Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-20
PART III.

1AhA III
There were tens of thousands in
whose ears the words merry Christ
mas" sound like mockery-many to
whom this time of general rejoicing
brings no cheer. Look out upon the
wayside and you will find many home
less, starving, wanderers; look into the
depths of poverty's midst and you will
find no Christmas there. Accompany
us, dear reader, to a little spot near
that pit of degradation in San Fran
cisco known as the Barbary coast.
The great white stars CLEAN In
sapphire sky as blue as Judea's heaven
the dewy eve the Christ child came.
But no angel voices startle the dull
ear Of night and few pause, perchance,
to bring to mind the wondrous memory
of that hallowed hour.
In the most remote room Of the most
tumbledown dwelling in the locality
above referred to, the ascent to which
is through darkness and filth, up
broken stairways, over snarling ours
and half-starved children, past the
open doors of infamy and crime, from
whence issue the constant sounds of
ribaldry and coarse licentiousness;
through an atmosphere poisoned by
the slumbering respiration of corrupt
and diseased wretches; past dark re-
cesses, where foul crimes are COM
mttted where intemperance runs riot
and holds fearful carnivals-through
this dark course must we grope our
way to the distant chamber.
The great bell of st. Marys cathe-
dral chimes the hour of midnight and
half the world is lost in dreams.
The bell strikes 4; solemn masses
ascend to heaven from many affairs
and music from many choirs; and,
while the full strains of the organ and
the murmurings of priests encompass
the dim vaults above the heads of the
early worshipers, let us enter the
abode of a miserable widow and her
starving child
from want of proper food and rest.
But she is stitching, stitching, for a
Montgomery street firm and earning
but a bare support, so i'll and helpless
is she the most of her time. On an
old deal table stands a bottle in which
the fragment of dip throws a flicker
ing light in CHASTITY rays upon the sur
rounding objects. On the broken
hearth are raked together a few Goals
which the seamstress. with her feeble
breath, has coaXed into a mocking
| flame In a corner of the apartment
is a rickety bedstead and under the
ragged coverlet is stretched a little
| form so wasted and worn by disease
and hunger that the very bones seem
/ oteNi ills Ill OuSAA Tie SNlll. Inc llIIl6
eyes are sunken and the visage con-
tracted. With painful efforts the pitt
full one turns upon her side and with
a feverish whisper calls, Mamma"
| What, Edith?" and the widow
throws aside the half-made garment
and is at the bedside of her darling
! innocent.
us it almost day, mamma? and am
getting better? The nights are so
| long and cold"
mo. darling, it is not day yet. The
| nights are very long and cold. Do you
want anything, darling? What shall
your mother do for you?"
"Oh, mamma, mammal I'm so hun
ghy! Give me just a little-just a little
only enough to keep away the awful
gnawing pain-just one little piece of
bread"
Yes, yes, my darling child"
"Oh, my own mamma, you say yes,
but you cannot-you cannot, and I'm
afraid / will starve; and oh, mamma
and if you gave me just a little piece 1
would give it back, for I'm afraid my
mamma would starve; oh, I'm afraid
we will both starve-I'm afraid we will
both starve!"
Compose yourself, my"
| Eyes, 1 will"
That's a dear, good girl: compose
yourself-try and compose yourself un-
| til morning-'tis not far off, darling
and you shall have some nice bread
and some good hot tea"
I'm so cold, mamma" cried the lit
| tie one.
Let me wrap you closer in the blan-
ket, my darling" said the widow. And
taking the tattered garment from her
own poor shoulders and throwing it
over her child, she continued: Here is
mothers shawl-that will make you
warm and nice"
Mammal"
| what, darling?"
"I wish it were morning. I want to
see the sunshine, for it is always so
warm and bright; and, mamma?"
Yes, my own jewel"
1--WE seen a beautiful angel; she
came to me and told me I was wanted
are you listening, dear mammal"
Yes, my own darling"
ut was a beautiful angel She was
so good. too. She sent the sun right
through the shutter Stats. and ! saw q
! golden ladder on the wall, and this
ladder seemed to grow until it reached