The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-12-22

Maggie coon Iound tnlS To be true. II
she was TO equal the sales of the other
paper sellers But still, as has been
said, her conscience rebelled against tile
deceit. So she decided with one of the
compromises possible only to innocent
souls upon inventing cry about ap
event which could not possibly happen,
and, having read "Bleak House." she
chose the words "Borrioboola Cha" as
her "roar. :" She said nothing to her
mother of all this, although the strug-
gle in her mind was long and severe,
and she longed sorely for sympathy and
advice. She had grown so accustomed
to using the ''yell' that she no longer
thought of it at all. She called out the
long word as she did that of paper |"
and it had no more significance to her.
But on this particular day, this dreary
Christmas eve, as she stood mechanical
ly repeating it, thinking meanwhile Of
the added pleasure for her mother and
Sweetie which every penny meant, she
was startled by light touch on her
shoulder and turned her head TO see q
kindly face looking down into hers.
"Where do you say the accident hap
pened?" queried the tall, pleasant faced
man who owned the hand which still
lay on her ann. did you say Borrio
boola Cha? have heard a great many
queer cries used by newsboys, " he said
with a whimsical smile at the pretty
face. which bent away from him, "but
yours is the most peculiar / have ever
known Did you borrow it from Dick
ens?''
eyes, sir, ;" she whispered, blushing
into her explanation. Eyes, sir. You
see, the boys said I'd have to make up
roar if was going to sell papers, and
thought that was honest anyway
Poor little kid" he thought later,
as he heard her cry ring out under
his window as he sat in his comfortable
room at the hotel. "Poor little kid |
wish l could do something for her. She
reminds me of Jennie, somehow Poor
Jennie !" And in reyeries of his dear,
lost sight of sister he forgot all about
Maggie, and thought no more of her
until he heard her again the next morn.
ing-Christmas morning.
"Not a cheerful day for a fellow
who's got nothing but money TO help
him enjoy himself, and no on to share
that with, he thought az he dressed
slowly, drearily, for the day promised
to be long and barren. "I' l only had
Jennie and her babies to help me out
BY .Jove!' and he quickened his move
ments with look of sudden interest,
ON hunt up Little Borrioboola Cha
and give her jolly Christmas. She
looks as though it wouldn't do her any
harm, and | can play pretender, as
Jennie's baby used to say, play that she
is one of Jennie's children.
Hastily completing his toilet, he dis
posed of hearty breakfast, his pulses
quickening as he thought of the pleas
ure which lay before him, the pleasure
Of giving happiness to another, the one
pleasure which neither the world the
f1esh nor the devil has the power to
mar or spoil
Meanwhile the object of his thoughts
had finished selling her papers the night
before and gone slowly homeward, re.
oAoUihS WIG tOlb pthblOh W ol6J Oui Ill
the brilliantly lighted streets because
of her mothers we'll remem be1ed re-
quest to this effect, and after buying as
much candy and fruit for Sweetie as
was consistent with saving few pen
MES to buy flower to go to the hos
pital with her and the baby tomorrow
afternoon and laying enough away to
buy her stock the next day she had got
straight into bed.
When she awoke, it was broad day
light, the shining light of Christmas
day, which has never seemed quite like
that of ordinary days since that first
wondrous dawn nearly l, 900 years ago,
and she sprang up with the sweet
Christmas joy in her heart and face in
spite of her aching toes and lonely con-
diton.
"Now for a cup of coffee and a
doughnut, " she thought as she hurried
ly fastened her garments, land then for
my papers.
"Well, Little Borrioboola Cha p" said
the same kindly voice which had greet
ed her the day before, merry Christ
mas to you.
"Same to you. SIR" she answered
shyly, glancing up at him with the eyes
which reminded him 30 forci bly, of his
sister. Paper, sir?'
"Well, yes, | suppose so, >" he re-
sponded reaching in his pocket for 81
bill. "How are you going to spend
your Christmas"
"Im going to the hospital to see
mamma after | get through selling,
said Maggie. who, with child's quick
intuition, had OWNED that this was
man to be trusted. And I'm going to
take Sweetie with me -
"Who is Sweetie?' was the next
question, asked with sympathetic in
tonation which somehow expressed all
the kindly words he did not say about
her mother And Maggie, whose heart
opened easily to any one who used the
key of "Sweetie" wherewith to unlock
it, grew talkative at once.
"Sweete's my sister" she prattled,
forgetting her wares i'll the joy of tell
ing her love to some one. my baby
sister And she's been specially mine
ever since mamma got sick and had to
go to the hospital. Auntie and Uncle
Stewart have got her now, " she went
on, not mott ing the start the gentleman
gave, "but m going to get her back to
live with us just as soon as mamma can
come home.
80