Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-12-15
HOW SANTA CLAUS
Came to Marjorie-A Christmas Story
If you please, sir
"Eh? What nOW?"


The crusty old gentleman turned sud
denly and sharply, and glared from be-
meath his shaggy eyebrows at the httle
figure beside him. The figure was that
Of a girl, years old, perhaps, but small
and frail. She wore an enormous sun
bonnet that might have been made Tor
the wife of the giant Blunderbore, SO
out OF proportion was il to the dlmlnu-
tive wearer. and out of its depths peered
thin little face. with big, frightened
brown eyes. Her clothing was so clean
and neat that one scarcely noticed now
very poor it was. and as she stared UP
into the terrible face above her one Oh
the little feet wriggled uneaslly III the
depths Of the costly rug.
If you please. sir, mother SAID 10 tell
you that she couldn't come up To-Day
because she's sick.
The childish treble was little shak-
en- this time for the shaggy eyebrows
were very close to her, and they gave
the old gentleman a look that was ter
r.ble beyond relief.
He was in a dreadful temper, this
crusty old gentleman and nothing
made him angrier than for poor people
10 get into his house. He hated the
sight of poverty and all his servants
had special orders to guard the doors
and the gates and TO see that no moan OF
woe or want ever reached his ears.
And yet, after all. this little beggar had
slipped past the bolts and bar into his
very study, where his own servants
scarcely dared 10 enter.
I don't know what dreadful thing
night have happened If 1T had not been
for that one little word mother in the
child's fiuttering speech. Children so
seldom speak the word nowadays that
t gave a little shock of surprise. In
stantly ne found himself looking be-
yond the child. at an cd. long forgotten
scene-a little cabin, with a white coun-
try road winding past il and an awk-
ward boy goingdown the road, stopping
at the last curve TO wave his hand 10 his
mother, who stood in the door watching
him go out into the world.
Then he remembered himself and
asked sharply:
And who is your mother, pray, and
why should she come here?"
"Pease, s.r," said the Quaver.ng little
voice. mothers the dust woman.
The what?" CALCULATED the old gen.
tleman. with another dreadful frown-
she comes up once week and du1ts
the bric-a-brac," explained the child.
The housekeeper h-red her She says
she doesn't feel equal to it herself and
mother does it 50 nicely"
Aha" muttered the old gentleman,
with an angry CLEAN IN the eyes under
brings outsiders into the house when
my back is turned does she? They're
all alike: a pack of cheats and robbers,
I'll teach her to violate my confidence
and fl my house with irresponsible
people, You may stay in this room Ill
Mrs. Murray comes. Do you hear? And
then l shall have message TO send TO
your mother"
He rang the bell violently and order
ed that Mrs Murray be sent TO him as
soon as she returned. Having made
this satisfactory arrangement, he took
up his paper again and ignored the lit
tie figure in the sunbonnet.
But before ne had read a dozen lines
there was a light touch on his arm, and
the brown eyes were looking up.nto his.
please, SIR, may l look out OF the
window while we're waiting?'
He was 80 aston.shed that he could
nc, reply for moment, but ne did IL
nally give a scornful grunt of assent.
There was silence IN the room for
long tine. Not a cock licked, for old
Mr.. Roberts could not endure the tick
ing of clocks. Not a leaf stirred, not
cricket chirped The stiffness disturb
ed him al last. and he looked up. The
child was out on the little balcony,
leaning on the stone bamstrade. Her
bonnet had fallen off, and the sunlight
falling on the mass OF brown mar, WoVe
Ii full Of g,eams Of gold.
Another touch on his arm-there she
was again. Her hand-such little
morsel of a handkerchief with some
new emotion. and her eyes shone with
strange ligh,. ..
II. mus, be nice to live on a hill!'
was what she said.
The old gentleman in the armchair
had never been more astOunded in mis-
life. He stared al her and forgot 10 say
anything.
Il have always wanted to Eve on
hill" she went on. Our house is away
down yonder. and you can't see any
thing but the houses across the street.
But lip here you can look so far, and the
skv's so close to you. Don't you think
peoDle can be better when they live on
a hill?'
The newzpaper fell to the floor un-
needed and the crusty Old gentleman
and the little girl looked at one another.
After awhile the old gentleman went to
the balcony and looked down 10 the
roofs of the crowded houses in the mar
row streets below and then away to the
far horizon. This beautiful home OF MS
crowned the summit of this purple hill
and was uplifted so far above the noise
and dust and wrctchedness of the city
that Law below. Truly, il was a pleas
ant thing to live on hill. He had new
or thought of it before, but all at once
he fancied himself down among those
miserable tenementS looking up at this
beautiful home and thinking how near
10 heaven it reached.
There was a hurried tap at the door
and Mrs. Murray presented herself.
Her comfortable figure was attired still
I'm the nea. dress that she had worn in
the street. Her round face was wreath
cd with smiles but she was obviously
dnttered and quaking with fear.
Did YOU leave word tha. You wanted
me- sir?" she asked and then waited for
the blow to fall.
Mrs. Murray" said the old gentle
man in his stiffest and most formal
way. "am I 10 understand that you have
| emDloved a woman to come here once
weak and dust the bric-a-bracY'
.sves cir Mrs Holmes. her name is,
and she's very careful, sir. couldnt do
better myself"
She glanced I'D anxiously at the