Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-12-21

NSopg ILSuI ny News
paper UniOn)
| say, Ben! Isn't this beautiful? It's
just ike n glory Of gold and silver
and all the pretty colors a fellow can
think Of, and all in a blaze Of light
that makes it shine like stars.
My! But won't lots Of boys and
girls be happy tomorrow, and men and
women, too?
Two newsbOys were crying their
Ing papers, Evening Herald! all about
the great explosion down in the coal
mine!' Evening Telegram! all about
the great explosion and they had halt
ed now just in the blaze of the great
plate glass window filled with the BRAY
cry Of Christmas goods; a grand har-
mony of light and color. And poor
little Jack had the soul of an artist,
though he was only a little "newSy,"
enVirOned by meagerneSS and poverty
and fairly revealed in all this wealth
n beauty. He would have gone with
out his dinner any day 10 feast his eyes
on the beautiful, however unattainable.
"Oh, yes" answered his companion,
Its just grand, but who cares for dolls
and gauZe angels and silver stars and
such truck? Tomorrow up at the
lunch rooms we are going to have just
! leads of turkey and mince pie, lots of
good things. | think they are awful
good. I'd rather have them than all
the shine in that big window.
oh, yes, they are kind up there,
and the faces of some of the women
are lovelier than any l have seen since
mother died" But it's for us all.
That's all right, but don't you ever
wish there was somebody to care for
you special? Not just because you was
n of that great hall full Of hungry
boys they are such good friends to,
but because you are Ben Saunders,
end they have an interest in Ben Saun-
GerS; special, you know.
l know. Ben, you hain't never had
q ObOdy, no folks, l mean. and l s'poSe
you don't think so much about ii.
Now, you see, l "a remember when
father was alive. Father was a brick
layer, he was, but he was sick lots of
the time and we were awful poor, but
he was good, and l tell you he never
groaned half so much about his pain
as he did because he couldn't do for
] us as he wanted to.
1t seemed to hurt him so about moth
er. He would look at her, sorry Ike,
and say: Poor Elsie! poor little moth
| err: I wish l could make it easy and
bright for you" BY and by the fever
| got thick round where we lived and n
morning father couldn't get up, and
| they said he had the fever.
Well, he got worse and worse, and
| when / went up TO the bed to see him,
he didn't know me at all, but just look
| ed at me, oh, SO wild, and said: There
were so many boys there, and they
| all looked ragged and hungry, he could
not take care of them all, but, mother"
says he. do the best you can for little
Jack. Jack would make a man If he
| only had the chance. I've tried, I've
tried. God knows" and then he shut
| his eyes and looked tired, and never
said anything about me again. Next
morning he was dead. Oh, dear, Ben;
yOu don't know: you can't know.
| had two little sisters, Lefty and SUI
sic, and I had the loveliest mother,
| Handsome? No not like some of these
| grand ones that are all dazzle till they
fairly make a fellows eyes blink. but
| just lovely. Why everybody loved
| mother. / never loved nothing nor no.
body as l loved mother and 1 guess up
in Heaven the angels love her too.
Well, after father died there was
| something in her eyes that l had new
| er seen there before. Kinder deep and
| sorry as If she was looking way off for
| something she couldn't find here. %,
Well. l went to selling papers, and
| mother. she Just did splendid she work
| ed and worked and seemed to love us
more than ever, but all the while there
| WIS That look in her eyes. But we got
| on pretty we'll and when Christmas
came she tried to make it just as 1t
| had always been.
| don't think there was so much tur-
| key and mince pie as there will be up
Wonder tomorrow, but then you see 1t
| was for us, special because she loved
us.
saved a little money and got Lefty
and Susie some dolls. They weren't
much dolls side of some you see IN
! there, but oh you ought to have G
how glad they were and how their eyes
| shone. Why l do believe they were
| inst AS glad rs If they had had one OF
them in there, with real Gully hair ana
all silk and spangles.
But father was not there and we
| couldn't be real glad, nobody but Lefty
! and Susie, who were such little things.
BY and bye the diphtheria came and
| Lefty was sick, and they sent me up TO
the lodging house, and when went
| hack they were both gone; both my
sisters. The house looked so empty
| and mother was there all alone, and
| that look you know told you about In
her eyes. only worse, she stretched OUT
her arms and | laid my head IN her lap
and we both cried together q long time.
Then she said We'll Jack, ! VIII Try
10 put 1t away and not pile the clouds
| any thicker on yoar young q You
see she forgot herself n thought spec,
ial nf ma in the midst of that aMfu