The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-12-09
VOL. XXXV.--NO. 7.

who said
II thought you would have plenty of
eggs and milk for the pudding; I brought
rice and sago and fruit and sugar-''
''There is milk enough, interrupted
Mrs. Holt cOldly; "but the hens do not
lay very much lately and l am trying to
get enough ahead to pay for bottle of
cough medicine for father; he has been out
of it now for some days.
Harriet eyes opened very wide. "Out
of cough mixture for some days p she re-
peated, and walked straight into the parlor
where her father sat, propped up with
cushions in an easy chair before the open
fire.
How did you ike the silk handkerchief
| sent you yesterday she asked very
gently.
Il didn' know that you sent one. Oh,
yes, l guess did hear Julie speak of it.
You seem to have quite a fancy for send
ing me silk hankerchiefs think, though,
that never have seen any of them
Harriet dropped into chair by the win
dow, and for an hour looked quite as dubi-
Gus as her sister had looked the morning
before
Il don't know what / ought to do, "
she was thinking. II never can eat
mouthful of dinner until know the truth
If it was not for father would not stay in
the house minute; would leave without
a word of explanation
Mrs. Holt, in passing back and forth,
glanced in at her frequently and thought
Il don't care how badly she feels l
am glad she has found out to what straits
we are put in order to keep father COM
Portable. Perhaps she thinks it viii hurt
her boys to eat pudding without eggs, but
it is what we are obliged to do, or have no
pudding at all might spread a silk
handkerchief over the dish when | put it
upon the table Oh, I know what | will
do 7 and going straight to her fathers
room she took the box of handkerchiefs
from the cupboard aud, entering the par
lor, said to the three sitting there, for her
husband had now come in:
The tree looks very pretty, but fancy
it would brighten itup to hang these hand
kerchlefs from the ends of the twigs and
branches Here is the one that came yes
terday; the color is gorgeous
''.Juliette Holt, said Harriet, in voice
that trembled in spite of herself, ''have
you never unfolded those handkerchiefs p
"Never What earthly object could l
have in unfolding them? OF what use
were they to a sick man like your father
have thought seriously of going to the
village and peddling them from house to
house. | thought | said enough about
your sending the first one so you would
never send him anything again so useless,
bat you have kept it up for full two years
now, sending him silk hankerchief on
every possible occasion. .
Very well, said Harriet, who had
| quite recovered her composure, they will
brighten up the Christmas tree, at least
Here are pins to fasten them to the twigs;
hurry so as to get them all on before the
( children return from their walk
Mrs Holt shook out the square of
shotted cardinal silk carelessly. and dropped
1t as if it had bnrnt her fingers for pinned
exactly in the centre was Sl00 bank note
go on, please-hang it up by one
corner 50 we all can see, directed IIar-
riet coolly
Bur Mrs. Holt sat down speechless, and
it was her sister who had the tree to deco
rate after all Every handkerchief con-
tanned bank note varying in value.
Il have meant to pay you at the rate
of 81 day toward taking care Of father,
she said, and | thought that ought to
provide medicine and a stout servant-girl
50 julie could devote her time to father
| would have taken him to my own house,
only this Is his old home and | supposed it
was better for him here We have ban
tered about the silk handkerchiefs when
ever We have met and | have supposed it
was your own chosen way of accepting my
gifts, so have entered into no explanation,
but | have thought that you might be
more thrifty and more cheerful at least;
and | have thought you ungrateful and
shiftless; and to make full confession, for
the last hour have thought you parsi-
monious and really dishonest Harriet
was crying now, and so was Juliette
There was no one to blame but me, ="
said the latter, The misunderstanding
all grew out of my peryerse, envious, bitter
spirit. Had | taken the first gift in the
spirit in which it was offered, and unrolled
the handkerchief and admired it, even if
| did not allow father to use it, all these
months of misunderstanding would have
been saved But | sneered at the contrast
between that dainty white handkerchief
and the rest Of father surroundings, said
it was just ike Harriet, and put it away it
anger with mere glance at it. And so it
has been with every one since.
why did you suppose | always had
the packages registered p
II said it was just ike Harriet to pay
out all the money possible for postage so as
to make display
Now We have found that it was Just
like Harriet to try and do us all the good
possible, said Mr. Holt, 'sand it is a
hardly learned lessen that We will all try to
profit by it in the future
Julie always wanted to lay up money,
and by close economy she has done well for
the past months, said grandpa, ''and we
have got an unusually valuable Christmas
tree by the means
The shouts of the children caused Mrs.
Holt to glance out of the east window and
down the maple vista. The sun had dis
PEELED the clouds, the snow sparkled; the
old father lay back on his pillows with
smile on his wan face, and putting her arms
about her sisters neck, she said ''We
will let the day be promise and bene-
diction. will begin anew and will let the
Christmas spirit fill all my life, then there
can be no bitterness, no contention, no mis-
understanding between friends who serve,
the same Master, but with love for the
ruling spirit, joy and peace must be the
fruit. What a change in every way from
the dull, dark morning Verify for me
and mine it is White Christmas r
''It is just like Harriet, to make White
Christmas for us p smiled the old man;
and Harriet answered lovingly:
."Not through any strength or merit of
my own, but by trying to follow Him whose
we celebrate in love.