Evening star., 1921-12-25

were guarded, all ferries stopped. and
we could get mono Of our expected
supplies.
breakfast for 400 from our winter
store of food was cheerfully provided,
but we almost wondered how daily
bread would come when the light
horse troop had been fed. They did
not stay but the day, fling away in
the picturesque struggling line of the
original American Rough Riders, leav-
ing, however, a dozen men to guard
our little family-mother, an Indian
orphan boy and girl and myself. Our
guard camped at the barn; we were
living in the laundry. An Indian
friend sent US a wild turkey. which,
pi ieced out with prairie chickens, made
US and our guards a good Christmas
dinner.
Late at night a knock on the door
brought US a surprise-one Of the
Indian neighbors, who handed, in a
bulky package, some candy, oranges
and letter from our good doctor in
the beleaguered town. Through by
paths, crossing the Arkansas in a
canoe. he had reached the doctor to
get medicine for sick child, and
there were enough oranges for all of
US next day. 1 wanted mine SO much
I would not eat it right away
Next morning the. weather changed
to a terrible ice storm An Indian boy
came begging with quiet insistence
that Z on m hic Sjck ciStar Co T M clr
ed a little basket with q few simple
remedies and some milk, etc. Felix,
the orphan boy, hitched the sharp
shod ponies into the light spring
wagon and, well wrapped, we started
out through terrible storm that
would have made good roads impass-
able. We found the cabin. The child
was past all human aid, perfectly con-
scious, though. knelt down beside
her and told her Of the gospel story
in simple words. I had brought my
orange to her. She tried to hold it,
for she liked oranges, too. So I fixed
some Of the pulp for her.
Il shall never forget the look in her
big black eyes that followed mo pa
thetically when left her..
THAT night she died, but the poor
mother said she was not afraid and
her last words had been a prayer.
'The giving Of that orange has been
Ia joy through all the years, and the
Christms lesson Of it is some sacri-
|fice of small personal comfort or ease
If one may not be able to give things
Of intrinsic value. but without the
real spirit Of Christmas"
REPRESENTATIVE D MARTIN b
AS MADDEN Of Illinois, chairman OF
the House appropriations committee
worked his way from water-boy in a
granite quarry to head Of one Of the
largest construction corporations in
the United States. and Is rated as a
millionaire.
"The happfest Christmas Of my life
was more than ten years ago, when
played Santa Claus and got away with
it without any one finding it out fol
a couple of years." said Representa-
tive Madden. II was in the Chicago
city post office ono day when the
postmaster told me about thousands
of letters that were coming in ad.
dressed to Santa Claus, and shat they
did not know where to deliver them.
II asked him to turn all these1 let
ters over to me- I went through
many Of them myself, and they
touched my heart. had every one
of those letters in childish scIawls
carefully read. We sorted out those
which were evidently from the chill
dren Of well-to-do people, and saved
those which, through the modesty Of
their requests. were from the children
Of the poor, who did not expect elab.
oNate gifts.
'Then sent all Of these letters te
q couple of department stores to have
the orders filed, and we hauled sew
eral loads of Christmas gifts to those
humble homes on Christmas eve, leav.
ing no message to show who had sent
them"
Representative Madden says that hi
never enjoyed anything moro in al