The Robesonian., 1909-12-16
Beth
N Christmas
Story
By ANNA sENTLY
BY ANNA sENTLY.
Copyright. 1875. by American Press
Association.

FTF'ST FESFESES
SAY. motherr' and Mollie tugged
gently at n fold of her mothers dress
TO attract her attention. Did you sec
that beautiful memorial window that
the staceys have had put into the
church for their little girl who died
aast year,"
They were In the church porch as
the child spoke, but her mother made
no reply until they had walked some
distance down the street. and then her
words were few and hesitatingly spo-
ken.
Yes, l saw It,"
And" persisted Mollie, who was
evidently good deal exercised upon
the subject, ''the superintendent spoke
OF it In Sunday school and said that
the window was placed there by the
parents OF our lost fellow pupil to be
constant reminder Of her lovely life
among us. She wasn't good Bit
'Stfu Mrs. Mason made no comment.
MdIlle made a wry face, which her
another was too wise to see, and as the
two walked slowly homeward Mrs.
Mason tried to divert the little girls
mind from the subject of her dead
smnte's imperfections by describing for
Aer benefit another memorial that
she had seen in visit to the City
hospital a few days before. This
was "free bed," contributed by the
behaved parents of another little lost
one, and Mollie listened with glisten-
ing eyes to the story Of the little street
boy who had been run over by heavy
dray and had both legs broken.
"And there he lay" she. said. her
own kind eyes full Of tender tears.
~his little white. pinched face bright
with contented smile and his feeble
hands toying with q few rose gerani-
am, leaves that some kind visitor had
dropped on the coverlid fer him. SO
cheerful and happy that l wondered
at him. asked him If he was COM
Portable. and you should have seen his
pale face light up and heard him pipe
an his thin, shrill voice:
'sComfrtable is it, ma'am? Why,
ats list hiyin itsilf afther the dirt an
the coold an the hoonger an the
batin's. Faith. an it's well paid am
for the loss O. me two spindle ligs.'
.sAnd he laughed aloud. such lner
ryslittle cnckie that really forgot fol
the moment that he was helpless
bedridden cripple for life ard onl.
thought of him as petted child. Yin:
in state in soft. white. clean bed
tended and cared for as tender.y as !
he had been the heir to dukedom.'
rWhat a beautiful memorialw erie,
Mollie. with childish delight.
Her mother nodded approvingly
Yes, it was beautiful thought, an
the fund that supports that bed
called by the dead child's name. th
Ida Lewis fund.- SO that every sic
and suffering one who is comforte
and nursed back to health in that be
will bless the name of the giver. whol
they can never thank on earth. ~.
Mollie, was silent for a little tim
and then she said softly. while u gre;
tear rolled down her cheek and drol
ped unheeded upon the soft fur fof III
fippet. How / wish we could have
-memorial like that for our lit
BETH
- nC LuOtuCl . llP QulNCi GU, chu AOA
moment she could not control b
voice to reply to the child's suggcstio
Little Beth had gone to heaven on
few short months ago, and 4
wound in. her mothers breast was y
too sensitive to bear without shrin
Ing the tenderest touch. but with ,
effort she Kept back her tears and ]
piled: 8s
'sIt costs a great deal of money
memorials of that kind, and or
wealthy people or those with lar
income can afford these noble a
beautiful charities. Some of the gra1
est churches. hospitals and asylums
the world have been founded and
dowed to keep alive the memory
those who were dear to the great
rich ones of earth"
Mollie sighed.
"All the same, do wish we col
have some kind of 'memoriap
Beth. She was such dear, sw
little thing" she half whispered
they paused a moment upon the st,
of their modest but comfortable hol
and, futile as seemed the wish,
mothers heart could not but re-eche
That night after the young fo
were all in bed and silence had fal
upon the merry, noisy household n
Mason sat with unwontedly idle ha
watching the fast decaying brands
the fireplace and thinking Of the d
little life that only few months
fore had passed away from am
them. How she yearned for the to
of those baby fingers, the kisses
I those baby lips, now still and siIen
this world foreveri
She would not have had the live
her other children saddened for
ways by this bereavement that u
necessarily mean so much more to
than to them. and yet they were
planning gayly and eagerly fos
fast approaching Christmas, care.
counting up their boarded PENNIES
full of all sorts Of pleasant little
teries and merry deceptions, witho
tton-ht. m. rertl.- &c The little s,
who nad in her baby fashion only