Evening journal., 1903-12-22


skates. though he condescendel ''and .
| Will take you skating
They fan 10 eagerly discussing what
they hope 90 find IN iheir stockings to-
morrow morning and Porto wonders
what they are SO earnest about.
Lots so down the savannah road and
sled down the HILL" suggests restless
Dick presently and no-hing loath, Belle
ana Bess trudge after him, their iitie
rubber boots making funny-lookins tracks
along the way.
'Oh look" cries out Belle, at aturn inI
the road. Il guess somebody has come toI
dive in the crazy house"
The term applied 10 lthe tumble down
iookng. weather-beaten old building was
not napropos. IL was innocent OF paint
and The loose weather boarding creakad
disconsolateiy in, eho w'intry winds.
u long had been untemln1ed but now "a
thin wreath OF smoke WAS coming out Of
the chimney and some old clothing was
stuffed IN the broken panes Of dhe win-
dows. Footsteps led from the door step
TO the road.
Il wonder who It can be-" surmised
Bess.
Lets go see" said matter 5f fact Dick
land they did
Dick beat upon the door then gave II q
kick for good measure. After a minute lt
was partly opened
touseied light head and a pair Of
bright blue eyes appeared and "a shnl
voice piped out; "What do you want?"
"Why. we just wanted 70 find OUT be-
gan Dick
1--WE just came to see YOU" interrupted
The more diplomatic Belle. "Nln you let
us in?'
The door opened a iiaiie wider and the
three children ana Ponto filed in. They
.ook about and then AT one another in
silence not unmixed with surprise and
dismay.
They had never seen so much poverty
before in an their lives. The room was
almost bare. A few lengths Of ragged car
pet .ay upon the floor and there were
three or four chairs. a stove and table.
On che ,a.ter were pan, of "a ioaf Of bread
ana a teapot. Rags were stuffed into the
broken window pames no keep out the
chill viniry air.
Close by the stove I'm which a small ft-
ful FIRE fickered covered a boy about the
size of Dick with thin. shrunken legs that
told that he was a cripple and with white
sunken cheeks that contrasted pitifuHy
with Dicks rnddy ones. There was the
girl who iot them in and auother girl
With the blue eyes and golden hair Of a
cherub vino was smaller than Bess. In
tho lap of the crippled boy a little yellow
and white kitten purred contentedly.
An embarrassing silence fell. Then im.
= petuous Dick burst out.
II sayi its cold ia herl. w hydon't yol
have more heat?r
: u cold too, nsped tho smaliest an,
/ preudest stranger "a the crazv house.
''We've got no wood or coai' expiaine'
the crippled boy. Mothers gone out ID
Long and we haven't much" De finlshei
simply.
r Ponto nosed up to the crippled boy AM
shifted in a friendly manner at the vel
! low and white kitten. IT put up its hacl
I and Missed. whereupon. being "a weli-be
{ haved dog. he just walked away with nl
/ much dignity as possible
Belle ana Bess and Dick had draw
+ close togather ani were h5idng whis
s pered consultation. while the children 8
s The crazy house looked on in silence.
Then Belle who usually cid most o.
the talking said
e look for some work She Is the widow
Goodbye, We're going now. but w
n Will come back to see you after awhile"
Away they hurried as fast as they c3ui'
d CO. They talked together so earnestly an'
took 50 little notice Of him that Pont
: wondered what it all meant.
To their homes the children carried IN
lstory of the sad state of affairs they hal
! found at the crazy house. It was a bus.
= lMme, but the Christmas spirit was in th
lair and mothers and big sisters stoppei
/, what they were doing to hunt out som
nice warm clothing and pack baskets o
good things for the l.ttle strangers in tn
!, lcazy house.
4 Dicks mother found a suit which h
: had outgrown and which would just abou
,, AT the crippled boy and Dick himself
after considerable of a struggle vo'uu
~ teered to donate his favoritc red neckti
n and a jack knife that had only one blad
II broken. il was pretty hard wrench 70
II Belle TO give the big girl her little musi
II box but Bess cheerfully contributed ne
Ie 'Maude Angelica" who opened and shu
n lher eyes and cried when YOU pressed
II lcertlln spot in her sawdust chest.
81 fink Santa bring me a new big dol.
e tomorrow" she said in explanation.
II uncie William promised to send som
wood and coal and Uncle John. who ker
I. the rlg store. said he would send a tui
key and some groceries, and these alread
had arrived when the children returned {
lhe crazy house. with their slods loade
= down with their gifts for the Wido
Long and her children.
The widow was telling the man who wa
delivering the things that there was som
mistake but ne insisted that ne was obe,
ing orders.
40 1--WE had them sent 20 your spoke q
Is belle reassuringly. "and We have come
Il wish you a merry Christmas"
nv Merry Christmas" echoed Bess in hl
most solemn voice.
be Dick took the things IN and while n
no children exclaimed ioyously, the Wido
ly Long softly cried behind her apron. Bi
n tears Of joy are short-iivea and soon
al big. cheerful fire was blazing IN the SOL
and savory odors permeated the room.
ch II was nearly dusk when DICK Belle ar
IA Bcss trudged home. dragging their emn
IN aeds Ponto walked along sodateiy ar
ne thought OF the impudeuce OF that SINS
1t yellow ana white kitten at the cras
X house. 1t actually had put Up Us ba,
ly at him. when ne could have swallowed
r at one mouthful. lie was left undisturb.
by to his thoughts for his playmases cou
g. oniy talk about the Widow Long on
D. Tommy, Alice and little Mary. and woi
I'd der occasionally about the joys of tomo
all row.
IS. When she was being tucked IN bed m
night Belle gave her mother an extra ki