The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, December 12, 1913, Image 9
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A LITTLE RUNAWAY
By AVI8 IN0ALL8.
F' CO IJ KB to tber*
was mow, newly
fallen ? what
would Christmas
be without that?
And sleigh-bells,
all a tinkle, and
cheery greeting*
and g 1 a d s o ra ?
bin lies on every
hand; and there
were clear twink
ling stars now
ubove the house
tops looking down
from a deep blue
sky, and', of course,
i ?v wan uoming but hustle and hustle,
1 In most places, and nil tho necessary
1 hullabaloo that makeo Christmas tho
adorable holiday that It Is ? but ? and
; hero Is where my story comes in.
On a quiet street, whero tho better
?lass of houses stood, a trifle away
from the shopping district and the
?treet car lines, a little face was
pressed agalnBt tbo window-pane, and
I two largo tears stole down over a
straight little nose. Other llttlo gJrlB
were Joyfully looking forward to this
happy season, but Elizabeth Ilockerby
i felt sadly at a loss and out of place
as she stood In her black velvet and
i lace in her grandmother's huge draw
! lng-room. She had overheard the par
lormaid and the upper house-maid,
In a whispered conversation.
"The poor darllnt," Nora, tho house
maid, had said. "The poor darllnt!
And Is it ChriatmaB the little one's
after havln'? Never a bit of it! Don't
ye believe it! Oh, tho poor lamb!
that solemn and stiff-like in her black
dress ? " '
"Think of Cook's Ruby rigged out
like that!" said Ellen. "Do you think
she'd stand it for a minute? Not on
your, life; She'd be down under the
table pulling the cat's tail; and she'd
be teasing her mother for goodies,
when she got tired of that! But thts
pale-faced mite, she's passed from one
calculating relative to another, till
she hasn't got a speck of zzip left
in her. Do you know what Ruby'd
do? She'd run away!" and Ellen
laughed outright at the thought.
It was here that Elizabeth had slip
ped into the window recess, her pulses
throbbing.
If Cook's little girl could run away
.why shouldn't she?
Elizabeth had not known It could
be so cold when one got out Into the
night; but the stars had a friendly
twinkle, and the shop-windows looked
bo pretty with their tinsel draplnga
and red paper bells that ehe almost
forgot the cold as she went eagerly
from one gay collection of toys to an
other, an felt the companionship of
children, as she rubbed shoulders with
ragged newsboys and plnched-faced
little girls who gazed quite as eagerly
as she at the Christmas dolls hold
ing outstretched arms to the passers
by.
? "Are they ? are they to sell?" she
asked timidly, of a little girl who
held her baby sister by the hand and
stamped her feet to keep them warm.
"Sakes alive, yes!" said the other,
in astonishment. "Ain't that one with
the black curls too cute for any
thing!" she added, gazing at It with
wistful eyes.
"Could we go in and ? and buy It?"
asked Elizabth earnestly.
f" 'Course we could, if wo had the
inety-eight cents."
"Come on, then!" Bald Elizabeth,
and, grasping her incredulous compan
ion by the hand, Bhe plunged into the
store. "The doll with the black
curls!" she stammered. "May I buy
it for this little girl?"
"Sure," said the salesman.
Elizabeth fished a dollar bill out of
her little chain purse and watched
curiously ' as the
child lifted the
doll tenderly In her
arms and walked
out, forgetting, in
her delight to say
"thank you," and the
baby sister toddled
after.
Out in the street
again Elizabeth saw
two small boys with
their faces glued to
the window of the
next shop, where
sticks of candy lay
in fascinating rows.
and chocolates and gum-drops were
heaped in pyramids, with trays of
fudge and molasses-candy in between.
She stopped, and, without any hes
itation this time, gave them each a
cent.
Her chain purse was empty now,
her exhilarating occupation gone, and
she stood, a forlorn little figure in her
ertnlne and relret, on the corner of
the crowded street.
She had remained thus for some lit*
tie time when she heard a quick step
behind her and Bhe was Quickly grasp
ed by strong but kindly hands and
swung on to the steps.
