The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-12-11

many"
Done, them" exclaimed Kath-
crime. 'And / see the gold chain
and baroque pearl l was to have go
ing up in smoke"
And my set of Pater," ruefully.
"And my amethyst heart"
"a real holocaust" said their IA
Their.
Father" said Bob, 1--WE an idea
worth two of that. You know that
piece of swamp land of yours up
country, on the old PEBBLES farm?
| There's enough wood in that for so
families birch, gray birch,
yellow birch, brown ASH don't
know what-and-all-"
But, Bob, that's splendid
piece Of forest. / should hate to cut
it down."
Even to keep so families, or
maybe 100, from distress? The
girls money will pay for cutting
and hauling and kilndrying and dis
tributing, and it can all be done
| before Christmas-and there you
arei"
Bob" said Mr.. Champion, you're
a genius! There we are!"
There we are!" said the girls in
| one brave breath. ''It will be a good
| Christmas present for them, won't it,
| pa?"
1T makes me all of a glow now to
think of it," said Rose. 81 wonder
what Donald will say. Fifty or 100
| families made comfortable by going
| without some trinkets-though I did
want that English edition of Pater
| Why, we don't know 100 poor fami
| lies
"The General Charitable does. When
shall we begin, father? I'll oversee
| it for you," said Rob.
Tomorrow morning, early" said
| his father. There won't be an hour
| to spare if you want that wood de.
livered by or before Christmas. I'll
| have drains put in as We go along
and get a good piece of grass land out
of it. Well, l shall sleep better to-
| night"
If the people on the knoll had lis
! tened that next day and many day
| thereafter, they might have heard, or
| thought they heard, sound of chop.
ping in the swamp woods, faint, far
off, muffled in the rustling of falling
leaves and the crashing of branches
But the painting people were busy
| with Old Purple at the back of the lit
| tie red house, and little mother was
getting her mince meat ready for
| Christmas, and what with stoning
raisins and slicing citron and sitting
spices and boiling down cider, she was
too much occupied to think of any.
| thing but her work and of Asa's and
Laury's homecoming.
ct seems to me the woodpeckers
are dretful busy down in the swamp
she said once.
"Prob'ly the trees hev borers," said
her husband.
"Why, that's too bad" she said with
| her quick habit of kindness, and
went on about her work.
She had just put her mince meat in
| sudden access of her rheumatism sent
| her to bed with jugs of hot water at
| her feet and opodeldoc f1annels all
over her, and copious draughts of com
| position powder, her eyes following
her husband through the open door
in fright and dismay at his attempts
| to do her work, till the painting lady
as they called her, happened up the
hill, and, stranger though she was, her
self took hold and put things into
shape and cooked enough to last till
Laury should come, having written to
Laury to make haste. Il wouldn't
send for her." she said, "but we have
to go and arrange our exhibition, and
| sell our things. But l sha'n't go till
Laury comes. We're coming back to
have our first Christmas together here
| but we must go as soon as we can"
you're real good" sighed the little
woman. I'm more obleeged to you'n
I can say. I hate to see him stewing
about like kitchen-colonel. But, oh
| 1 did want to be around when Laury
come. 1 be little better" She took
the painting lady's hand and raised ii
to her lips. ooh, you mustn't" the
| lady cried; and she bent down and
kissed the withered cheek.
"The Lord'll reward you~~for the
good you've done, an the cheer you've
give" said the little mother. EFF he
J don't in no other way, he's done a
mighty lot for you in maxim you jes
YOU"
And so it came to pass that two
or three weeks later the stage set
down the painting people one night
at a point on the highway few rods
from the little red house in PEBBLES
pasture, and they picked their way
along through the dark in some con
Germ over bright light shining from
the windows. 81 sensed you'd be com
in about this time,' said Laury, open
| ing the door. "And I fought 'twould
be kinder lonesomelike for you in the
dark an cold, and come down an
lighted the fires an got you some
supper, an some of mothers mince
pies. And I've had real good time
lookin' at the thin's you've hung up
They've learned me lots. Mothers q