Middletown transcript., 1893-11-25

she. The kind friend FASTENED toward
the girl, who was clad in plaid wooler
gown, a shawl pinned about hel
shoulders, and tam o'-shanter on hel
head. Her clean but unglpved hands
were clasped tightly about large card.
board box tied with strong cord,
which contained all the wardrobe the
child possessed.
"Are you my little friend Nan, who
loved Merrythought SO much2" asked
Mr.. Goodheart, and all Mans fears
vanished, and willingly she gave her.
self up to his keeping. On arriving
at the home, she was warmly greeted
by the good lady Of the house. 1t was
all SO new and strange-these beautiful
furnishings, these lovely dishes with
the painted flowers just as they grew in
Upland, this very table where Merry
thought had been admired and eaten
on Thanksgiving Day; and beside her
plate lay the merrythought, gilded and
tied with blue ribbon. All the good
wishes that the children had wished
for little Nan on Thanksgiving Day,
when they decorated the wishbone, had
come to pass.
Nothing but happiness came to Nan
for the next month. Day after day
passed in seeing new places and things:
churches, art galleries, and fairs, things
new and things old, all in turn were
visited; and the shops, OIL the shops
shops for books and shops for boots,
shops for toys and shops for candy,
shops for trunks and shops for clocks,
shops little and shops big; and Nan
was whirled up and down in the eleva-
tors till her eyes and brain were so daz-
zled and bewildered that at last she
said she couldn't tell whether elevators
were going up or down.
Then followed the days with the
A navy-blue serge trim
med with darker velvet and the love-
liest Of buttons, pretty jacket to
match, and a jaunty little hat, with kid
real kid, such as Nan had
read about away up in Upland, but
never had expected to see, much less to
wear on her hands-and many of the
dainty little things which are precious
boons to girlhood, had now been added
to Mans wardrobe.
, The home letters were very few, for
Nan had said in one of them: Il can
never write it all; you must wait till
get home, for it will take all winter to
tell it,"
One afternoon Mrs. Goodheart took
her to see ''The Old Homestead" and
Nan fairly reveled in appreciation of
country life shown on Boston stage.
[, seemed to her it must be real, for
iidn't she know just such an 'Uncle
Josh" up in Upland? Even the beau
5iful lights and the crowds of we'll
dressed people, the music and the
shifting of the scenes, and the curtain
with the beautiful picture rising up
aud down." could hardly convince her
hat it as only ''make believe y
And all too soon came the time when
Nan must say good-by. A little trunk
fastened with straps and lock had taken
he place Of the box secured with
string, for her wardrobe now was suffi
'ient to fill the trunk; and in one corner
here was carefully put, by Mrs. Good
hearts own hand, when Nan was not
looking, the ''dearest little clock"
which Nan had wished for so much
when they had been out among the
shops. Many pretty little things had
been tucked away in the corners for
,he other children at the Vermont
nome; and the little shawl which Nan
mad worn when Mr.. Goodheart had
found her at the station was carefully
folded over all.
At last all was ready, the good-b bys
we're said, and Nan was speeding back
% the Katchpence home.
But was not all life brighter and
happier for her? Was there not.around
Zach daily duty golden halo2 Was
not the dull routine made beautiful by
happy memories which lifted her above
he commonplace? Had not all the
,are and affection bestowed upon
Merrythought returned to her with in
crest such as she had never dreamed
If? And is not all her life made more
beautiful through her warm-hearted
DEVOTION to one of Gods weak crea-
urns9