Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-08-24
A GIFT
And What 1t Brought
BY F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Mother" said Edith Maynard. a girl
Of sixteen and just entering the age Of
romance. II wish you would tell me
a love story. Tell me one that really
happened"
Very well. dear, | know one that
happened right in the family I'll tell
you about it. One summer day little
girl-well call her Emma, though that
wasn't her real name-was about to go
to the store of the village in which she
lived to buy a dress. Her birthday
was soon to come round. and her father
had given her a five dollar gold piece
to buy the dress for her birthday pres
ent. The day was hot. and she took
care to keep under the shade of the
trees that lined the road Presently
she came upon boy-he looked to be
about fifteen-lying asleep in the grass
under one of the trees
Emma stopped to look at him. He
was a handsome lad, slender and tall
for his age. with profusion of black
curly hair tumbled over his forehead.
His shirt was open at the neck. ex-
posing his throat. His whole figure
was relaxed as only can occur in slum-
Der.
But even in sleep his face was
troubled. His clothes had evidently
been good when new. but they were
now shabby. Emma wondered who
he was and what troubled him. There
is something very winning about a
sleeper Perhaps it is that relaxation
l have spoken of-that nonresistance
which is so endearing in innocent chill
dren. At any rate. Emma. as she stood
into her heart.
'She would like to do something for
him to take that troubled look off his
face and replace it with smile. 1t
occurred to her to drop her gold piece
into his f1attened straw hat that lay
beside him. then stand off and watch
his expression when he awOke and
saw it lying there shining in the sun
light Pickering through the trees. But
If she did this she must go without
her dress. She involuntarily clutched
the half eagle in a tighter grip. Again
she pictured the boy awakening and
his pleasure at seeing the coin in his
hat. And thus she wavered till her
sympathy and the pleasure of giving
pleasure triumphed. and she dropped
her gold piece into the hat Then she
climbed the fence beside the road and
hid in some tall wheat which was
nearly ready to be harvested.
she waited nearly half an hour. not
daring to take her eyes off the boy
for an instant. fearing she would miss
that first look OF surprise she was Civ
ing treasure to see. At last he stretch
ed himself. rubbed his eyes with his
fists and sat up. He seemed to be try
ing to nerve himself to get up and go
on, but was too tired to do so. Pres
emily, with a sigh. he reached for his
hat and saw the half eagle.
1T is questionable which would have
been more delightful to a third person.
the look of surprise of the boy or the
of the little girl hidden in
the wheat. clasping her hands over her
breast as if to still the beating Of her
little heart, her eyes beaming with
pleasure and expectancy.
His eyes were fixed on the coin
for a moment. then he began to look
about him for the donor. Emma enjoy
ed it all immensely for awhile, then
should do. Would she make herself
known or remain in hiding and let the
boy go away with her treasure without
knowing who had given it to him? If
she took the former course he would
return the gold piece If she took the
latter she would have given away
her birthday present to one who could
not even know her as the giver or
it.
But Emma was not a girl to go
this far in doing a Kindness and turn
back She kept very still, watching
the boy. and it seemed as if she could
read his thoughts. She fancied him
saying. holding the coin in his hand /.
and looking at it, I'm going to invest |
his money and work and save and F.
make fortune out of it, Then, stand
ng on his feet after looking all about .
him, he put the coin in his pocket and
went on.
"A great many years passed"
Glow many wears mot herr
Let me see. Emma had grown to .
De twenty-five years old. and she was
about twelve when she gave away her .
birthday present. That means thir
cen years.
lone day she beard that man had
offered to build a social clubhouse and
rive it to the town. The reason he
,ffered it was that when poor boy
N his way to the city to look for
situation he had gone to sleep on the
outskirts of the village and some one
lad dropped a five dollar gold piece
nto his hat He had made lucky in
-estments with the money. and it had
,rown from So to $4,000. But more
han this IL had given him hone and /