Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-02-15

w hNi' IOu nave HeNtT IulltQ Ill any
thing set you; now go ahead and make
this tie biggest success of its kind the
city ever saw"
She was doing it. Scoffers ut her in
experience, her ct.unysy ways, were dis
covering a very shrewd and level head
upon her shoulders. The most part of
her coworkers had fallen readily in
with her enthusiasm. Lets feel real
Christmasy ourselves: then everything
will come easy" she had said to them
In the beginning, going on to tell art
less tales, gathered by the way, of the
people the tree was meant for. Before
she was done the listeners were at one
with her-even the scoffers. silent and
ashamed of their scofling. As result
upon the 23d of December the big trees
groaned under bizarre fruitage, and all
the ropes stretched above them were
so laden they were JOY to the kindly
Leart. whatever they might have been
to an artistic eye. Nothing remained
D It TO flash up the lights. the myriad
tiny electric bulbs strung along the
green. Lettuce turned away with a
long, long sigh, too tired to be any
thing but very happy at this good end
to labor.
For three days she had hardly
thought of anything but the tree Ten
thousand gifts, good gifts, for mothers
ana babies otherwise giftless, 10000
toys for little hands otherwise toyless,
had seemed to her enough to crowd her
"a Sidn Rack in hnp
room she ran through a sheaf of let
tiers, her face as she read rejecting her
mood as water reflects the sky Home
news made her smile softly. but wipe
her eyes at the end. Three notes from
aspiring strangers puckered her fore
head in a reflective frown. Other notes.
q handful, sent to Santa Claus and by
some magic turned over to her brought
Jumps of varying hardness into her
throat. humps that swelled visibiy over
a line from Arran. beseeching line,
Lefty. If not for Christmas. can't you
come the day after?'
She dropped it and took up the very
last of the sheaf her eyes too blurred
to note tic imprint in the corner, but
after the first line she sat up, breath
Ing hard. Il bright red spot in either
cheek, and at the end sprang up, way
ed the letter over her head and said in
audibly, since it was / o'clock: "Hur
rah, Lettice, HurrahI Hurrah!
A knock. hestating, apologetic, made
her turn about to see her door open be
fore she could speak. revealing Faith
Farnham. who came in. closing 1t pre-
cipitately behind her. and said In her
ARREST way
"Oh. Miss Santa Claus, I've come to
you like the rest of the poor things
Lend me $50, please I've spent every
thing on frocks and frills for this visit
and those wretched magazines are
holding up all my checks
How funny, | got mine-my first.
I,ettice said. holding out note and
tluttering blue slip 80 Faith coulA
not choose but see. ~ cm 500 bet
ter OF than thought to be. you shall
have the money" she ran on. Faith
covc.ci her fee. sobbing hysterically
but held oat her hand for tire bills Lei
tee thrust in it. and. clutchiug them
tight, rain away without Il word of
thanks. I.ettice looked after her, Won
dering Mt herself. This vengeance
ought to he sweet, yet here she Was
finding it bitter She was ashamed foi
| womanhood, for humanity. by this
| clumsy lying. she flung open her Win
dow and leaned out of it, as though to
let the night breeze sweep away some
thing unsavory, unwholesome She
never understood the impulse that sent
her scurrying to Faiths door, there to
| whisper through the barest open crack
Of it:
"Doa't worry. Faith. won't tell
! anybody. And ! no I you'll have a
real merry Christmas"
Tie next twenty-four hours went b.
in q whirl. Lettice slept normally, ate
| hurriedly and worked like a machine.
Nothing else kept the Christmas tree
enterprise from getting away from ev
erybody, it was so unwieldy, so turbu-
lent, SO sloppily full of enthusiasm.
The paper had called for volunteer
helpers. They came in droyes and
nearly swamped the distracted reSu-
| lars. But somehow. some way, the
oedlam at last arranged itself in order
~ semichaos. The ruler of the chaos.
without whom it would at once have.
become uproarious, was smallish and
rosy, with the blacklist eyes in the
world; not at all the figure of saint,
yet canonized in the heart and on the
lips of one decent woman, who stood
hugging warm plaid and looking
tearfully at her flock of five, brave in
new shoes and each with toy and a
fat bag of sweets. What she said to
the volunteer who had brought the
gifts is not necessary to be written
down. He listened intently and after
ward went with happy, shining eyes
straight up to Lettice, who started VIC
lently at sight of him.
you've overlooked one case of des-
tuition" he said, plucklng her sleeve.
At home Won will do son. ptlinp about IL