The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-12-28
plants of unhappy people. rhe rnan

plants of unhappy people. rhe man
continued:
MY last resources were exhausted
by my wife, Illness, and I was 50 IN
happy that / did not know anything
and did not hope for anything. 1t is
still more pitiful you see, madame. at
this time of year, because the streets
and the brilliant stores have such an
cir of festivity. At each step you meet
people carrying flowers, candy. pres
cnts; and all the toy stores with their
playthings! Oh! It was that above
everything else which made me sick at
heart. All these playthings and my
children would not have even one of
them! More than that, several days
before her death. my wife, with her
| eyes resting on her little girls. muir
INJURED in my ear: 'Ishall not live until
the New Year. You will give them
some pretty New Years presents for
me. will you not:'
As he said these last words, the long
repressed tears escaped their bounds,
and fell down his cheeks. Atlast Mime.
y. was moved. she no longer leaned
! carelessly on her elbow against the
desk. but was standing up. resting her
hands on the three heads pressed in a
leap against her.
He wiped his tears, and with a
stronger voice. went on with his story.
If T1y wife had thought of New Years
gifts during her last moments, my
children did not forget them either.
They did not know that L was pOOTand
miserable. What good would it do to
tell them? Would they have under
stood il? In the evening when l came
home after Il thousand useless attempts
70 fiLd a situation, they surrounded me
ard said: Papa, you will remember US
On New Years day, will you not? l
| replied: Yes, yes, 1 think of you chill
Grcn. l always think of you Then the
older one, encouraged by my words
and my smiles, said to me one of the
last DAYS of December: What we want.
/ sister and /. is a beautiful doll which
we saw the other day. Oh. such adOll:
\ very, very large doll. An indestruct-
iDIe doll
An indestructibIe doll. I repeated
the words over and over again. and re-
JeatCd them all night duringmy sleep"
Martha. Jeanne and Yvonne. after his
mention of the ndestructible dol, lis
tened more attentivcly than ever, ST
icmtiy pressing their little hands to-
rcthcr with excitement.
1t was several days afterwards"
continued the unknown man. that /
was returning for the tenth time from
an employment Office, when some one
told me that Y, the great toy dealer,
wanted more hands TO deliver pack
ages and offered good wages. ] did not
hesitate about applying. and was ac-
cepted. And all day long, as well as
evening. | was travelling about to every
quarter of Paris. l liked it far better
than staying in the stores. where the
sight OF the toys, the parents and the
children who came to choose, made me
saddcr and sadder. All day long ] car
ried the toys, in my hands, by armfuls,
on my back, but they were all lone UP
in parcels and tied. so | did not see. /
"a hopeful then, for | would re-
ceive my wages at the end of the month,
they would add a little gift. and could
buy my girls, if not the large doll which
they desired. at least a smaller one.
"On the 31stofD December theytOld NE
at the store hat they could not pay I'M
til the first days of January. The firm
was o busy with receiving money to