Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-04-07
her turn now to help; butt had to be
almost harsh with her FOR che .unnld .

i - Z
almost harsh with her, for she would
not say she was willing. Then went
and offered the doll to the woman. If
| she would take all my things over
there and do them for me, and she said
she would, and the neighbors are talk
ing about "a poor woman she must be
and hire her washing done!' And here's
Minnie has told everybody that has
come into the house that have given
her doll away, and I told her not to do
it again and now will have to whip
her NJ.
| No, no! Promise me, Mrs. Crandall,
that you will not punish that mere
| baby! It was all my fault 2
mo, it was my doll, and it was all
had, an now amt got nothin', oh, oh,
ch,'' and she sobbed aloud again.
What wonder that Mrs. Estabrook
took the weeping child in her arms and
slowed her. till she ceased crying? Was
not the child's wall very similar in
word and spirit to the wall she had given
voice to when. Helena was taken from
her? What was She, herself, but an
older babe? fs, ~.
| do not worry, Mrs. Crandall, about
getting sewing to do; will sec that all
and by the by will be time enough to
plan for your future" 80. s..E-..
Each b knew that .'by the ~ ~ w. meant
when call was over"
Mrs. Estabrook went back to-. her
carriage and was driven to her home, a
wiser if not a sadder woman than she
had been for many a day. To think
that she had been selGshly bemoaning
Helena's transition to a higher life,
when there was such real, living trouble
at her door, needing the comfort that
she could SO easily give. - :.
She had said that she could not give
up Helena's dolls, and little Minnie
Crandall had had to give her only doll
to the washwoman, to. ease a suffering
| father. ,~@l !5..,.r. O.. s...,:
''Dear Helena, how. glad she will be
tomorrow, to know that her toys have
gone to glad Eastertide for one of Gods
little ones!" ~... r -. ~;
Her heart as last was stirred to it's
most generous depths, and early Easter
morning, on her way to church, she
drove to the door OF the Crandalls' poor
home, for this time the carriage held
that which made it needful to drive into
the narrow court.
The faithful John had had to make
several trips to and from the carriage,
for there was basket of dainty dishes
for. the invalid; and the dolls bedstead
with it's sleeping twins, that would open
their eyes when Minnie should take
them up; the tiny tea table and arm
chair; the china tea set and boxes full
Of other toys. There were Helena's
gowns and other clothes FOR Minnie,
and plain gowns Of her own for the
other girls. At home she had left in
a box, ready to be sent when needed,
| her own plainest suit Of black for Mrs.
Crandall.) There was a box of books;
many of them juveniles from her own
| girlhood's library, and there was not
only a Bible, suitable for use on that
''last OCCASION now so close at hand,
but there were Testaments for Bella
and Carrie, to replace those that had
been sold for food ind medicine.
| Il could not sleep last night. My
mind was so full of the sadness of see
ing that poor little Minnie sitting up in
that armchair SO primly with nothing
at all to play with, as she so quantity
said; ana there were dear Helena's
treasures doing no one any good, and I
am quite sure now, though I have long
refused to see it SO, that they were do
ing me great harm, by keeping my loss
ever before me and helping to make my
heart hard and SELFISH
! When it was all over, Mrs. Crandall
was helped to move into a brighter and
healthier locality and the tenement,
though small, was made tidy and COM
Portable by gifts from several who be-
came interested in her case,'' and fine
sewing in plenty was given her to do
by Mrs. Estabrook and others, who re-
CURED fine, plain sewing and were will
| ing to pay for having it DONE
Indeed, the Easter gift of Helena's
toys was the harbinger of good to Mrs.
Estabrook in full as great a degree as
to the family she assisted out of tenn
porary slough of distress. She kept
protecting eye over the family ever
after, and rejoiced equally with the
mother when, a couple Of years later,
the eldest graduated from the public
school with fair business education,
and at once became wage-earner A
/ girl at 13 and fresh from grammar
school, who could earn three dollars
week, looked to one Of the leisure class
like prodigy.
Life was Frightening for the Gran
dalls. Two years later the second daugh-