Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-11-26

an, shut up In her own gloomy thoughts,
had never dreamed there could be child
as hungry as that I'm all the world
And, afterward, when the little fellow
insisted on wearing his new shoes TO bed,
Jane and Susan had to be called up to see
that, and they made regular holiday of
1t. l don't know how many years 1t had
been since those old walls had echoed TO
such laughter When Susan saw that
grim, austere old woman actually persuad-
ing the child to let the shoes lie in chair
where he could touch them, and when she
saw her put the kitten into his arms, she
remarked to Jane In an awestruck whisper:
"Hit do pear To me like dc merlennium
mus be jes' roun dc corner. T"
And that wasn't the end of It'll No, In
deed Why, the very next day certain
minister, whose work lay among the poor
and destitute, received u summons TO call
on an old woman who had refused TO see
him when he had called at her door once
before. And when he went, there she was
with small boy and kitten, and there
was radiance in her face that did not
come from the fire light as she said:
81 have just found out what poverty is
You see great deal of it, i am told Next
Thursday will be Thanksgiving. have
not observed it for many years, but all that
Is changed l want you To take this mon
ey and see how far IL will go in giving all
the poor you know little supply of fuel
and good Thanksgiving dinner. And will
you come back To me when that Is gone? /
want the dinner to be IA good one, mind, a
regular, generous, old fashioned Thanks
giving dinner
oh, it was great time in that old wom-
ans life; hut that was not all, for she sent
for an architect that very evening and be-
gan to talk over plans for IA home for
homeless children, and while she talked
the child was leaning against her knee and
she fondled his thin little hand After
the architect was gone she still sat there
musing. Late as IL was, she said to her
SELF she might still atone for her idle, self
ish, lonely life
And that was not all yet for when Jane
came to the door and said, with broad
grin spreading all over her face "Some-
body to see you, Mis- Arnam," she did not
hear until the somebody came in and stood
beside her and asked:
Mother, can you forgive me yet?'
She must have been dreaming of him,
for she looked at him as though he were
part of the dream-this handsome man,
with mouth as firm as her own-but in a
moment she had awakened and was in his
arms, crying out TO him while the tears
rained down her cheeks:
"Oh, Dick, my little boy, my own little
lad, don't ask forgiveness of mel 1 need
1t SO much more!'
And there was Susan's face in the door
way Illuminated with radiant grin; for
had she not known where Mas Dick was
this long timer And had she not gone to
him that very morning and told him?
Mas Dick, now's yo' time To make
frien's wifi yo' ma, for she sholy is like an
odder 'omanr
And there was the little boy in Dicks
arms before you could think, and friends
with him from the very first minute and
there was the kitten running up the table
cover and tumbling down again and max
ing perfect whirligig of itself IN that
mad pursuit after its own tail, and alto
gether there never was such happy time.
Susan began that very evening making
preparations for the most delightful
Thanksgiving dinner that ever was eaten,
and while she worked she chuckled with
delight and took all the credit to herself
because she had brought Mas Dick home
in the very nick OF time.
But then, there was the little boy who
had melted the hard old heart ready for
Dicks coming and there was the kitten
which had brought the little boy and
there was Jane who had left the doors
open for the kitten, and So
But what does it matter how the Thanks
giving got into the house, so that it Gamer
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