The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-12-24

She would begin ct once but howl
Now, here is where the a%sh-barrel
comes In. Like all the good things Of
this earth, II has been slow OF mate
REALIZATION.
Einnikin was sitting on the edge oft
as abe masticated her sandwich. The
barrel stood in one corner Of the court
yard around which Thankless Tene-
tnent was built in the form Of q hollow
square. The barrel was full OF ashes
and trash.
Az the fairy munched and unused,
and munchad again, Two Tiny Tots mp.
spfoached thebarrel, Then they stopped
andipeepedin.
Now, the fairy Nnnikin had always
ibeen fond Of children, principally be-
cause she never had any OF her own,
and so when she caught sight OF the
toddlers, she ceased to Illuminate, grew
interested and forgot 70 eat.
Whats DOR pepper dom toldtv 90
10 Tristmas, Dimmie% 8qperied the
youngesttot, q bright. tow-headed, blue
Keyed smeary-facedlittle midget OF four
as she chung togthe rim Of the barrel by
her elbows and kicked her ll-shod toes
against il in timegto the faint music OF
a p%iano.organ which was plink-plunk-
ing away off somewhere inthe distance.
Nawthin' as / knows on" replied
1.-The other tot, o stringy, scrawnys bag
lgafd:eyed chap OF five, with a hungry
look, half of an old cotton shirt and a
shapeless felt hat full OF ventilation
holes. "Wot's yer daddy a-goin ter
give You, Gissy@
Muffin, 1 specs, came the reply,
which was part choke and part snttt.
Then silence.
Gissy's father was o broken.down
gambler and drank for q living, while
her mother worked out by the day
scrubbing floors for q consideration.
The child had no brothers or sisters,
and, being left almost entirely to her
own resources, had made Jimmie her
booncompanion and constant playmate.
Jimmie's mother was deadsand his
father was aslost soul and ne poorest
man in all Tu1uk.
He was the editor OF the local paper.
tell yer wot, Cissy,D. said Jimmie,
after long and painful pause, "et we
don't give ourselves Christmas presents
this year, nobody else is goin' to@Dat's
wotI' Then the Two Tiny Tots slipped
OFF the Of se OF the barrelEand sitted of
through the dirty courtyard to some
other familiar and more attractive
haunt.
Fairy innikin had been so deeplyin-
terested in their conversation that she
had completely neglected her sandwich.
She even gave herself up 10 the unac-
customed task OF thinking, and finally
she arrived at the-for her-most un-
heard.of goal of a genuine conclusion.
This was iii:
She reflected that these two preco-
cious and altogether interesting infants
must be in the habit of visiting the ash
barrel on which she sat, every day
about the plebeian dinner hour, in
order TO look in and entertain them.
selves by noting the internal changes
which had taken place in the barrel
since the day before.
This was evidently one Of the points
Of interest in the daily route of.the Two
Tiny Tots. and, as, the barrelwa . about
the most humble feature OF Thankless
Tenement, the best thing she could do
was to devote herself to its dinrnal
decoration as a practical way to the
hearts of the tenants.
"For what, thought she, could be
more practical than the entertainment
Of ones children?n
You see, she had never had any Of
her own.
Obi she was a good. well-meaning
little thing. but she didn't know her
business.
That was Monday. Well, every day
during that week the Fairy Enhikin
atroye to devote her entire energies to
the decoration of the ash-barrel. On
Tuesday, when the children looked in
at noontide, she changed herself to.
Cissy's pet kitten, which had been lost
the week before. On Wednesday she
changed her face, on Thursday her re-
lipion andon Friday her politics.
She even went so far as I change her
mind, which was wonderful-for
woman-and a fairy at that.
Every day the Two Tiny Tots climbed
up onlthe ash.barrel and peeked in to
see what lev wonder Law in store for
them there, and clapped their dirty
little hands with glee az each new sur.
prise.
At last the probationary week was
up and the Fairy Finniken few home
to- The Green to tell her,mistress howit
ali happened. The Queen chuckled
over Tie success Of her plan for awhile.
Then she went and told the yandyka'
Brownies all about it
BY the time Christmas Eve arrived
the Two Tiny Tots had become so ac-
customed tolook tothe EnchantedA Ash
..ss1 * 4kaf. .aa.eoE3an ondi4hav