The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-23

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! [alIVE LITTLE !
] DODR|ODOOLA CHA. ]
Observation-Disclosures
It wasn't so very happy to begin
with. Christmas eve was little dreary
lairsic Gully hummed carol because
it was more her way to sing than to
cry, ard the carol was the only thing
she could think of just then. 1t was
the FIRST carol she had ever learned. She
could remember just how sweet her
no..:er lad looked while teaching it 10
her ;,ul Jimmie, the brother. who
would keep his seventh Christmas to-
molrow-keepitin heaven, she thought,
with CLEAN Of sorrowiul joy. Tie
dear mother who was in the hospital
now. whose Christmas would be spent
in G whitewashed ward, clean, bright
and tender, with kindly care, but still
not so bright as the little attic rccm
would have been if only she could have
been there. Maggie's song grew very
queer at this point of her reflections.
and her voice was trif1c unsteady, but
she persisted in humming "It came.
upon the midnight clear" and even
smiled q little as she laid down the
cheap little doll she had been dressing
for Sweetie, the dear little sister who
was her darling, and who was now
being cared for by kind friends of her
mothers youth.
In another moment she was dashing
down newspaper alley at full speed, ell
bowling her way trifle more gently
than the average habitue of that far
famed locality, but pushing to the front
with logged resolution none the less,
and no sooner had the bunch of papers
which came in answer to her warcry of
Twenty five srecials-throw 'em
along quick, Jimmie!" reached her
arms, than she was off with bound,
and a cry Of "Papiersl Papiers! Here
lie yer extryi - which sounded startling
IL loud and harsh to come from that
girlish throat. Down Mason street she
Dew, anxious to reach the "stand"
which the boys Of that corner had unan-
imously coded to her with rough chiv-
airy when she had first appeared upon
5 the scene, timid, nervous, afraid to cry
her wares. She was the first Of all the
crowd to reach State street. ''Papier,
papieri Here is yer extry! All about
the accident at Borrioboola Chat" she
shrieked in the voice which would have
4 been sweet aud clear but for its hard
treatment and out Of doors use, or rather
abuse, and q queer little smile curved
the corners of her mouth as she gave
vent to her peculiar trademark, as
the 'other boys" We're wont to call the
odd name which invariably closed hel
exhortation to buy an evening paper.
That exclamation had quite history.
When Maggie had been driven by hel
mothers illness and the want of food
In the home cupboard to try paper sell
ing, she had been afraid to cry loudly,
and her conscience, home taught and
tender, had forbidden her to invent
news announcements after the fashion o.
others Of her 'sperfesh. For some day
! she had sold very little in consequence
and the capital she had each morning
invested in papers seemed in a fair way
to be lost, when Irish Pat, the tough
est boy in the gang, had taken her tt
Z his heart and shown her the mistake
which spoiled her sales.
9 Yer don't know nothin, yer don t. >
he had said contemptuously, stridini
along by her side with an exaggerated
imitation Of the walk Of the last acto
he had admired from the peanut heav
en-" Of the Academy and keeping leve
with her as she dejectedly starte'
homeward, crying softly and wipin
the tears away with her ragged bu
clean handkerchief.
Yer too bloomin scared" he said
again copying the Academy actor, bot
in speech and gesticulation, IAN yer'l
never do no good till yer makes yer roa
more like better Teller than yerself.
He paused and looked at Maggie eA
pectantly, but Maggie had no idea tina
the better Teller" was Pat himself
and she never dreamed that the paus
should have been filled with compl
ment, we'll deserved, in Pats opinion
80 she said nothing, and the boy too
up his parable again.
Now, this yer's the way yer calls,
he said. initiating her weak little CT