"So-ho!" said a big man, who had
come up the street. "It's Mistress
Elizabeth Rockerbyl What are you up
to, Betsy Jane?"
"Cousin Bob!" gasped Elizabeth.
"Yes, 'Cousin Bob,' and now, 'cry
your trail,' little sister! "
"J? I ran away," falt^rer Elizabeth.
._''Well, come along in and I'll Intro
duce you to the cousins," said CouhIh
Bob, cheerfully, and then I'll 'phono
'em up and tell therri that it's our
turn to have you."
? And Elizabeth snuggled her flnge?a
happily into her bijr c< ? '= hruda as
she stepped tor ~ life*.
Mr. (lleufaddle started out about
two week* before Christina* to *olv*
the servant problem.
"The trouble with women/' he said
to his wife, "In that they don't go at
the thing right. This trouble will
never be settled until It Is settled by
diplomacy, and diplomacy Is a thing
tliat, I am sorry to say, doesn't come
natural to women. Servant girls are
only human? that's a thing which Is
too often forgotten. Treat your girls
kindly and they will stand by you.
That'* the rule I go by in my busi
ness affairs. What kind of a time do
you suppose [ would have with the
men in my . office if I tried to manage
them as a woman manages the help In
her kitchen? Why, I'd always hav*
to keep breaking in new people.
"Now let me give you a few point*
era Qet something nice for the girl
on Christmas? something that you
would be glad to have yourself. Most
woif.en give their servants a few
cheap trinkets that serve no other
purpose than to show the girls that
they are put away down in the social
scale.
"Instead of getting her a ten-cent
comb or a new contrivance to scrap* !
the crumbs off the dining-room table*
buy her a nice present thiB year. (Jive '
her something she will be proud to
show to her friends. Then, you see,
they will get to envying her and com
paring their own cheap presents with
what sho got from us, and whatll be
"Emma Has Given Me Notice."
' the result? She'll conclude that t^is
! Is a pretty good place to wOTSTehe'll
j see that we give her credit for pos
' sessing good taste, and we will have
i no more trouble over the servant
problem for awhile anyway."
! Mrs. Glenfaddle decided to take her
! husband's advice for once. If the sol
emu truth muBt be told, she has never
become addicted to the habit of doing
j this. But there seemed to be a few
j gleams of reason in his argument,
and accordingly she decided to make
her Emma thrice glad on Christmas
morning. The girl had been very pa
tient and faithful for quite a while
anyway, and it was no more than
right that merit should be rewarded.
Among the things in the box ,?Mch
Emma found on the kitchen table
when she went down to get breakfast
on the morning of the great day were
cloth for. a fine new dress, a toilet set
for her bureau, a glove box with *
pair of gloves in It, and a purse made
of Beal leather.
The next day when Mr. Olenfaddle
got home his wife said:
"Oh, by the way, Arthur, I wish
you'd put an ad, in the paper tomor*
row. Emma has given me notice that
she will leave us a week from Thurs
day. She has found a place where
she can get 25 cents a week more than
we are paying her."
Lett They Forget.
Bunt out the little lame jirl.
The poor boy who Is blind;
Hunt out the weary widow
Who thinks the world anklnd;
Search down among the hovels
Where gladness seldom strays.
And teach the doubting people
There still are Christmas days.
Tou have been busy planning
To spread your gifts afar.
To add your fair love-tokens
Where joys and comforts are.
But have you In your gladness
Bestowed one kindly thought
On those who eit In darkness.
Whose crusts are dearly bougtatV
Tour heart ts full of kindness,
Tou hear the anthems sung .
And gase up at the windows
- Where ribboned wreaths are hongs
Tou've heard the sweet old story
With reverence retold?
But there are hungry children ? ,
Where all is dark and cold. i.
. * I
Hunt out the little lame girl.
The poor boy who is blind; f
Hunt out the weary widow
Who thinks the world unkindt
Go down among the victims
Of chance and greed and crime
And cause them to remember
That this Is Christmas tims.
Getting the Particular*.
"Oh, have you seen your Christmas
present to me. dear?"
j "No." he answered, 'what did I glva
rou?*
"This beautiful cabinet for the din
ing-room." - ?
