The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-12-10
MABEL'S CIGAR.
4 CHRISTMAS TALE BY ERNEST JARRoLp
copyright, 1898, BY the Author.]

~" chrUnly PHI
grimage also shattered 8 cent cigar and
perforated tintype Of his little daughter
Mabel. The cigar was the last token OF
affection given by Mabel to her father be-
fore he marched away to war Many a
night, when aching for smoke, had Tom
taken the poor cigar out Of the pocket
book which he always carried over his
heart and by the magic Of Its fragrance
had onjured up the tear wet face of his
little girl as she had placed 1t between his
lips and after looking at the cigar and
surreptitiously kissing II be had always
carefully wrapped 1T up In its covering Of
tin foil again and restored 1t to his pocket.
His comrades in Company e all knew.
the story of the Cigar, and when his body
was found in the chaparral and the shat
tered cigar in his pocketbook 1t was han
died with tender, revorent care, as a sacred
thing, to be returned to Toms wife in the
tall east side tenement in New York city.
There was mourning In the house Of
Tom Rafferty, widow for many days after
the tidings Of his death, together with the
pocketbook, reached New York. The
merciful forgetfulness of childhood saved
Mabel from the brooding sorrow which
consumed her mother. But why her fn-
Their had not smoked tho cigar she could
not understand. Neither could she ap-
preciate why no had not taken 1t to heaven.
The idea Of her father being happy In
any place where he could not smoke was
ridiculous to her childish fancy, for she
could not remember her father In his
hours of ease without cigar In his mouth.
But the cigar, with the hole made by the
Mauser rifle ball through the middle, was
placed, with tho other little mementos of
the dead man, In the bottom drawer of
the bureau, where it was hidden from
Mabe's sight for many months. Her
mother however, saw 1t very often. When
weary Of tho terrible fight with poverty,
In the evening when Mabel was asleep,
Mrs. Rafferty, often took tho cigar out Of
its hiding place and caressed 1t with lin
gering tenderness because 1t brought back
sweet memories of her "brave lad" as she
was fond of calling her dead husband
1t was June when Tom was killed, and
now that her pay was stopped poverty
pinched the little family sorely. Espe.
cially was this true when the wintor
months came and the expense Of fuel was
added to the general outlay from Mrs.
Rafferty, slender earnings, and when De-
comber came she told Mabel Santa Claus
would probably not pay them his usual
visit because he had gone away to a far
country md could not got back again in
time.
"And won't papa have any Christmas
present either?" asked Mabel anAiously.
"No, my DEAR" replied Mrs. Rafferty,,
with quivering lip. HE is In heaven.
Santa Claus never goes there. But never
mind, Mabel. we won't worry about It,"
But all the time Mabel was thinking
how wretched her papa would be In
heaven without his Christmas slippers,
and especially his cigars. And with the
thought of the cigars there flashed across
her mind a plan so bold, so audacious,
that it nearly took her breath away For
tunately for the carrying out Of her
scheme she fell asleep before she had time
to impart it to her mother.
1t was sorrowful Christmas eve for
Mrs. Rafferty,. She was now living on
memories. She recalled the happiness Of
the previous Christmas time when Tom
was with her. Moved by an uncontrol-
liable impulse, she took out of the bureau
all of the mementos of the departed-the
tear stained package Of letters he had sent
her from Cuba, the picture Of Mabel with
the bullet hole through the breast and
last, the cigar. Overcome by her grief,
she threw herself upon the bed, forgetting
in her anguish to replace the keepsakes in
their customary hiding place.
Christmas day broke bright and clear
over tho city. In her preparations for
breakfast in the kitchen Mrs. Rafferty, for
=, t,l, l,,I 1,FtI H..
tos exposed upon the bureau. just Us
she closed the door softly behind her on
her way to tho grocery Mabel awoke.
While putting on her clothing she saw the
cigar upon tho bureau. She peered into
the kitchen and saw that her mother was
gone. With her heart beating lively
tattoo against her ribs she seized the cigar
aud ran down the stairs.
Pedestrians paused as they saw q little
girl fit by with eager lace and disappear
in the crowd. How she got there was al
ways mystery, but within an hour after
leaving home she stood before a delivery
window in the New York postofllce Tho
top Of her golden head just reached tho
window ledge. Tho clerk looked down
ipo n pair Of wistful blue eyes.
please, SIR" said Mabel, II want to
send a Christmas present. to my papa"
"Wbero il your nana Won little cheruh,o
said the CLERK
I'm beavan y renliod Maine, siunJv
ON heavenp echncI III. cl,rk o,L.st
nYao and mamma s,vs Santa lI,us
never goes there On want tn send him a
nresent MI nv ,nyse,f Mamma don,t
tnn,y onytbing ahont It and nohodv don,t
know hit mo want to send Y MI nv.
self" And she laid mon tho window
,ed,e . littlo rol, NJ brown noner Tba
clerk o,enad II and d,en,,ved n most dis.
r,nut.hla cio,r IIo hit bis lin Uo nod
S.ai.,a. III, t1,,;.a.;a,, 49,, t,-, All, NJ
,1o"e 4"' wy '-''A' -A''o> 40"
Del eyes as she e4claiiheu