Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-12-21
THE CHRISTMAS SOFA.

Marion's fingers were blue with cold
when she had finished making the
beds. Uncle James house was an old
fashioned country dwelling without
anything of the nature Of a heater in
it. There was a good fire down stairs
in the dining.room and one in the
great square kitchen behind it, but
fire in bedroom was luxury un-
known to the Croftroads unless in
cases Of sickness.
Happily none of the Croftroads were
III at present. Indeed, to Judge by
the rollickiug noise the young folks
were making in the dining-room, 1t
was evident that the opposite condl-
ton prevailed to an almost alarming
extent. At Stony Greek the school
holidays lasted from the week before
Christmas to New Years, and the
young Croftroads were therefore en-
joying their midwinter vacation.
Jack, you and Jim behave your
selves, called their mother from the
kitchen. "And you, 10, quit making
such a noise. And you, Cathie and
Matilda, get to your knitting"
There was a sharp note in Mrs.
Croftroad's tones; but, on the whole,
her "scoding' was not very severe.
Still, to Marion's ears, unaccustomed
to harsh words and equally a stranger
to the noisy, rough ways Of her cous-
ms, the scene down stairs in the div
ing rooms" of the house was anything
but pleasant.
No; I won't go down stairs,
thought Marion as the vociferous
shouts broke out afresh. They would
only tease me-
The thought Of Christina, coming
tomorrow did not make Marion happy
Last Christmas she had had her own
sweet mother. What a change this
from the happy, peaceful home life
with mamma The sudden death Of
her mother in the spring had left her
an orphan with no means for her sup
port.
What shall be done with Marion p
was the question that the relatives
discussed all summer. Aunt Patience
did not want the little girl at first "As
il l hadn't enough of my own = she
said in her noisily aggressive way. of
she was big and strong, | wouldn't
care so much, for then she could help
with the hard work and earn her board
and clothes, but she's such a spind-
ling, delicate little thing and all
spoiled with pettiug."
Although Marion was little, she was
past thirteen, and she realized, with
many keen pang Of grief and humll-
iation, what it was to be unloved and
poor and homeless when it wa. inalIy
decided that she must either be sent
to an orphan asylum or 60 ont to her
Uncle James in the country. Aunt
Patience yielded. "Oh, well, she said,
Il guess one more in the family won't
matter much"
Early in the autumn Marion had
been very i'll with fever One Of the
results of this sickness was peculiar
tendency to fall asleep at odd hours
OF the day. The doctor said that as
soon as she had recovered from the
"dregs" of the disease she would be
well again and that her relatives need
not be alarmed. Marion always felt
better after these daylight slumbers,
which brought the roses back to her
cheeks and made her feel strong. But
the habit afforded her cousins a great
opportunity for teasing. Often she
would awaken on the dIning-room sofa
to find them all laughing at her and
making remarks not at all compliment
tary or kind. Ia their still more mis-
chievous moods the boys, and even
Cathie and Matilda, would sometimes
tickle her face while she slept, saying,
Red head, sleepy head, go to bed"
Naturally Marion grew TO dread
the presence of her cousins when she
felt herself becoming sleepy. Strictly
speaking, her hair was not red. but
beautiful shade Of auburn. Aunt Pa
tience presently called up the stairs,
"Ain't you got the beds made yet,
Marion ?"
Yes, ma'am," answered Marion.
Her voice trem bled, for she was cry
ing.
"Then don't stay moping up there
il the cold, or the first thing you'll Il be
falling asleep.
The little girl tried hastily to hide