The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-22
MABEL'S CIGAR.
4 Christmas Tale By Ernest Janold.

Tom Rafferty, was killed before San
tiago The bullet which ended his pill
griinags ..~~ .......srsL "A cent cigar ana
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 q 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 conjurod up the tear wet face of his
little girl as che had placed IL between his
lips, and after looking at the cigar and
surreptitiously kissing it he had always
carefully wrapped IL up i'm its covering OF
tin foil again and restored il To his pocket.
His comrades in Company + all knew
the story OF the cigar, and when his body
was found In the chaparral and the shat
tered cigar In his pocketbook it was han
died with tender, reverent care, as n sacred
thing, 70 be returned 10 Toms wife in the
tall east side tenement i'm New York city.
There was mourning In tho house OF
Tom Rafferty, widow for many days after
the tidings of his death together with the
pocketbcok, reached New York. Tho
mcroifui forgesfulncss Of childhood saved
Mabel from the brooding sorrow which
ther had not smoked the cigar she could
not understand. Neither could she ap-
preciate why he had not taken it to heaven.
The idea OF her father being happy i'm
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 n cigar in his mouth.
But tho cigar, with the hole made by the
Mauser rifle ball through the middle, was
placed, with the other little mementos Of
the dead man, in the bottom drawer of
the bureau, where it was hidden from
Mabel's sight for many months Her
mother, however, saw It very often When
weary OF the terrible fight with poverty
In the evening when Mabel was asleep,
Mrs. Rafferty, often took tho cigar out OF
its hiding place and capssod 10 with lin
gering tenderness because IL brought back
sweet memories of her "braye lad " as she
was fond Of calling her dead husband.
IL was June when Tom was killed, and
now that her pay was stopped poverty
pinchcd the little family sorely. Espe.
cially was this true when the winter
months came and the expense of fuel was
added TO the general outlay from Mrs.
Rahertys slender earnings, and when De-
cember camo she told Mabel Santa Claus
would probably not pay them his usual
visit because he had gone away to far
country and could not get back again In
time
"And won't papa have any Christmas
present either" asked Mabel anxiouslv.
mo, my dear, replied Mrs Rafferty,,
with quiyering lip. "IIe is I'm heaven.
Santa Claus never goes there. But never
snind, Mabel. We won't worry about st."
But all tho time Mabel was thinking
how wretcbcd her papa would bo in
heaven without his Christmas slippers,
and especially his cigars And with the
Thought OF the cigars there flashed across
her mind plan 80 bold. 40 audacious,
that ~ nearly took her breath away. For.
tunaieiy for the carrying out OF her
scheino. she fell asleep before she had time |
70 impafs IL 10 Der mother
u was a sorrowful Christmas eve for /
hiu Rafferty. She was now living on
she recalled the happiness Of