The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

| the room. It revealed Roger and Betsy
fast asleep in their homely bed. 1t illu-
minated the little face on the hearth and
showed the countenance of a cherub-a
countenance wreathed in smiles, with blue
eyes, waiting for the Lord.
The clock began to strike. The boy crept
on all tours to the very edge of the tire
and cast an affectionate glance at his little
blue sock hanging limp and empty to the
shelf above the fire.
One! two! three! A sudden rush over
head. a sound as of great wind sweeping
the forest, of cohorts of angels, of ava
lanches, reindeer. spowslides--a deep, in
tense roar. The boy was radiant. Christ
had heard his little prayer and Santa Claus
had come. There was a commotion in the
chimney, cloud of SCOT fell down into
the glowing Goals and down came-a Cove,
beautiful and gentle, right into the fire.
Little Toby had the dove out of the fire
and into his lap in second. Mamma!
papa!'' he cried. ''See what Santa Claus
has brought"
Roger and Betsy sprang out of bed just
as the clock finished striking twelve.
"It's a message from the Lord!' MUIR
mureu DeCSy, aWe-StrICkeH.
Its wild pigeon said Roger. "It's
nisht-figh and one of them struck the
chimney and tumbled in. It's wet-the
rain has come Sure enough; they could
hear it on the roof increasing in vigor. A
southeast wind, too, was signing. 1t was
storm.
'God sent it with the rain," said little
Toby, fondling the dead pigeon. TO
morrow Iii bury it at the roots of the
rosebnsh at the porch
''Our luck has turned" said Betsy, her
eyes filling with tears Hear it rain ~
There will be grass in five days. "Kneel,
Roger"
So they knelt on the hearth, and Betsy
poured out her soul to the Lord in her fer
vent woman's way. But Rogers eyes were
wet, too, and his rebelious soul was rebel
no longer.
When Toby got up in the morning his
little blue sock was stuffed with the
cornucopia made of the rams horn and
! the gay neckerchiefs, and his face was the
face of an angel. And the rain was driv-
ing in from the mountains in great sheets
on the breast of the southeast wind, and
the ground was wet and the grass was
growing, and the coyotes had disappeared
and there were no more vultures, and the
sheep we're standing erect and chewing
their cuds. The famine was off, and in a
week Cinnamon Valley would be green
| from mountains to mountains. Thus saith
! the Lord.
After breakfast out in the rain went
| Toby to bury the pigeon that had brought
the rain down the chimney. He laid off
| little oblong diagram under the big rose
bush that grew beside the porch, and be-
gan to dig, with the soft warm rain splash
ing down on his little back. Presently he
ran into the cabin with what appeared to
be large yellow potato in his hand. "See,
mamma! See, papa!" he cried. 1.-THE
| pretty golden stonep'
Roger seized it, glared at it, rolled it
over on his palm, "hefted" it, tossed it,
smelt it and turned pale. Betsy" he
said, hoarse with excitement, ''it's nugget
of gold. The cabin stands over gold
mine and we are rich, richr' Oh, Tobey,
my boy, what did your pigeon bring?"
And thus the cabin became a palace.
The famine was off, the luck had turned
and the good times had come again.
| But Roger was wrong; there was no
gold mine under the cabin. He dug up
an acre of ground around the house, but
found no more gold. But the nugget
turned up by Tobey for the pigeons grave
was enough to make Roger and Betsy free
| from care the rest of their lives.
And this is why a pretty white house
now stands where the cabin formerly
stood; and Roger is again lusty young
rancher and Betsy blooming young wife.
And the sheep number 10000 now, and
Cinnamon Valley is green with rich thick
grass and gay with buttercups and wild
pansies, and the coyotes have gone back
to their mountain lairs and the vultures
no longer flop their sinister black wings
over the plain. And Tobey has plenty OF
pretty toys for Christmas and is fat
enough to pose as cherub.
The old rose bush is still there and q
little white cross marks the grave of the
9 igeon that brought the rain.