The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-12-14
MABEL'S CIGAR.
A CHRISTMAS TALE By ERNEST JARRoLDL
copyright, 1895, by the Author.1

N e.; :; e.: 81: T.; Ut: 6: IS: IS: 6:
grimage also shattered 5 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 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 conjured up the tear wet face of his
little girl as she had placed it between his
lips, and after looking at the cigar and
vurreptitiously kissing it he had always
carefully wrapped it up in it's covering Of
tin foil again and restored it 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 it was ham
died with tender, reverent care, as 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, g 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 ia
Their 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 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 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 the cigar out of
its hiding place and caressed 1t with lin
gering tenderness because it brought back
sweet memories of her "brave lad, as she
was fond of calling her dead husband.
It 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 winter
months came and the expense of fuel was
added to the general outlay from Mrs.
Rafferty's slender earnings, and when De-
cember came 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 anxiously.
"No, my DEAR" replied Mrs. Rafferty,,
mi a &c tn hnn
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 q 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 the city. In her preparations for
breakfast in the kitchen Mrs Rafferty, for
got that she had left her precious memen-
tos exposed upon the bureau. just as
she closed the door softly behind her on
her way to the grocery Mabel awoke.
While putting on her clothing she saw the
cigar upon the 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 little
girl fit by with eager face and disappear
in the crowd. How she got there was al
ways mystery, but within an hour after
leaving home she stood before delivery
window in the New York postofice. The
top of her golden head just reached the
window ledge. The clerk looked down
into pair of wistful blue eyes
please, sir,' said Mabel, II want to
send Christmas present to my papa"
where is your papa, you little cheruba"
said the clerk.
I'm heaven" replied Mabel simply.
"In heaven!'' echoed the clerk aghast
Eyes, and mamma says Santa Claus
never goes there, SO l want to send him
present all by myself. Mamma don't
know anything about it, and nobody don't
know but me. want to send it all my
SELF. And she laid upon the window
ledge little roll Of brown paper. The