The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-30

ness as she reflected on her fathers
attitude toward her, and contrasted
his harshness with the love he had
lavished on her in the days when
they had been SO happy together.
How / should love to see dear
old father seated there in his easy
chair before the fire like in the olden
times" Winifred would say to her
husband, land oh, if he could only get
glimpse of our little Dorothy, Il
know his heart would soften
Fervently and constantly she
prayed that her father might return
some day to receive the loving well
come that would surely be his, and
as the Christmas time approached he
was ever more in her thoughts.
Dorothy was all animation as the
holidays approached, and fitted
about like a happy sprite singing
snatches of the carols they were
learning at school or telling her
mother of the plans she had made to
bestow gifts on some poor children
that she knew.
One day as the little girl was on
her way home from school, she no.
i ticed walking before her an elderly
man muffled up in a heavy overcoat.
His cane slipped from his grasp and
fell to the sidewalk, and the ever
thoughtful Dorothy sprang quickly
j forward and picked it up before the
man could stoop to recover it.
/ He hardly thanked the child as she
held it out and looked up at him with
her smiling blue eyes; but she was
not dismayed by his gloomy air, and
his surly acknowledgment of her kind
action.
IF you don't mind she ventured
"I'll walk along with you for a ways,
cause | live up there" indicating the
direction with a plump finger, ''be-
Sides she added, your cane might
fall again
| The old man maintained a morose
silence as his small companion pratt
tied on telling him about her papa
and mamma and her dolls and of all
her plans for Christmas
At the intersection of "a street she
babe her taciturn companion a CHEEKY
goodbye. For few minutes the man
stood gazing after the retreating figure
that danced and skipped gaily up the
sidewalk until she was lost to view.
i Why did she seem so familiar-so
like another blue-eyed, golden-haired
little creature of far away past?
i There was a softened look on his
face as he turned to retrace his steps,
but this expression speedily gave way
to one of bitterness and cynicism. AT
1.-THE hotel that evening his servant
found him unusually gruff and ex-
lasperating, and wondered within him
self what new crouch" had seized
his master since he had gone out. that
afternoon.
i On the following day, when the old
man stepped out for his daily walk in
the sunshine, man accosted him and
4. asked if he wouldn't like. to buy a
:. Christmas tree, pointing to wagon
: load at the curbing.
Il guess mott" snarled the old man.
I Christmas indeed he muttered as
he turned up his coat collar and
] walked off.
i At the next corner, shabby, tired
looking woman held up wreath of
Il holly. Just two days till Christmas :
she smiled sadly. Don't you want
some holly wreaths?'
The glance of contempt that he be-
! slowed ON the poor creature made her
heart sink. She knew at once by his
/ appearance that he was man of
B wealth, and with tears in her eyes she
wondered why such people were not
more charitably inclined especially at
Il Christmas time.
+ And the subject of her meditation
continued on his way, filled with
bitter musings while the gaily decked
shop windows served only to augment
his i'll humor. If he could just shut
This eyes and blot out the signs of
Christmas all about him. What was
lit all but lot Of bosh and foolish
ness. He had done away with all
i that maudliu aentimentality long ago.