Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-20
BY MAJ. BEN c. TRUMAN

their only child, George, aged H. were
grouped before a cheerful fire.
Georgia Truelove, the heroine was
small for her age, but her little, renneu
face, with its dainty nose and the
freshest of rosebud mouths, beamea
with that charming and remarkable IN
telligenee so characteristic of the Call
fornia child. Her hair which was OF a
deem golden color, was banged upon d
high. white forehead, and allowed 70
fall luxuriantly over ears OF sea-silell
tint on to little dlmpledi plump lacS
and snow-white neck.
Mr.. Truelove was merchant OF eN-
cellent standing and substantial for-
tune. He had graduated from Harvard
in 1913, and was among the nrst 10
listen to the golden whispers Whlcn
went zephyr-like from the Occidental
Mecca-to whose shrine have come SO
many hopeful pilgrims.
Mr. Truelove came to California
around the Horn" arriving in san
Francisco in November, 1S49. He found
gold in good quantities, and took care
OF IT. until after toiling bravely in the
mines along the Feather river Tor
nineteen months, he found himself 10 pc
the possessor of $4,000 in precious dust
Then he went into mining on more
ElkdDtlB ~ SL0Atl -
shared what many of his fellow miners
have many times eXperienced-the to-
tai loss of all.
The inundation which swept away
even his last implement of work caused
an exodus, of course; but TrueloVe was
not long in getting another start. IN
deed. after six months mining on q
single claim near Chinese Camp he
babe farewell to the spade and to the
rocker and started for his eastern home
in Massachusetts, with $4,000 in drafts
and coin.
While in Boston he became acquaint-
ed with the travelling agent of an ex-
tensive shipping and grocery mouse IN
Mix street, and told such glowing sto-
rios Of the richness and possibilities of
the Golden State that the two gentle
men struck up a partnership and start
ed for California, via Panama, in 1853,
with S15O,000 worth of goods. Suf11ce
it to add that the two merchants pros
pered, on the whole, after encounterlng
an average of losses by flood and hre.
In 1871 Mr.. Truelove married the
daughter of his former partner, who
had short time before retired from
business, and was then passing the
sunset of his life in his own chateau
near Geneva, Switzerland. Mrs. True
love was as sweet a woman as couio
be met with in the city Of San Fran
CISCO. SllG udu DG6H well GAhNobSCN -
well brought up, and had all the airs
and eraces of refined womanhood.
A glance at the apartment showed
that wealth and luxury had entered
there. Mrs Truelove was reclining in
her after-dinner fashion on double
ottoman, and Adam was lying back IN
a crimson alligator skin chair, pufnng
dissolving rings from fragrant Ha-
Vana. too comfortably well situated to
take thought of anything but perfect
contentment, and not so much OF
money gatherer as to have become
warped in body and soul. The darling
of the group sat on her fathers knee,
ever and anon stealing smiles and
kisses whenever the evening weed was
given a momentary rest. The clock, IN
the center of plaque of framework o.
hammered brass, marked 8.
papa" cried George, as Mr.. True
love proceeded to light fresh cigar
"this is Christmas eve and l want you
to pay a little attention to your daugh-
ter who thinks she has got the best
papa and mamma in the world
do you hear that. mamma" said
Mr.. Truelove; this little girl has some
object in view. Oh, know her well.
Undoubtedly" responded Mrs. True
love; tout with it. George, dear"
well, sometimes 1 get to thinking
whether God is as good to poor children
as ne IS TO rlch ones.
''That is a serious contemplation for
one so young" remarked her mother;
what put that into your head?'
Il don't know exactly, except that
was thinking of my dear little school
mate, Viola Livingstone, who is very
sweet, but very poor; that is, l think
she is poor, because she does not dress
so well as most of us, and she often
looks as if she were hungry and dis
tressed. She has not been to school fol
several days, and 1 am afraid she is
sick. She and love each other, NAM
ma dear, so well that 1 cannot beal
to think that she is sick Now, l am
never sick, except little cold once
in a while, and 1 can cure that with
No. Z, you know; and, surely, an
never hungry, while l am the bes
dressed girl in the school. Now, wha
troubles me is why God takes sucf
good care of me and allows little Violf
to want2"
"Ah, my darling" said Mr.. Truelove
you are troubling your little hea(
with matters that the wisest of us fai
materially to comprehend. Your school
mate, Viola, for all we know, may b.
as happy as our own sweet George
and POSSIBLY more contented with he
lot than those whose every desire 1
amply met What does her father d.
for a living?"
"There's where her home is saddle
than mine, to commence with. She ha
no father; that is, after Mr.. Living
stone lost all his property by tn
breaking of the English dam-so Violi
has often told me-her father brough
her and her mother to this city, and il
a short time afterward he went t
Arizona and left them with very littl
money, or anything else"
do they never hear from him?" in
quired Mrs. Truelove.
"They used to hear from him quit
often for long time, and he sent then
a little money once or twice.
The last time he wrote Mrs. Living
stone he said he had bonded a mine a
Lordsburg, whatever that means, an
would soon return richer than whe
they lived in the mountains. But h
don't seem to come and Viola is afrai
that the Indians have killed him. The
had been expecting him by Christmas
sure, but he has not come. Viola say
that Santa Claus has never brought he
anything since her father left. Now
explain that, if you can, papa, VIII
dear old Santa Claus is so good to m
and so negligent of Viola, and I'll Civ
you a dozen of the sweetest kisses yo
ever had in your life"
II must confess, my darling" re
Joined her father, that / do not quit
comprehend why your playmate Shout
have been forgotten by Santa Claus, 70
il is generally understood that he j
the friend of all the children through
out the world. There must be som
mistake about this"
Il should say so. But, fearing tina
Santa Claus might have fallen out wit
her father before he went away, or ha
had some misunderstanding with hiI
away down in Arizona-Where the oil
nd 60. l.;