Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-22

| left in the car. he thought. so when
the car stopped and the conductor
| came to take him to his new home,
! Peg carried with him the violin, and
that was all he had in the world. 1t
wasn't much capital to begin life with
| in a great city, was it? But then, YOU
| see, he didn't understand.
On his way from the train PEG lost
| sight of the conductor. and while rum
ming about trying to find him he slip
ped and fell. A truck was passing
with a big iron safe upon it, and one
! of the wheels rolled right over poor
little leg that lay in its way. Peg
didn't remember anything more until
| he found himself in big room living
| on a little white cot. Around him
| were lot of other cots, each with a
child upon it. 1t was the children's
| ward in a charity hospital. Peg WON
! dered if this was TIE place the con-
ductor had told him about. and then
| he wondered what made all the child
rem 50 pale, and why they were all in
bed in the daytime. Suddenly he be-
| came conscious that his leg was hurt
ing dreadfully. He put his hand down
j to see what was the matter and found
only a stump with bandage about it.
The leg was gone. a white-capped
nurse was standing by, who told him
he must be quiet.
"Where's my Lego" he asked.
The doctor had to cut it off, be-
cause you fell and wagon crushed
! it."
Won't they put it back again?"
asked Peg.
The nurse did not smi,e-she was
too sorry for her little patient to do
that. but she had to tell him No"
But how can l walk" asked the
little fellow pitifuIly.
You will have nice wooden leg"
said the nurse. "Of course it won't be
| quite like Il real one, but YOU can
walk, and now you mustn't talk any
more. Here is u nice bowl of broth
for you, and then you must take your
medicine and 90 to sleep"
| There were many long DAYS in the
| hospital, but at last the little boy was
allowed to get up. A wooden peg was
fastened to The stump where his leg
| had been, aud he learned in few DAYS
to walk upon ii.
One day the little boy heard hand
organ III the street. 1t played tune
his father useJ to play, and that re-
minded him of the violin. He asked
| about it, and the nurse told him that
| he had il ti~ht in his arms when they
! TOOK him out from under the wheel
| that crushed his leg. and that they
had saved it for him. Peg was glad.
| He was more fond of the violin than
| any toy he ever owned. He could
| play Il iit5ie.
After Peg left the hospital he went
| to Jhe place The conductor had told
| him of. y big house full of boys, and
| now Peg began to realize for the first
time what it was like not to have any
father and mother. The place was
called an "orphans' hOme," but it
wasn't bit like the home he remem-
bered. Some of the big boys leased
him and hurt him. and then called
him "baby" because he cried.
Peg had only been in the home a
few weeks when Christmas came. The
boys had turkey for dinner that day,
and they seemed to think it a great
treat, but Peg couldn't eat. There
was something in his throat that
choked him. All day long b. thought
of the little home away down in Jack
| sonville. 1t wasn't splendid home at
all, for Pegs parents were poor, but
| there was a mother in it, and the poor
little boy was just beginning to learn
| that a home without mother is very
| torlorn place indeed.
Pegs mother used to tell him stories
| on Christmas night when they sat in
I f1~na nT IIr., t., I,
| houses there are big tireplaces where
they burn pine logs, and the best place
in the world to hear Christmas story
is in front Of a cracking pine fire.
| Peg tried to remember on this Christ
mas eve, rs he lay all alone in his
little hard bed, what it was that his
mother told him on the night before
| Christmas last year. What long
| time ago it seemed. BY and by it
came back to him. The old sweet
| story that mothers have told their
children on all the Christmas ewes that
ever had been or ever will be. The
story Of the little child that lay in the
mauger away over in Bethlehem, with
| The glory OF heaven about his head,
| aud IN his heart a love great enough
| to redeem the whole world from its
| sin. The prettieSt part of the story az
| Peg remembered it was that over on
the hills among the stars a host of
angels sang to the shepherds n song of
peace and good will and blessing. and
that one of the stars so much brighter
than the others that it seemed to light
| the whole world. came down out of
the SKY and guided the wise men to
the place where they might find the
| precious gift that God had given the
| world. This was the first Christmas
day.and the gold and silver and Jewels
which She wise men brought to lay at
the feet of Jesus were the first Christ
mas gifts that ever were given.
Peg lay and thought it all over; he
could not 90 to sleep. A terrible feel
ING of loneliness came over him. 1t
wasn't bit like Christmas. All the
boys were sound asleep. Peg crept
out of his little bed and hobbled over
to the window. He looked away over
the city with its thousands of lights.
A faint sound of Ginning bells came tC
him. A clock in far-away steeple
struck ten times.
There must be music over there"
thought PEG. 81 wish | could hear it. -
And almost unconsciously he began tc
put on his clothes. Then he took his
violin and stole down the stairs. His
wooden leg made noise, so he tied an
old stocking around it.
Peg didn't really know that he was
running away; he only knew that he
wanted to get where the music was.
| One of the windows downstairs was