The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-06
THE GIFT CT THE KIND HEART
lBY EVERETT MNE1I. \

, forced him out at the door he came il
at the window. AT last the mother, toe
fell ILL., and then Despair took his sea
by the side CT Want
Want and Despair. these were stron.
foes for q weak girl to fight, but HUI
dah had courage and love powerful
weapons even in a child's hands; and
for a time, she managed to secure fooC
and ether actual necessities for hel
parents, though she herself often Wen
hungry. But, at length, there came {
morning when there was not a mouth.
full of food in the house; and, for the
first time, Despair creDt ne-r to little
Huldah. She thought not of herself
though she had not tasted food for
nearly twenty-four hours: she only
thought of her sick father and mother
She knew that they must have food
soon or perish.
1t was a cold wintry day, the last of
| the old year, but Huldah wrapped her
mothers tattered shawl around her
head and shoulders: and, after kissing
I her father and mother goodby. telling
! them she would bring a bowl of warm
broth vita her, she went out to try
| to earn . few pennies with which to
! purchase food. The wind blew through
! the holes in her shawl and thin cloth
| ing, and drove the snow with binding
force against her face. All day long,
| through the cold and the storm, sine
wandered from house to house. grow
ing colder and weaker as the day grew
| older; yet finding no work.
Night came and compelled her to
turn her steps homeward stiM empty
handed. She was so weary from the
tolls Of the day, so weak from the
lack OF food, and numb with the cold,
that she could hardly place one foot
in front of the other, and staggered
along through the snow like a drunken
man.
Suddenly from out the darkness and
snow to the front OF her, rushed a,
giant form, clothed in great fur coat
Huldah gave a little frightened cry,
jumped to one side slipped on stone,
and Cell almost under The feet of the
hurrving man.
"Heigh-ho! What have we here? and
a strong hand quickly caught the fallen
girl and set her On her feet. "a mite
of a lassre! And alone in the cold and
the Storm The blue eyes looked
searchingly into Huldah's face, while
the great bear skin gloves on the hands
gently brushed the snow off the tat
tered shawl and thin clothes.
Evidently the @an was in a great
hurry, but he stopped long enough to
pull off one OF the gloves, thrust his
hand into his pocket, and place a, sill
yer coin in the girls hand. Then, with
a loud "Goodby, little one" he rushed
on, and vanished in the darkness and
falling snow.
Huldah stared at the coin in her
hand, her pale face fiushed-she had
never accepted charity, and she start !
ed after the vanishing man. But be- !
fore She had taken five steps he mad I
gone from her sight She could not (
return the money. 1t was hers. Again /
her face flushed and her eyes sparkled, /
and SHE ran as fast as her weary feet |
could carry her to small bakery,
which was but three rods from her own
home. After all, the father and mother
would have the warm broth!
The baker took the money, looked at |
Huldah, and then poured into a large
bowl double portion of broth. He
had a little girl of his own.
Huldah gripped the bowl in both
hands and hurried away. How delic-
ious the broth smelled! How comfort
able the warm sides of the bowl felt
to her cold hands, She was quite sure
and mother we'll again
"Oh"i
The bowl Of precious broth nearly
fell from Huldahs hands in her fright
Right down in front of her a poor man
mad fallen, headlong, and lay on the
ground moaning. He was very old. A
Jew thin locks of white hair hung from
Inder his worn fur cap, and his white,
Hrinkled face was drawn and culver
ng with pain. His clothes were old
md ragged. He had no Shoes but
around his feet were tied bags of sheep
kin. s
For the love OF heaven, give me food
ind fire.! called the old man.
The cry went straight to Huldah's {
leart. She stopped and approached I
vim tinidly, until she say the pitiful
he was in, then her compass |
ion drove out all her fear.
He was so weak he could only lift his
hin wrinkled hands toward Huldah and |
epest: For the love of heaven, give
ne food and fire''i His pinched face i
nd sunken eyes told her that he was /
tarving. She was wise enough to know ]
hat the hunger and cold would soon | t
ill, unless food and fire drove them /
way. She had the food in her hands, .
nd there was fire in her home. But
err ia ther and mother! Alas, they, too, r
7ere hungry! Yet the need Of the old a
IAN was even greater than their need
he held his life in the bowl in her +
and, and he 30 old and helpless! h
There were tears in Huldah's eyes Y
S she knelt by the side of the ORD man a
nd cave him the broth. He ate it |
reedily; ate until every drop was gone s
Now for the fire.! she said, cheerily,
nd helped him to mis- feet. t
The warm broth had given him new +
igor. yet he leaned so heavily on Hull G
all that the little strength remaining
, her was taxed to its uttermost; but, +
last her hand was on the latch to
lie door of her humble home, and she "
d him in. q
HE was starving, father, and 1 gave q
Inn the bowl of broth. He was freez-
e. mother, and 1 brought him to our b
re-" 81
The sick father and mother smiled. b
Thank God for giving our daughter q
Re gift of the kind heart" they said. v
Brighten up the fire, and make COM II
rtable the old man. God Will take :.
ire of u.s."
Huldah hea0ed wood on the glowing m
,als, and soon the fire was blazing 81
errily She made the old man as com h
rtable as possible, and then, going to -
n mother, she lay down YEARLY by y,
er side, and, throwing her arms
'ound her neck, murnsAred; Mother, N