Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-06-05
AN EASTER
GIFT
No Man Can Surely Tel
When a BenefactiOn Is
Well Placed
BY NAY C.

One April morning a postman In a
ramshack1s buggy drove up to the box
Of Henry Swift in free rural delivery
No. 8 and, having deposited a letter.
drove on A girl ten years old ran out,
with her hair flying. for the mail and,
opening the box. took out the letter
and read the s~uperscrfpton- As she
ala so her eyes opened wide and she
exclaimed, dancing up and down:
why, its for mel"
without opening It she ran into the
house. crying: Two got a letter. I've
got a letterT'
The family gathered round her, and
she broke open the envelope The con-
tents proved to be a piece Of thick
brown paper and a letter. Folded In
the paper was a new crisp i've dollar
bin.
'0h, Dolly" exclaimed the cbilGs
mother, some one has made you a
PRESENT. Open the letter and e who
&c Is from"
Dolly unfOIded the letter and Eead:
Ny Dear Little Niooo-Eastsr IL coming.
and l invariably give away q certain sum
on that day for some charitable purpose
This year 1 want you to give a portion Of
my Easter Offering for me to some need
UNCLE JOSH
DoIly'B brothers and sisters turned
away somewhat disappointed that the
money had not been given her to spend
Tor herself, thinking that they might
have shared In what II would buy, but
b Dolly herself came a new sensation.
She wa proud at having been made
the agent Of her uncle for his donation
and much pleased 30 think that she
would make some n happy.
But 10 whom should she give the
money! There were many who needed
tt-indeed, 30 many that Dolly found
at q difficult matter TO decide. But she
bad a week before Easter came to de-
eide. and she vas sure she could reach
q decision much earlier. Nevertheless
on the Saturday night before Easter
Sunday she had thought Of 30 many
deserving cases, each needing the gift,
that she was bewildered.
When Easter came It brought with It
n Of those hot unreasonable temper
at1res that sometimes occur In the
month of April. Dolly, dressed in her
pretttest spring clothes, with the bin
rolled In her uncle's letter, went out
on to the road to walk a mile to the
village to give the money to a poor
woman with many children whom she
had finally chosen as the most needful
OF all the persons she knew. But Dol
y 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 1t In the
shade Of some high bushes lay a boy
asleep. His clothes were ragged, his
face pale, and even In slumber there
was a hungry look on It Dolly's heart
was touched. II she hadn't decided
1rrevocably al 70 where she would
place her gift she would bestow 1t
upon this poor boy. Then, too, abe re-
membered her fathers caution. But
Dolly was young. The woman she
knew to be deserving was not present
and n who evidently needed assist
ance was before her. Moreover, there
is something touching In a suffering
Biumberer.
Dolly succumbed to what was pres
ent The palm of one Of the boys
hands was open, and she laid her I'M
cles letter in It; then. going TO the
other side Of the road, she hid behind
4 fence in the high brush and waited to
observe the boys surprise and pleas
ure when he should awake.
Hi awakening was occasioned by a
passing wagon. but be would have
slept again had he not seen what was
IN his palm. Sitting up. he opened the
letter. and when he saw the bill In
closed his eyes grew big. 80 did Dol
HB, and every feature In her face.
sVery nerve. every muscle In her body.
was alive with delight.
The recipient did not have the envel-
ope in which the letter had come 30
Dolly, 80 be 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 10 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 wal
passing In the boys mind She saw
him look from thu bill 70 the letter back
nom the letter to the bin. Then he
read the letter careudly and seemed b
Be studying t. Finally he got ur end.
putting both the letter and the bill In
his pocket set on toward the city.
Dolly went back home. Surprised 20
Beo her return 90 soon. the family gath.
aned round her to learn the result Of
her mission. When she told them that
-. - -.N ..mNa LA -