Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-02

Sw1ne take him down Souf. Take dc (
turkey away, Missy Alice We amt
got no use fo' it,
The visitor, Alice Wharton, was a /
girl Of twenty, whose face bespoke the /
kindness of her nature. But over /
kindness triumphed indignation.
at is brutal she exclaimed.
The mother continued to moan. Sew |
eral times Alice essayed to speak |
words Of comfort. but her lips refused I
TO say what was untrue. There was
no comfort for her to speak. Colonel /
Terrence prided himself upon his |
strength Of will TO do whatever ne con |
sidered it to be his duty. He had had
such unpleasant episodes in his life be-
fore and had never shrunk from carry
ing out his plans. Alice took the hand
of the father in one of hers, the moth
ers hand in the other, pressed them,
and with the words, God help you"
turned and left the cabin
1t was, as Ben had said, a melan-
choly Christmas eve. Little Tommy
was put to bed early, his mother lying
beside him. On the morrow he would
pass out of their lives.
1t was near midnight when there
came rap at the door. Ben arose and
opened it. A boy stood in the opening,
but he was as black as the night and
consequently invisible. Ben heard a
voice say:
Missy Alice tole me to tote 30 de
stockin' To- to hang up on de chimbly
She sails she done tole Sant1 Claus to
bring somerin nice To- Tommy"
Ben felt a stocking showed into his
hand, heard the departing footsteps,
closed the door, hung up the stocking
and returned to bed.
When IL began to be light Tommy,
who did not know that anything had
occurred to interfere with Christmas,
shouted:
Merry Christmas, pop! Merry
Christmas. nom! Merry Christmas,
Pinkeyv'
The only reply he received from his
parents was a sigh. They lay for a
while, dreading 10 get up. II was
Christmas day, but the day as we'll
that their little boy was to be taken
from them. Finally Ben, urged by the
children, arose and uncovered Tom
my's rocking horse and Pinkey's doll.
Re glanced at the stocking Miss Whar-
ton had sent, but, seeing that it gave
10 more sign of contents than when
he had hung 1t up the night before,
paid no further attention to II. But
Sue, with wOman's inclination for in
vestieation in such matters, took it
down, put her hand into it and pulled
out a bit Of paper. This she opened,
and on it in large printed letters that
she and Ben could read was written:
Merry Christmas! I have bought Tom
my. ALICE WHARTON.
The father and mother looked at
each other for a moment before the
full meaning Of the words penetrated
their brains; then, taking the two chill
dren in thor arms, all were united in
a single embrace.
In a twinkling all was changed. Miss
Wharton now being the owner Of
Tommy, his parents knew well that he
would never be separated from them.
The girl was beloved by the colored
people, both her fathers slaves and
those on other plantations. Tor she de-
voted all her time 10 miuistering TO
them. She had a little money Of her
own, and as soon as she knew OF
Tommy's sale went 10 the trader, Of
fered him a good profit on his pur-
chase. it was accepted. and the boy
passed into her ownership.
AS soon as Ben and Sue felt assured
that Miss Wharton had arisen they
started for her home TO hear the good
news from her lips and thank her for
having been the means Of sparing
them a suffering worse than their
child's death She met them with a
smile not less happy than their own.
Ben tried to speak his thanks. but
failed. Sue then tried. but did not get
very far before she broke down i'm tears.
And so it was that the Christmas
which came So near being n day Of
agony was saved to this humble fam
lily by an angel Of mercy. The chill
dren enjoyed the toys and the turkey
and the mince pie. But there was
I'm their parents that which did not
come of several things for theirs was
4 great comfort Of the soul. That
which they held most dear had beea
taken on Christmas eve and returned
on Christmas morning.
Tommy remained for several year.
with his mother. it being his owners
intention 10 give him free papers as
soon as he swas of an age 70 take care
Of himself But before that time came
around 4 great change had come over
the c0lcrcd people Of the south. It was
reserved for another to give Tommy
his freedom. Abraham Lincoln one
day wrote his name, and all the slaves
were free.
MANY persons find themselves az /
fectad with a persistent cough after an
attack of influenza. As this cough can .
be promptly cured by the use Of Cham /.
berla'1s cough remedy, it should not \
he 2 Ilnwnd tn rnn on until n hacnmes |