Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-12-24
MABEL'S CIGAR.
A CHRISTMAS TALE GY ERNEST JARRoLD.
copyright. 1898. by the Author.1

grimaee also shattered 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 q
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 conjured 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 it he had always
carefully wrapped 1t up in It's 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, 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, 8 widow for many days after
the tidings of his death, together with the
pocketbook, reached New York. The
morciful forgetfulness Of childhood saved
Mabel from the brooding sorrow which
consumed her mother But why her 70
ther had not smoked the cigar she could
not understand. Neither could she ap-
preciate why he had not taken 1t to heaven.
The idea of her fathor 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 rife ball through the middle, was
placed, with the other little mementos Of
the dead man, In the bottom drawer OF
the bureau, where 1t was hidden from
Mabels 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 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 winter
months came and the expense Of fuel was
added to the general outlay from Mrs.
Rafferty, s slender earnings, and when De-
oember came she told Mabel Santa Claus
would probably not pay them his usual
visit because ho 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 an1iously.
"No,, my dear" replied Mrs. Rafferty,,
with quivering lip. "Ho is In heaven.
Santa Claus never goes there. But never
mind, Mabel. we won't worry about 1t. "
But all the time Mabel was thinking
how wrctched her papa would be in
heaven without his Christmas slippers,
aud especially his cigars. And with the
thought of the cigars there flashed across
her mind q plan 80 bold 80 audacious,
that it nearly took her breath away. For
tunatcly for the carrying out Of her
scheme, sho fell asleep before she had time
to impart it to hor mother.
1t was u sorrowful Christmas eve for
Mrs. Rafferty, Sho was now living on
memories. She recalled tho 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 tho mcmentos Of tho dcparted-the
tear stained package of letters ho had sent
her from Cuba, the picture Of Mabel with
tho bullet hole through the breast and,
last, tho cigar. Overcome by her grief,
she threw herself upon tho bed, forgetting
in her anguish to replace tho kcepsakes In
their customary hiding place.
Christmas day broke bright and clear
over tho city In her preparations for
breakfast in tho kitchon Mrs. Rafferty, for
got that she had left her precious memen-
tos exposed upon the bureau. just as
sho closed tho door softly behind her on
her way to tho grocery Mabel awoke
Whilo putting on hor clothing sho SOW the
cigar upon tho bureau She peered into
the kitchen and saw that her mother was
gono. With her heart boating O lively
tattoo against her ribs she seized the cigar
and ran down tho stairs.
Pedestrians paused rs they saw O little
girl fit by with eager face and disappear
in the crowd. How sho got there was al
ways u mystery, but within an hour after
leaving home sho stood before delivery
window in tho New York postotfice. The
top of her golden head just reached the
window lodge. Tho clerk looked down
into pair of wistful blue eyes.
please, sir" said Mabel, Il want to
send Christmas present to my papa"
"Whero Is your papa, you little cherub9''
said the clerk.
"In heaven" replied Mabel simply.
"In heaven" echoed the clerk aghast.
"Yes, and mamma says Santa Claus
never goes there, so want to send him q
nresent all by myself Mamma don +