Evening star., 1895-03-16

"Please Let Me, Mother
hot biscuits when they sat down to sup
pany cake. You don't feel sick. do you
child?'' asked her grandmother anxiously.
mo, ma am replied Comfort, and she
swallowed big lump in her throat.
"She amt SICK said her mother, Sc
verely. She's fretting because she can't
wear her geld ring to school,"
"Oh, Comfort, you must wait till your
hand grows to it, said her Aunt Susan.
"Yes, of course she must" said her uncle
Ebenezer.
Eat your supper. and your hand will
grow to it before long" said her father,
who, left to himself would have let Com
fort wear the ring.
'It wouldn't do for you to wear that ring
and lose it. It's real gold,'' said her grand
mother. Have another piece OF the sweet
cake"
But Comfort wanted no more sweetcake.
She put both hands to her face and Wept,
and her mother sent her promptly out OF
the room and to bed. Comfort lay there
and sobbed. and heard her Uncle Ebene-
zer's covered wagon roll out of the yard,
ard sobbed again. Then she fell asleep.
and did not know it when her mother and
grandmother came in, and looked at her
and kissed her.
I'm sorry she feels so bad" said Com
forts mother, but I can't let her wear
that ring"
mo, you can't" said her grandmother;
and they went out. shading the candle.
the next morning. She knew her mother
too well. She did not eat much break
fast, and crept off miserably to school
at quarter past eight, and she had an
gotten about the gold ring. She was
teased about it at every opportunity.
'Why didn't you wear that handsome
gold ring?' asked the big girl with red
pnf
distracted. 1t seemed to her that the time
to go home would never come, and as if
she could never endure to go to school
again. That night she begged her mother
to let her stay at home the next day. mo, "
said her mother. You've begun to go to
school, and you're going to school unless
you're sick. Now, this evening you had
better sit down and write letter to your
Aunt Comfort. It's long time since you
wrote to her.
So Comfort sat down and wrote labori-
ously a letter to her Aunt Comfort and
thanked her anew, as she always did, for
her gold ring and the gold dollar II wish
to express my thanks again for the beauti-
full and valuable gifts, which you presented
me for my name" wrote Comfort in the
little stilted style of the day.
After the letter was written it was S
o'clock, and Comforts mother said she
had better go to bed.
You look tired out" said she. II guess
going to school,
Cant 1 stay at home tomorrow,
mother" pleaded Comfort. with sudden
hope.
NO" said her mother. you've got to
go if you're able.
Mother. can't 1 wear it just once?"
Don't you bring that ring up again, /"
said her mother. Take your candle and
go right upstairs
Comfort gave a ptiful little sob.
Now don't you go to crying over it,
ordered her mother, and Comfort tried
to choke back another sob as she went
out of the room.
Comforts father looked up from the
Old Farmers Almanac. He was going to
Bolton the next day with load of wood
and wanted to see what the weather was
to be, and SO was consulting the almanac.
What was 1t Comfort wanted?" he in
quired.
she wanted to wear that gold ring her
Aunt Comfort gave her to school," replied
Mrs. Pease. "And I've told her over and
over again I shouldn't let her do it,
Its a mile too big for her, and she'd
be sure to lose it off," said Grandmother
Atkins, land it would be a pity to have
anything happen to 1t, when it's real gold,
too"
She couldn't wind a rag round her
finger under it, could she?" asked Com
forts father, hesitatingly.
Wear rag round her finger under
it," repeated Mrs. Pease. Il rather guess
she can wait till her finger grows to it.
You'd let that child do anything"
Mr. Pease did not say anything more,
but studied the Old Farmers Almanac
again and found out that it was likely to
be fair weather for the season.
1t was past midnight, and the hearth
hre was raked down, and Comforts father
and mother and grandmother were ali in
bed and asleep, when a little figure in a
white nightgown, holding a lighted candle.
padding softly on little cold bare feet
came down the stairs. Comfort paused in
the entry and listened. She could hear the
IA
parlor door was on the right. She lifted
the brass latch cautiously and pushed the
door open Then she stole into the best
parlor. The close icy air smote her like a
breath from the north pole. There was
no fire In the best parlor except on Thanks
giving day, and perhaps twice besides.
When there was company to tea, from fall
to spring. The cold therein seemed CON
densed and concentrated, the haircloth sofa
and chairs and the mahogany table seemed
to give out cold as stoves did heat,
There We're two coffin plates and funeral
wreaths, which had belonged to uncJes of
Comfort, who had died before she was horn.
In frames on the wall, and these always
scared Comfort.
She kept her eyes away from them as she
went swiftly in her little bare feet which
had no feeling in them as they pressed The
Icy floor. across to the mahogany card
table, whereon set the rosewood work box.
Comfort set her candle or the table, and
turned the key of the box with her stiff
fingers. Then she raised the lid noiselessIy
and there lay the ring in a little soua re-
compartment of the tray-next to it in the
corner square lay the gold dollar
Comfort took the ring out, shut the box
lid down, turned the key, and fled She
thought some one called her name as she
went upstairs and she stopped and listen
ed but all she heard was the clock ticking.
and her father snoring and her heart beat
ing. Then she kept on to her own chamber.
and put out her candle, and crept into her
feather bed, under the patchwork quilts.
There she lay all night, wide-awake with
the gold ring clasped tightly in her little
cold fist
CHAPTER III
When Comfort came down stairs the next
morning there was a bright red spot en-
each cheek, and she was trembling as if
she had a chill
Her mother noticed it and asked her If
she was cold. and Comfort said: Eyes.
ma'am'