El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-23
HARRIET AIMS CHRISTMAS.
BY MARY E. WILKINS.
COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY THE AUTHOR

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and father. though L can understand
now that they felt anxious while try
ing to conceal it from us, did not thinI
there was any real danger in our stay
ing alone. They reasoned that nobody
except the people in the village would
know we were alone, and there was
not probably one ill disposed person
there, certainly not one who would do
us harm. Then, too, it was winter,
and we were off the main travelled
road, and trampS seemed very i'm
probable. We had enough provisions
In the house to last US for weeks, and
there was great stock of firewood in
the shed. Luckily the barn was con-
nected with the house, so 1 did not
have to go out of doors to milk-it was
fortunate that 1 knew how-and we
had only one COW.
Mother staid up all that night and
baked, and father split up kindling
| wood and got everything ready to
leave. They started early next morn
| ing, repeating all their instructions
| over and over. We felt pretty lone
some when they had gone, 1 especial
ly, not only because / was the eldest
and felt a responsibility for the rest,
but because father had given me a
particular charge. 1 was the only one
| who knew that there was 1888, some
| money which father had from the sale
| of a wood lot in Wareville a month
] after we had moved and had kept in
| the house ever since, locked up in the
| secret drawer in the chest in the dark
| bedroom.
Father had been intending to drive
over to Wilton, where there was a
bank, and deposit the money, but had
| put it off from one week to another,
| and now Wilton was too far out of his
way for him to go there before going
to see poor Uncle William.
Father called me into the parlor the
morning they started, told me about
the money and charged me to say
nothing concerning it to the others.
cit is always best when there is mon
ey to be taken care of to keep your
own counsel" said father. He show
ed me the secret drawer in the chest in
the dark bedroom, the existence Of
which 1 had never suspected before,
though 1 was - years old, and he
taught me how to open and shut it. If
the house caught fire, was to get the
children out first, then go straight to
the secret drawer and save the money.
If there had been no possibility of fire,
I doubt if father would have told me
about the money at all, and 1 would
have been saved great deal of worry.
The money was on my mind con-
stantly after father and mother were
gone. L kept thinking, Suppose any
thing should happen to that money
while 1 have the charge of it." l knew
what a serious matter it would be, be-
cause father had not much money and
was saving this to buy cows in the |
spring, when he expected to open a
milk route. l was all the time plan !
ming what 1 should do in case the |
house caught fire and in case the rob- |
bers came. The first night after IA |
Their and mother went l did not sleep !
much, though the others did. We three |
girls slept in one room, with Charley |
in a little one out of it, and we were |
all locked in.
The next night 1 slept a little better
and did not feel so much afraid, and |
the next day Samuel ]. Wetherhed |
came, and we all felt perfectly safe
after that. He came about 10 o'clock
in the morning and knocked on the
south door, and we all jumped. 1 don't
suppose anybody had knocked on that !
there, it was such a lonesome place.
We were scared and did not dare to go
to the door, but when he knocked the
second time L mustered up enough
courage. 1 told F'lory, who was as
large as 1 and stronger, to take the
carving knife, hide it under her apron
and stand behind me. Of course 1
thought at once of the money and that
this might be a robber. Then opened
the door a crack and peeped out. The
minute I saw the man who stood there
did not feel afraid at all, and F'lory
said afterward that she felt awful
ashamed of the carving knife and
afraid that he might see it and be hurt
in his feelings.
He stood there, smiling with such a
pleasant smile. He did not look very
old, not near as old as father, and he
was quite well dressed. He was very
good looking, and that, with his pleas
ant smile, won our hearts at once. He
more than smiled-he fairly laughed in
such good natured way when he saw
how we were all peeking, for the youn-
ger children were behind Flory, and l
found afterward that Charley, who
had great notions of being smart and
brave, though he was so little, because
he was a boy, had the poker, shaking
it at the stranger. The man laughed
and said in such a pleasant voice,
pleasanter than his smile even: "Now,
don't you be scared, children. 1 am
Samuel J. Wetherhed."
The man said that as if it settled ev-
erything, and we all felt that it did,
though we had never heard Of Samuel