The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-12-22

/ brown ringlets seemed to shine like an
auraole around his white forehead
But it would have made you grieve
to sec the child's feet blue with the
cold that cruel December night.
Tie pupils so we'll clothed and shod
for the winter passed indifferently be-
fore the unknown child. Some of them
cast upon the little yagabond look in
which could be read all the common
contempt Of the rich for the poor--of
the we'll fed for the hungry.
| But little Wolff came out of the
church the last of all and stopped, very
much moved, before the beautiful sleep
ing child.
"Alas, "said the orphan, ''it is fright
full for the poor little one to go without
shoes when the weather is so cold. And
| IL ia still worse not to have either slip
pers or shoes to put before him while
he sleeps ON this Of all evenings, so that
the Christ child might have place to
put something in to comfort his misery"
Carried away by his good heart, Wolff
drew off the wooden shoe from his right
foot and softly put it before the sleep
| ing boy Then, as best he could, hop
ping on one foot soaked with snow wa
ter, footsore and forlorn, he returned
| to his aunts house.
| ''Look at him, the good for nothingV
cried the old woman, full of fury upon
seeing him return with but one shoe
"What have you done with your
other shoe, you little, miserable young
| one?''
Wolff did not know how to lie, and
though he trembled and stammered
with fright he tried to relate his adven-
ture.
But the old woman broke out into
gruff, frightful laughter. so monsieur
unshoes for beggarsl So monsieur strips
off his covering for barefoot This is
fine way to do. Oh, we'll, I will leave
the remaining shoe in the fireplace to-
night, and the Christ child will put in
1t something to whip you with in the
morning. will answer for it. And to-
morrow you shall pass the day upon
dry bread and water, and we will see
If the next time you will give your
shoes to the first beggar that comes
along"
The wicked woman, having given the
| child two blows, made him go up to the
| attic, where under the caves he climbed
into his hard cot, but he was comforted
with the sleep Of the innocent, though
in his sorrow he had soaked his scanty
pillow with bitter tears.
The next morning, when the old aunt
was awakened by the cold, she descended
to her lower room.
Oh, marvel She saw the great chin
ney full of sparkling playthings, bags
of magnificent bonbons, riches of all
sorts, and in front of that wealth If
treasure the shoe that her nephew had
given the sleeping child. 1t was close
beside its mate, which she had left
there, intending to put therein bun
die of whips before calling Wolff.
Now, when he ran to her, awakened
by her cries and in ecstasies at seeing
the beautiful gifts Of the Christ child,
the attention of both was called to a
noise in the street, They ran to learn
what was the matter and saw all the
gossips Of the peighborhood assembled
at the fountain in the public square.
"Oh, very pleasant thing has hap
pened, and very extraordinary, they
were saying.
'All the rich peoples children, whose
parents wished to surprise them by sus-
pending from trees the most beautiful
gifts, had found nothing but whips il
their shoes. The beautiful things had
all disappeared.
Then the old woman and the child,
remembering the marvellous presents in
their chimney place, were full of fright.
Suddenly there was seen approach
ing Father Zwingh, the benevolent faced
priest.
Behind the bench at the church
door in the same place where on the
| previous evening child clothed in
white, but with naked feet in spite of
the great cold, had rested his sleeping
head, the priest had just found circle
of gold imbedded in the hard stone.
All the bystanders crossed themselves
devoutly, comprehending that the beau
tiful child who had dropped asleep there
and who had near him the carpenters
tools was Jesus of Nazareth, who had
become again for one hour such as lie
was when he labored in the house Of
his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph
They bowed before the miracle which
the good God wished to perform to rec
ompepse the confidence and charity f
| a child.
"Ah, it was good" said the people,
"to have the poor and innocent reward
ed and the rich and contemptuous p1n-
ished !" - Translation From Francis
Coppee in Romance.