"It's beautiful, Isn't it? How muck
lid ? pay for Itl!*
"My boy," said Bullington ftllger,
the eminent speculator in stock*. "I
Intend to do something this year that :
I have never done before. I Vhave
never taken much stock In this Christ
man foolishness. it ieem? to me that
people carry It to an absurd extreme; :
but, bb 1 have said, I am going to
br?ak away from my custom this ,
year, You are helping to support your
wUflowed mother.
are you not?"
The boy who
marked the quo
tations up on the
b 1 g blackboard
made a strong
effort to conceal
his emotion aa he
answered:
"Yes, sir. I al
ways carry my
earnings home to
her."
"That Is noble
of you. You da
serve tbe highest
praise for your
thoughtf u 1 n e s a.
A mother who
baa such a aon
should be very proud of him, and I
have no doubt that your mother fully
appreciates your worth. What I start
ed to say a moment ago was that 1 In
tend to do something to encourage
you In your work ? something to prove
to you that I wish you well and that,
however cold I may have at times
appeared, I am kind at heart."
"Oh, thank you, sir," said the boy.
??Mother will be proud when she
learns that I have been able to win
your respect."
"I like to hear a boy talk as you
talk," the eminent gentleman contin
ued. "A boy who 16 glad for his
mother's sake to win the approval of
others may always be depended upon
to give a good account of himself.
You may not have suspected It, but I
have for a long time been watching
you. I have noticed that you do not
smoke cigarettes;
that you use lit
tle slang; that
you pay strict at
tention * to your
duticB and al-^
ways show a
proper deference
to those above
? ? Q . . . !
you.
"M y mother
told me when I
started out in the
world," the boy
replied, "to al
ways keep away
from bad habits
and be respect
ful to those \tfio
had the right\o
be treated re
Bpectfully."
"Good. It Is evident that you have
an estimable mother. With such a
mother and such a character as you
seem to possess I have no doubt that
you will succeed in life. It would
be a pity to disturb your self-reliance
by giving you money. I shall not do
that. I do not believe In giving money
to people anyhow. It is a bad prac
tice. There are other ways of ex- ;
tending help that are much more ef- (
fective-^-much better for thoBe who
receive it. Now it is my purpose to
do something for you."
"I ? I fiardly know how to thank
you, sir."
"Oh, never mind that, my boy. The 1
most eloquent thanks are not always j
expressed in
words. There are
other i ways of
showing apprecia
tion. So don't
bother yourself
if words happen
to fail you. There
are indications
that ;this is go
ing to be an old
fashioned winter,
and I know what
it is to be tor
tured by the cold.
You have seen
that 1 have a
new overcoat
with a Persian
lamb collar and
real mink lining*
hare you not?"
sir."
. "You would bo surprised if I were
to tell you how much it coat But I
need not dwell upon that. I have
found it extremely comfortable. It
haa caused me to feel sorry for others
who cannot afford such coats. I
think It must be the Christmas spirit
that has come to me. With the col*
lar of my warm coat turned up so
that it covera my ears I am able to
keep comfortable in the coldeBt
weather."
The boy felt a lump rising In hie
throat and ho was compelled to wink
rapidly to keep back his tears of
gratitude.
"This morning," Mr." Hllger con
tinued, "I found a pair of plush ear
mufTa that I used last winter, and 1
have decided to prefect them to you."
HOLIDAY
?
SUGGESTIONS
THERE is no more useful
gift than the article that
adds to ones beauty, comfort
and convenience. If your gift
is one of usefulness it will be
enjpyed by the recipient 365
days of the year.
This big store is abloom
with suggestions that will
meet your approval in both
Quality
AND
Price
There are hundreds and
hundreds of things that would
make appropriate gifts to
mother, father, sister and
brother at most any price
you may want to pay.
Let us have the pleasure of
showing you; through our
big store and showing you to
( . . ?... .? v ' ; i.\ : . C'. -5-. .
the most attractive selections
for a Chiistmas gift.
L. Schenk
and Company
9