Willmar tribune., 1899-12-20

- ~>NS however, put was
* = looking out upon
the usually quiet avenue, now thronged
with package-laden pedestrians and de-
livery wagons heaped high with good
: things for the morrow. The expression
T OF her countenance as she regarded the
hurrying throng was mixture of pain
: and perplexity. She had considered
her own plans for tomorrow settled
some weeks ago, but sonnet hing she had
just read had Jared her out of har-
mony with them and it seemed too late
. 10 make new ones. 1t was not the arti-
Gle on "Christmas Giving" that had
done the mischief, but the time-worn
quotation with which it ended:
Who gives himself with his aims feeds
three:
Himself. his hungering neighbor and Me-"
Not that the words were new to her
oh, no! They had been her Christ
mas motto every year since, when a
girl of Is, she had first read the Vision
OF Sir Launfal. It was this that gave
the words such power over her, for on
this particular Christmas she had de-
cided for the first time in 12 years to
set aside her rule and give her aims
without giving herself. She had sent
turkeys and other good things to nu-
merous needy families, bestowed lar
gesse upon sundry orphan asylums,
homes and hospitals, and otherwise used
without stint the money of which she
had abundance; but for herself-her
house was to be closed, her servants
given an entire holiday and she, in the
solitude of her own chamber, shut away
from all sight and sound of merry
making, would indulge the bitterness
OF her grief for the husband she had
loved and lost. Last Christmas had
been her wedding day, and the husband
: to whom she had contided her Christ
mas motto had said, with eyes shining
with joy and tenderness:
And this year the gift is mine
literally yourself-my priceless Christ
mas gift!"
They had enjoyed three months of
earthly paradise and then-there was
railway accident, and a horrible
bruised mass, upon which she was not
allowed to look, but from which they
extracted the ring she had given him
and the watch on whose dial was her
f,"n picture-this had been brought
home at an hour when she expected her
husband, and all the light of the world
had for her gone suddenly out.
They had wanted her. at home this
Christmas, but how could she go where
everything would remind her of that
joyous wedding day? No, solitude was
best for her, and so her day had been
planned. .:.''-s>- ->~
But as she sat now in the deepening
twilight with the words of her dis
carded motto echoing in her mind, this
quaint saying lodged there from some
long past reading awoke to keep them
company. . -,
She gave quick little gasp and a
hot wave-was it shame, remorse. or
pure amazement ?-swept over her. A
coward? Certainly not! But hero
what was a hero? A hero thought only
Of others-to save, to succor, to uplift
Others. For this he sacrificed comfort.
honors, life even, that is, he gave him
sell. So It all came back to that after
az; ana ,tl. II she carried l1: out her plans
TOE the morrow would she be cow
arg !! but II was SO late to make lEll' new
pans. !w'ngnt oleo slowly away and
me electr'c l'ghts flashed out over the
Dusy avenue e''. ana st'li - Mrs. saxton ,SE''tl:
.AousA': ~ !ehgtn sne turned ll.l from ON
. sns "inuo"' closeu ne, magazine or ore"
ny. omn .ne shaues ana turned on - the
B " - nel 10y slt''he room anu
.31oucnng q DELI summoned the house
na'a, 't..Wa Z, =, !,