Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1893-12-21
told him to 90 home where he belonged

told him to go home where he belonged,
and not to trouble other folks.
The hours passed; later grew the
night, and colder grew the wind, and
| darker seemed the street. Farther and
| farther the little one wandered. There
| was scarcely anyone left upon the
street by this time, and the few who
remained did not seem to see the child,
| when suddenly ahead of him there ap-
peared a bright, single ray of light. 1t
| shone through the darkness into the
child's eyes He looked up smiling and
said: " will 60 where the light beck.
ons; perhaps they will share their
Christmas W it'll me.
Hurrying past all the other houses
he soon reached the end of the street
and went straight up to the window
| from which the light was streaming.
1t was poor, little, low house, but the
child cared not for that. The light
seemed still to call him in. What do
you suppose the light came from?
Nothing but tallow candle which had
been placed in an old cup with broken
handle, in the window, as glad token
of Christmas Eve. There was neither
curtain nor shade to the little square
window, and as the little ehild looked
in he saw standing upon small wooden
table branch of Christmas tree. The
room was plainly furnished, but was
very clean. Near the fireplace sat a
lovely-faced mother with little two.
year-old on her knee and an older child
beside her. The two children were
! looking into their mothers face and
listening to story She must have
been telling them Christmas story.
think. a few bright Goals We're burn
| ing in the fireplace, and all seemed
| light and warm within.
The little wanderer crept closer and
closer to the window pane. So sweet
seemed the mothers face, SO loving
seemed the little children, that at last
he took courage and tapped gently.
very gently, on the door. The mother
stopped talking, the little children
looked up. ''What, was that, .mother?''
asked the little girl at her side. 81
think it was some one tapping on the
dc1A.," replied the mother. ,"Run as
quickly as you can and open it, dear,
for it is bitter cold night to keep any
one waiting in this storm" oh, moth.
er, think it was the bough of the
tree tapping against the window-pane, y
said the little girl DO please go on
with our story" Again the little
; wanderer tapped upon the door. ''My
child, my child,'' exclaimed the moth
err, rising, THAT certainly was a rap on
the door. Run quickly and open it.
No one must be left out in the cold on
our beautiful Christmas Eve"
The child ran to the door and threw
it wide open. The mother saw the
ragged stranger standing without, cold
and shivering, with bare head and al.
most bare feet. She held out both
hands and drew him into the warm,
bright room. 'Oh, you poor. dear child,
come in as quickly as You can and get
warm! Where did you come from and
where are you going? Have you no
home? Have you no mamma? Have
you no Christmas to celebrate?"
The mother put her arms around the
strange child, and drew him close to her
breast. ''He is very cold, my children -
said she eve must warm him and
feed him, and give him some Clothes y
"And," added the little girl, 1--WE must
love him and give some of our Christ
mas, too" YES" said the mother,
"but first let us warm him.
| So she sat down beside the fire with
the child on her lap, and her own two
little ones warmed his half. frozen
hands in their own, and the. mother
smoothed his tangled curls, and bend
ing low over his head kissed the child
face. She gathered the three little
ones together in her arms and the cam
| die and the irelight shone over them.
and for a few moments the room was
! very still. Then the mother whispered
to the little girl, and the child ran
| quickly into the next room and soon re.
turned with roll of bread and q bowl
of milk which had been set aside for
/! her own breakfast the next morning.
The little tworyear,old, who had
slipped away from his mothers side,
was happy that he, too, could help the
little stranger by bringing the wooden
spoon from the table. BY and by the
/ little girl said softly to her mother:
May we not light the Christmas tree,
and let this little child see how beauti
full it will look?' Yes" said the
mother With that she seated the
| child on a low stool beside the fire and
went herself to fetch The few simple
ornaments which from year to year she
had saved for her children's Christmas
tree. They were soon busy preparing
! the tree and lighting the candles, So