The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-12-19

- ~ MUGS Stoftu oISddIaSAs
Green martyrs to His praise.
NGcdward they lift their branches
x AS In the clear. free days.
From every ersy nn ss"s snsis Rtim tbu"
In man.made church or forest
Aiitc incense to Him.
o little trees OF Christmas,
Teach me the truths you know
Teach me to find His Temps
In woods and stars and Stew.
Teach me through turning Sodward
From fear to find release.
And steadfast, with sweet worship
To greet ths Child of Peace.
BY Theodore Bates CogsweiL
Istreets and the store windows gay In
Christmas garb stirred the boy. In
great glee ic would pluck the feathers
from hs mothers shawl as h was
| has'" home with him In her arms
taa 5 I'D them fleeting high into the
air.
"si.ther. dear" he confided to his
nO.her one night as they were en-
tering Limerick court, ITS thiukin' /
am III niver be crying agin."
Mrs. Murphy smiled and maze no
answer, but h Rugged Goosie In a
manner that made him wonder.
Christmas week proved a busy one
at the Murphy tenement. Each of the
three rooms must be made sweet and
clean Tor the gay dSy that was COM
ing, and Goosie's clothes must be
washed and mended and neatly pressed
and 1t must all be done after a long
days work among the feathers. Goo
sic lent his small strength and a world
Of encouragement.
ITS not KNOWN I a mither
dear" he explained. in the midst Of the
preparations. how the dirt gifts into
the corners"
When the days that remained before
the day of all days to Goosie could
be counted on the fingers Of one
hand, the child was nearly beside him
self with joy. When his mother was
carrying him to and fro from the nur-
sery, his feet and hands beat fast time,
so that she could scarcely keep him In
the folds Of the shawl.
The day before Christmas Mrs.
Murphy and her son were UP before
daylight. There was work to be done
which Mrs. Murphy wished to finish
before she started for the nursery with
Goosie. The little fellow was very
talkative and kept plying his mother
with questions.
Its thinkin' I am, mither. dear. who
made the Christmas" remarked
Goosie.
Its the birthday of the Blissid Vir-
gins son." explained Mrs. Murphy, as
she poured the water from the kettle
into his tub.
His as is In the pictures?" asked
Goosie.
THE very same responded the
mother.
Goosie ~pondered. The real meaning
of the day was not clear to him, and
he intended to ask further questions
when his mother. who was ready to
hang out the clothes, asked him to
open the door.
The Murphy tenement was on the
top floor of a three-story block. The
back door opened onto the roof OF a
two story building which adjoined the
one in front. A large clothes reel on
the roof of this building was available
for drying purposes. Goosie opened
he door and his mother stepped out
with her basket Of clothes. The boy
followed.
II was a cold day, and the wind came
in heavy gusts, which caught the
dampened clothes and snapped them
out like whipcords. The swapping
clothes, the bare roof and the biting
wind contrasted harshly with the
warmth and coZiness OF the little
Kitchen. Goosie shivered and chung
to his mothers skirts.
"Mither, dear" he demanded anx-
iously. f" it's tomorrow the Christmas
is. and it's a-holdin' me in your arms
yerll be-"
Mrs. Murphy had two clothespins in
her mouth and her hands were full of
clothes With one hand she reached
for the pins. One of them fell to the
roof and rolled near the edge. The
wind was tugging at her skirts n
snatching at the garments in her hands.
Mrs. Murphy heard the boys question,
but all her life the demands of business
and the pressure Of hard work had re-
ceived her attention first.
BE LOVELY, swatic, and fetcn mither
the clothespins," h urged.
Goosie loosened his grasp on her
skirts and stepped ~gingeriy toward the
errant pin. There was an anxious look
upon his face. The joy Of a whole day
with his mother nearby to caress him,
was good fortune that might prove as
, elusive as the feathers he had chased so
many times, and he wished to hear
! again from his mothers lips that to-
morrow was really and truly the day
Of all days.
Suddenly there was an ominous howl
among the chimney pots, and a great
gust Of wind came tearing across the
waste of roof There vas a dull. rip
ping sound and a huge piece Of the tile
narted at the rnnf corner hung for an