Year: 1878

Men will do these things, sad Jack.

 "But, Robinson, think of his having the audacity to purchase Christmas present for her for of course it was for her. I've no doubt he'll throw away lot of money"

 "Ihope nobody will do that" said Jack " it might better go to Higgins" And then Jack went on to tell the wretched condition in which the poor man was placed, and his own rather tardy effort to get up purse for him.

 Smiths handsome face kindled with sympathy. "I wish to heaven I had the money, Jaok," he said "but just now every penny is needed in another way. I'll drop down and see you, though, this week, and make some per- manent arrangementfor Higgins's bene- fit. At this present moment I'm bound hand and foot; but of course it's only temporary"

 "I'm afraid I'll have to give up the purse, " said Jack. He bade Smith good night and left the car. Presently the sadness of the smile relaxed into some- thing positively humorous, and Jack burst into hearty laugh. The laugh was not altogether at Smiths or Jones's expense. He confessed to himself that he was, perhaps, the best subject for the mnrmured, "that every mothers son of us, that Smith and Jones and Heaven knows how many more, have each gone and bought ring this Christmas, hop ing to win over tn dear little heart of the secretary's daughter, and wheedle her into an open expression of prefer ence Why, at this rate, the little wo- man can set up jewelry shop ;" and Jack took up his mournful whistle.

 Allthis while Smith twisted and turned and wriggled upon the upholstered stool, and wiped away the precipitation that started to his forehead. He held be- tween his fingers ring, and looked upon it with a moodiness that an ounted to ferocity. He appealed desperately to the clerk, who sometimes bowed, per haps shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, or smiled pityingly. The clerk s manner was polite almost to rev. erence, but not at all colloquial, and his gaze seemed vaguely absorbed in some- thing going on across the street. The whole place was as still as the grave, the people going about apparently on tip toe, and the voice of Smith, as he haggled over that miserable diamond, sounding like trumpet in his ears.

 In the mean while Jones had journey ed down town to good friend of his in the jewelry line, and had told him frank ly his desire, and what money he had to humor it. The ring was a present-to lady--a friend-nothing more than friend as yet-although he hoped-but that didn't matter.

 And while Jones hesitated, the ring was 1nclosed in showy little case and coaxed quietly into Jones's pocket, his business friend telling him little busi- ness joke as they walked affectionately down the store, and waving him jocu- lar business farewell as he went off the step.

 At about this hour the young lady who was the UT conscious cause of all this bitterness of spirit was about lighting the gas in the second-story back-room, preparatory to retiring for the night.

 When MT. May leased this house up town, the back of it was really nicer than the front, for it looked out over pretty trellises and graperies and flower pots, and little Sophy spent many an hour watching the goats browsing upon the tender green pasturage of the vacant lots beyond. ThS second-story back room was the most cheerful in the house. MT. May had his easy -chair by the table, and of genial summer evening de- lighted in that outlook upon the western sky. But all at once an army of men began to dig in the vacant lots that held the goats and green herbage, outside of the fences of MT. May and his neighbors, and before one could scarcely take breath to realize it, tall row of houses reared themselves under their indignant noses indignant, because it was an outrage to put up these tenements upon property of that kind. Double-deckers, too Four families upon a floor ! Monstrous p said MT. May, and immediately inter. dicted Sophy from that side of the house. It might as we'll have been a lazaretto, as far as he was concerned himself.

 Upon thls Christmas-eve in question Sophy was to sleep in the back-chamber because two young friends of hers were already slowed away in her room.

 It was quite late when Sophy trippe6

 across the threshold of the guest-cham

 Der with a match in her hand. But the

 gas-Iet was at the window-side, the shade

 was up, and Sophy saw through the lact

 curtain confusion of lights and shadow in the myriads of windows opposite

 Suddenly her eyes fell upon one big bar,

 window, through which could be see,

 the whole of big bare room, with

 miserable cot in one corner, and ricket,

 bed in another, and an old table front

 ing the irdow, where @ man sat ant , stared straight ahead of him into the bi,

 bare desolate night. And it seemed t. Sophy that h1s eyes were like coals o

 fire, that burned into the black infinit l nothingness of space, and hungrily aske' 7 for the solution to some mystery tha was driving him mad. Little by littl Sophy's straining eyes discerned upo the cot in the corner an emaciated crea ture, either dead or asleep. The whit ? lids were down on the sunken eyes, an . 1t was perfectly still. And upon the be