bent and decrepit
woman. who became Il tall, strong woman
SO quickly and mysterousiy. 1t all
seemed strange. and SO far, far away
now
When the hour for sleep came she was
still thinking and thinking, and she re-
ceived slap from the hard hand of old
Nancy for heedlesSne-S. and she crawled
OFT into a corner of the tent and cried softly
to herself.
lSut she could not sleep The picture of
II sind, manly face and the warmth of a
niJ. hers fond embrace remained and
abiGed with her. Hour after hour passed
in this way till at last she could stand it
ro ,a,,-er- Slipping on her shoes and stock
ing, 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 turnf 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 its 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
4 moon sank lower and lower as she kept up
her Journey hour after hour without flag
gin. and presently the eastern sky began
to :ytden The birds began to twitter on
TIE noughs. the cows to low away off over
TIE i.iii>. AMI all nature gave notice that
il WAS waking up from its slumbers for
another days lie
But nothing IN animate creation was as