The Topeka state journal., 1916-12-25
EVENING STORY
Merry Christmas. Mister But'sby.
(By Jane Osborn.)


His name was Ezekial Jedediah
Buttersby but the two dozen little
check -ginghamed orphan girls in the
home that adjoined his farm couldn't
twist their tongues around that name
To them he was just plain Mister
But shy" He was a ruddy faced,
well fed, jovial, middle aged farmer
or at least nature intended him to be
jovial, and the recent spirit of gloom
that had descended upon him caused
greater inward pain to him than it
would have to a man of 1eaner, sourer
countenance. Truth was, he was lone
ly. His younger sister, his lifelong
housemate, had but recently wed, and.
left in the old farmhouse, he was de-
pressed with a loneliness that he was
loath to admit. No, he wouldn't ad-
nit that it was the loneliness of life
that had made him so irritable of late.
He found a hundred excuses with
which to delude himself.
Never saw such pun'kin har-
vestl' he muttered to himself as he
regarded the golden store of vegeta-
bles in his cellar, by far too many to
satisfy his own needs. And what a
season for apples." This more
grumplly. Might think a feller could
l know what to do with it all"
He sputtered and he fumed all the
evening over the too-bountifulness of
nature and the next morning he rose
and by the full December moon that
had not set at o'clock, rolled five
pumpkins over in his wheelbarrow
to the gates of the orphan home ad
joining.
From a friend" was all he would
write on the piece of paper that ac-
companied it.
faces of all the orphans That is, in
all but the faces of the newest orphan,
for she was too small to smile at any
thing in particular and gurgled and
walled at random in her little crib, un-
mindful of the orphan activities
around her The other orphans
smiled because, instead of the very
little molasses as a spread for their
bread for supper, each one was sup
piled with a generous dish of apple
sauce
The matron at the head of the table
smiled, too. She was made to smile,
was motherly Mrs. Bradbury; and in
spite of the fact that she denied her
own self good things to eat in order
that the very Scant appro DriationS al
lowed by the board of managers might
suffice to keep ner little orphans from
going hungry, she was a plump, bux-
ON woman, with a dimple in each
cheek.
"And it isn't the board that has sent
YOU children the apples, either she
said with wink that was flirtatious
in spite of her staid forty years. Its
somebody that has a lot more of hu-
man kindness in his heart than they
have. And it's only because I was up
tending to the baby last night and saw
him rolling the things across the
crusty snow to our gate that 1 know.
1t was Farmer Buttersby, that's who it
was, even If he was too modest to
leave his name. And there's pun kins,
too, and enough apples to have for
sauce for ever so long. And if any of
you orphans tells any of the board la
dies when they come to see US that
we've been having apple sauce 1 don't
know what shall do. for if they knew
maybe they would allow less for food,
and, goodness knows, you children
don't any of you get any too much to
eat. But never you mind. I've been
saving a penny here and penny
there, and we're going to have one
grand Christmas dinner-beef stew
and sweet potatoes and half an
orange for each.'
shout of joy arose from each tiny
Oh phan throat. and every eye was TO-
cused on the face of The matron.
''All I'm worrying about and there
the matron's dimples faded and her
face was grave, -is :bout the Httiest
one of you. There were two dozen
before she came. Goodness knows
how l can manage to get milk and
things for her But she is precious
little dear All I wish is that some one
with a good home would come along
and adopt her" and then the little