The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-11-26

had eae,rGied of and who had never
stepped outside of her dreams.
Yesl She, Gertrude Harding, was a
born mother" to whom no children
had been born.
But this year she had forgotten
something most important to be done.
And ii was only several days before
Christmas.
She Went down town, made her pur-
chase after quite delay and left the
shop.
Outside were three small children,
their faces close against the window
pane, their eyes cleaning. their small
ill-clad bodies tense and quivering
with emotion.
Jaw, gee. look at it stop at the sta
tionsl There. she's off the track now
No, she amt. She's back on again"
The second child was reading sign
"They says that in this here shop
that it's the land where the dreams of
children come true Dye suppose
they's kiddin'?"
The third child, little girl. who
was clutching what once had been a
doll was looking at one in the shops
window.
'If could jes' touch her hair" she
sighed.
would you like to go inside the
shop?" Gertrude Harding asked the
children.
They looked at her abruptly. "Dya
mean it?'
And through the shop. straight to
the children's department she took
them.
1t was a revelation to her to realize
the joy that was derived by these
children from the intimate contact
with toys they knew they could never
own.
They had gone inside one of the btg
shops and had been treated as well aE
anybody; they had not been afraid,
They had looked to their hearts con-
tent.
ITS true-what they's said" the
children agreed afterward "in there It
Is the land all right, where chidren's
. dreams come true" For the reality of
/, Faryland had been expressed by the
marvellous and magical toys and games
, and gay decorations of the Christmas
shop.
If. Gertrude Harding told herself
afterward, these children had so loved
! a trip into the gayety of children's
shop. were there not others who would
like to journey forth into the world of
, toys. too?
r She thought it over. And did not
, stop there. She rang up a certain
p number and asked for the matron.
: You're the matron of the Children's
: hospital, aren't you? Well. I Won
dered if any of your children would
care to go>with me tomorrow and take
) trip through the chldren's toy shops?
They're most attractively fixed up this
year and some of them have special
e attractions. a Santa Claus and many
n other wondrous featuresr'
d So Gertrude Harding called for the
1t children. There were Is who were
l. able to go and of that Is the majority
h were motherless.
o Such an afternoon as Gertrude
e Harding had. And such an afternoon
o as the children had
t. Those in the shops seemed especial
Y ly anxious to do what they could for
e the children who were so obviously
l. from home or hospital. The mechan-
o ical toys even seemed to put more
it spirit into their performances Ger
s. trude Harding thought
J. AS they were coming home several
% little hands found their way into both
n of Gertrude Harding's hands. One
'e clutched little finger, another had
e hold of her thumb; so it went.
- Mrs." one of them ventured, "let's
v pretend we're all children from kin
10 dergarten and that you're our teach
er. Don't let's pretend we're from a
hospital eh?"
y 1r~ et's pretend that" she an
" sw"usi them. "Or how would IT do to
" tes5't q hat was your mofher and
n tiiai st7 we're all my chldren?"
Il .WOH;d you--honest-wo would Won
4 pretend thatT one asked and the 9th
3 ers looked At her eagerly hoping. hop
g ing hoping she would not refuse.
Il THAT would be the best pretend
II of all" she smiled at them.
u So they pretended" and so they
" went back very happily from their
IS Christmas shopping "trip
r Once again she took them. on The
Il day before Christmas Ii was had
~ getting through The crowds, bur il was
Is worth every effort.
II In one Of the shops a gayly dressed
g clown led the children in proces.
" sion. Once in a while he turned ana.
& winked at them as though to say:
& We know what fur all ;his ia
g don't we? We're in the secret of the
ii fun that children can have al Christ.
mas TINE that the grown ups know