Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-05-06
AN EASTER
GIFT
No Man Can Surely Tell
When a Benetaction Is
Well Placed
BY MAY c. ETHERIDGE

One April morning postman In a
ramshackle buggy drove up to the box
of Henry Swift In free rural delivery
No. 5 and, having deposited a letter.
drove on. girl ten years old ran out,
with her hair flying. for the mail and.
opening the box. took out the letter
and read the superscription. As she
did so her eyes opened wide and she
exclaimed, dancing up and down:
why, it's for me!'
Without opening it she ran into the
house, crying: i've got a letter! I've
got a letter.
The family gathered round her, and
she broke open the envelope. The con-
tents proved to be piece OF thick
brown paper and a letter. Folded in
the paper was a new crisp Eve dollar
bill.
"Oh. Dolly" exclaimed the child's
mother, some one has made you a
present! Open the letter apd see who
II is from"
Dolly unfolded the letter and read:
My Dear Little Niece-Easter is coming.
and ! invariably give away certain sum
on that day for some charitable purpose
This year l want you to give portion OF
my Easter offering for me to some need
full person. Your affectionate
UNCLE JOSH
noJ,v,s hro+hars ap5 siStaru t,,rnad
away somewhat disappointed that the
money had not been given her to spend
for herself. thinking that they might
have shared In what 1t would buy, but
to Dolly herself came new sensation.
She was proud at having been made
the agent of her uncle for his donation
and much pleased to think that she
would make some one happy.
But to whom should she give the
money? There were many who needed
it-indeed, so many that Dolly found
It difficult matter to decide. But she
had a week before Easter came to de-
eide, and she was sure she could reach
a decision much earlier. Nevertheless
on the Saturday night before Easter
Sunday she had thought OF SO many
deserving cases, each needing the gift,
that she was bewildered
When Easter came ii brought with 1t
one of those hot. unreasonable temper
atures that sometimes occur in the
month Of April. Dolly, dressed in her
prettiest spring clothes. with the bill
rolled in her uncle's letter, went out
on to the road to walk mile to the
village to give the money to poor
woman with many children whom she
had finally chosen as the most needful
Of all the persons she knew. But Dol
" had changed her mind many times,
and her father said to her as she de
parted:
II hope you won't meet some unde-
serving person on the way, Dol, and be
tempted TO PLACE your Easter gift
where it will do no good"
Never fear, pappy." And the child
sailed forth.
While walking along the road Dolly
suddenly stopped Beside it In the
shade of some high bushes lay a boy
asleep. His clothes were ragged, his
face pale, and even in slumber there
was hungry look on it Dolly's heart
was touched IL she hadn't decided
irrevocably as to where she would
place her gift she would bestow 1t
upon this poor boy. Then, too, she re-
membered her fathers caution. But
Dolly was young The woman she
knew to be deserving was not present.
and one who evidently needed assist
ance was before her. Moreover, there
is something touching in a suffering
slumberer.
Dolly succumbed to what was pres
ent. The palm OF one Of the boys
hands was open, and she laid her un-
cle's letter in it: then. going TO the
other side of the road, she hid behind
a fence in the high brush and waited to
observe the boys surprise and pleas
ure when be should awake.
His awakening was occasioned by q
passing wagon, but he would have
slept again had he not seen what was
In his palm. Sitting up. he opened the
letter, and when be saw the bill in
closed his eyes grew big. So did Dol
ly's, and every feature in her face,
every nerve. every muscle in her body
was alive with delight.
The recipient did not have the epvel.
ope in which the letter had come to
Dolly, so he did not know who Dolly
was, but at the head of the letter was
printed Joshua Stamper & Co., I'm
porters," with the street and number
at which it had been written. More
over. the city was but a dozen miles
distant, and the boy was on his way
there.
Now. Dolly did not know what was
passing In the boys mind. She saw
him look from the bill to the letter bach
from the letter to the bill. Then hi
read the letter carefully and seemed t
be studying it. Finally he got up and
putting both the letter and the bill IL
his pocket. set Off toward the city
J Dolly went back home. Surprised t,
4. Ca l.. A.