Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-12-19

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"ThAt was a present from my son last
Christmas, she said Dear boyi Io
never fails to send me something every
Christmas and every birthday
Then came % small voice fun OF yvistful
meaning
Mrs Murray it said, do you Ike
Christmasg
why, Marjoricr was the shocked re-
ply. Why. OF coursr. / do Everybody
likes Christmas"
i don C. said tho small voice-such a
de-olate little voice it seemed Il had
rather leave Christmas out of tho year"
'Marjorie'' No words could express
the horror and smaZemcut in Mrs. Muir
raw S tone
I would' The small voice had grown
thinner and higher in It's painful intensity.
What the use 0f Christmas that never
SCt5 e. some people at ulIS There was lit
Tie lame Peter Franks. who lived in the
room opposite 70 ours and oh, he wanted
Christmas SO much Mrs Murray He
used TO hang his stocking up every wear
every single year, and he always thought
there d be something in it next morning.
but there never was anything-not a sin
gle thing-and now poor Peters dead.
and he never had Christmas in all his
life!'
My dearl My dearr'
The old gentleman in the study heard
the exclamation, and he knew that the
voice that uttered it was fun of tears. He
rose hastily and slipped out of the study
and then ordered his carriage and went
driving
The day following was Christmas eve
Carriers from town were busy all day
bringing in the presents that he had
bought for the servants. and there was
great happiness in the servants hall. with
much confusion and many awkward at
tempts TO thank the master. who waved
OF every such attempt with an air of lofty
patronage. Outside of this family of aerv-
ants he had never given any one present
in all his life. He had never contributed
to charities, public or private. He had
never helped the poor-indeed he had never
listened TO their appeals
He had important business in another
city which would keep him away all
through Christmas week, he explained to
Mrs. Murray, and he must leave that even
ing. In the afternoon he mufiled himself
IN greatcoat and furs and drove away and
as soon as the carriage was half way down
the hill the servants relaxed from their
usual stiff propriety and began to enjoy
themselves in their own way.
y telegram was handed to Mr.. Roberts
at the station as he was about to buy his
ticket, What little things sometimes
change the whole course of life The in
formation thus received made the trip un-
necessary, and after lettering abeut the
city for awhile he returned homo on foot
and entered his house quietly by side
door
Sounds of boisterous merrimcnt cam
from the servants quarters and the oSlS>
or OF the house frowned ominously. So
this was the way they took advantage OF
his absenceg
He made his way to his study, unseen
by any one, and shut himself ina lonely,
selfish, desolate old man. Even the fire,
which still busned in the CRATE, ANNOYED
him, and he withdrew behind a screen
and threw himself into an easy chair. He
heard Mrs Murray como In after awhile.
but she only moved about softly and de- |
corously, setting things in order, and he |
did not speak. She was just passing into |
the sitting room when she gave little cry
of alarm, followed by the exclamation:
Mercy me, child How you frightened |
mer'
Mrs. Murray" said thin little voice |
"a voice that Mr.. Roberts had heard be- |
fore-"Ive come up here to stay all |
nightp'
The listener behind the screen heard |
Mrs. Murray fall into a chair and again |
she cried, Mercy met
Il just had to comer' the eager voice |
went on. Mothers very, very sick-and |
she needs things, Mrs. Murray--and may
ho Santa Claus might bring 'em il he knew |
and how Is he to know when he never |
comes theref But i knew IL l went to |
l.
and so l came here"
"Poor childl Poor childp
Mrs, Murray had gathered the little |
Naif t0 her bosom ond was rocking her
softly to and fro. The old gentleman be- |
hind the screen could see that by the shad- |
ow on the floor. He could sec too that |
the housckoeper was furtively wiping her |
eyes
Presently she rallied and said chcerily:
I'm toll you what wen do, Marjorie.
I'll go right down ana sec your mother,
and you shall 60 with me, and, who
knows, maybe Santa Claus will come
there. after all.
"oh, no, no WON'T" replied the child
with sorrowful conviction "You don't |
know that placel Santa Claus has never
heard of 1t! He goes to rich peoples |
houses, and so I've come here and must
see him tonight-oh, must, Mrs. Murray |
don't care for any other Christmas after |
this, but L must see him tonight, on moth
er's account, you know"
Tncre was a dismayed silence ON Mrs.
Murray's part, but presently she said
Well, como along into Mr.. Roberts
study-thank goodness he's away from
nomC-and sit here before the fire till | |
como back. I'll take John and go down |
and see your mother"
In another minute the sound OF her re-
treating footsteps had died away, and tho
old gentleman, peeping from behind the /
scrcen saw little figure sitting before
the fire, gazing intently into the glowing |
Goals.
Dusk was settling down over the city.
He had not been conscious Of IL until the /
electric burner above his table flashed into
sudden radiance The flash startled tho
child and he heard hor moving softly |
about. What was she doings Preparing /
to steal something probably. These chill
dren from the tenement districts were oil
thieves,
But, mol When he vcntured to look |
again she was at the study table--his ta-
ble-writing She had his sacred pen,
which no other mortal had ever dared to
touch, and she was writing slowly and la
boriously. Could presumption go farther
than that2 What would these people be
trying to do noxtP
1t took her long time to write the let
ter, but at last it was finished, and she laid
the pen down with weary sigh. Then
she unrolled little bundle that had boon
lying beside her and shook out-could the
watcher believe his cvosY--a stocking, a
poor, forlorn ragged Lille stockinRi Now
what could she want with thatp
She stood on tfptoe and peered around
the corners of the mantel for place to
hang It, Finally something struck her
fancy ms suitable, and she began pushing
heavy chair toward the mantel. Whom
it was near enough she climbed upon II
and hung the stocking upon tho brave
caduccus" Of the bronze Mercury that he
had bought last year In Rome and for
which he had paid such pricoi
Presently she had jumped down and
was surveying the stocking with tho great
est pride Then the note was carefully |
folded, and sho climbed upon the chair
again and pinned the folded paper to the
toe SO oonspicuously that the winged Mer-
curry seemed to stand there for no other
purpose than to hold up ragged stocking |
for all the world to see.
And thon-why, then she was lying
down upon the rug with her thin check
on her thin little hand and the listener
heard tired sigh.