Norwich bulletin., 1915-12-18

At first like his sisters, Earle could not decide upon who to bestow his gifts but a few days before school closed he heard that two of the stu dents were to remain during vacation because 1t cost so much to go home. He could not decide for a few days if that was the helpfulness his father meant, but he thought, If I was in a like position I should hope some one would be able to enable me to pass the Christmas holidays at home, so he bought two tickets and forwarded them to the recipients enclosed In an envelope with a card bearing their name and a merry Christmas from one of Santa Claus assistants Christmas was near at hand and Lucy at last decided that she would show the Christmas spirit if she re- | membered those who had been good to her including her parents. Instead of the usual homemade gift of love fashioned by her hands, she bought a salad bowl for mamma and a book for | papa. Then she thought of the nurse | who had cared for her when she was | sick with the fever and bought her a ! pretty serviceable house. dress. She | also recalled to her mind one of her | classmates. who, when she was con- | valescing, came and read to her each 1 day because she could not afford to buy fruit and flowers like the other ' girls: for her she bought some fancy | crepe for an evening dress with lace and buttons for trimming. She bought six pair of mittens for the newsboys | about the city with the remaining ninety cents. (She had been tempted l at first to purchase gifts for her friends instead of which with her | mothers help she made gifts for 1 them). She felt that she had complied l with her fathers terms in giving | where there would be no return ex- | cept the gifts for her parents, but she l knew he UnIIld consider ha nG a helpful gift anyway.
 | Jess would walk the streets with | papa, mamma and others and when ever she saw a tired looking person or l a poorly clad child she would put her | hand in her huff for her pocketbook l and withdraw it because she wished | to think before she gave her money ] away. and before she could think she had seen others that she wished to help until she was so unsettled in her mind that she did not know what to do. She would often turn her sweet eyes up to her companions face and say, "Oh dear. mamma, what lot of people there are for one to help to take away the tired look from their faces"
 The day, before Christmas she and papa were walking along the street It was showing and the air was sharI and cold. They heard the sound ot music and as they turned the corner ! they Sd" a DON turning a nanO-OTRan and by his side stood a blind mar holding out his hat for the passers- by to drop in some money. A card was slipped under the band that read:
 Help poor blind beggar who wishes to get food for the wife an6 children
 That man will catch his death, exclaimed Jess, and before one could speak Jess thrust the contents of z
 box which she carried, into her papa's IvNr
 mans hat. This made the man an gry and he would not withdraw hi: grasp on it but she guided his hand and he turned the pennies into tht
 box.
 You poor man." she said. '.Put there. There. there, don't be afraid no one shall take any of your money
 She then pushed her s10 bill into
 his hand and said:
 Put this into your pocket and give
 it to your wife, tell her Santa Claus:
 daughter sent it to her to get wha
 she needs and she must not forget tC
 get a bit of candy for the children
 Merry Christmas. you poor dear man. As her papa led her away she coulC hear the mans Bless you my dear" MT. Gardner at first could not speal and then would not. He reiterated
 to himself the old mans words as sht prattled on.
 l FOOT OIu why ne SnlNere(
 with the cold. He will freeze if h, stands there. Oh dear, wish he would go home.'
 , Papa replied, Don't worry, pet, , told the boy to take him home" , oh, I am glad you did, and I an
 also glad waited to help those whi : others forgot or else did not sec
 What a pity there is not none, } enough to go around
 "Or more people with the Christ ! mas spirit in their hearts respondet } papa to himself.
 ' He drew her attention to the win dows and on reaching home he sough 5 Lucy and Earle and told them t } might have regarding the disposal O their sisters money.
 ] When Jess described the scene S } vivilly they felt and believed as pa pa did, that a gift given as that wa [ from the heart could not be wasted and as she grew older she would un derstand better how to help others but never would a gift be- given nor earnestly and sincerely.
 | They also felt that little Jess ha 2 shown a truer Christmas spirit tha 5 the others and that in tine years t come her sweet sympathy for other l would prove that "a friend in nee l is a friend indeed
 1 Christmas gifts there were none S
 highly prized as the card bearin 7 these few words:
 ''Merrie Xmas. Little Jess give her very best love to papa an
 mamma.
 DIANA.
 N. H.