Newspaper Page Text
May 5, 1909. THE
THE WAY OF THE KIMBALL FAMILY.
By Francis J. Delano.
"Oh, it's fine skating on the pond, and
not a heme lesson have 1 got to get!
Won't I just have a glorious afternoon
skating?'
Elsie Kimball dropped into her place
at the lunch table as happy as a lark.
I'm irlad for you," cried Father Kim
ball.
"So am I," said Mother Kimball.
"Me, too!" exclaimed Linnie, regardless
of his grammar.
"A glorious half-holiday to you!" put
in big sister Grace.
'Ard good luck," shouted Bobble.
Little Patsie, the baby, crowed and
kicked her feet, thereby showing herself
to be a genuine Kimball. The Kimball
family, you must know, had a great
way of sharing in each other's good
times.
"When does this wonderful half-holiday
begin?" asked father..
"Soon's the dishes are washed,"
laughed Elsie.
"Dear me," cried Grace, "I forgot I
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with that play for the Village Industries.
Can't you stop long enough to give me
the cues? It's the last rehearsal tonight."
"Sure!" said Elsie. "That won't take
long." (The whole family always accommodated
each othter.)
"On your way, Elsie," said Mother
Kimball, "stop at Mrs. Emmans and ask
her to come to dinner tonight, I tliink
a change will brighten her up." (The
Kimballs were very hospitable.)
"I'm going to the west pond," replied
Elsie, "but I'll run over to Mrs. Emman3
fiisi, that won't take long." (None of the
Kimballs minded putting themselves out
a b't, now and then.)
After lunch was over and the dishes
vvasnca. u-isie neiped urace witn ner piay
t and did the errand at Mrs. Emmans, then
M she came hack home for her skates. She
was just starting out of the house 'when
' Linnie came in with his finger hurt. Of
course she couldn't leave then?the Kimballs
had a kindly way with them when
any one was in trouble. She had to
watch mother bind up the finger and
then make sure that Linnie was comfortable.
While Elsie was busy with all these
various calls, the skaters were gathering
fast over on the west pond. By three
o'clock nearly half of the town was there,
big boys and little boys, and girls of all
sizes. Almost everybody had either a
pair of skates or a sled or at least a
hockey stick.
There was one little fellow, however,
who had none of those things. He was
a forlorn looking little chap; his coat
was a bunch of rags, his shoes out at
the toes, and he had no mittens. Once,
last winter, some one had loaned him a
pair of skates, and ever since that "great
day," whenever there was skating, he had
stuck close to the pond, eagerly hoping
for another loan.
Every once in a while he would run
up to the skater and sing out, "Lemma
try yer skates?" "Gimme a chanst at yer
skates." You would have thought, from
his eager voice and manner, that he had
L. had the loan of skates dozens of times
instead of but once in his life.
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT]
Its excellence created a demand
This year its quality
Luzi
THE, REJLY-TAYLOR C
Not a soul on the pond took any notir?o
r\f him Hvn*? /\n iho n/>rth *-?#
the pond, however, were several men
who had been watching for a long time.
They had wandered over from a factory
town several miles distant and had dropped
down on some settees to watch
the skaters. They were men who had
been out of work for some time, and they
looked pretty miserable and discouraged.
"See that little chap?" said one of the
men. "He's been begging the loan of a
pair of skates for the last three hours.
Don't appear to get discouraged."
"Hum,' sighed the man who sat next
to him. "he'll get discouraged once for all
some day. That pond Is like the world?
every man for himself."
As they were speaking, down the oppos'to
bank came Elsie Kimball. In a momonf
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and was skimming along with the besi
of them. Upon reaching the edge of the
pond where the men sat, up came the
forlorn little youngster.
"Gimme the loan of yer skates?" he
pleaded, jumping up and down as he
spoke and thrashing his hands to keep
them warm.
Elsie curved round and looked the little
chap over. "\Iy goodness!" she exclaimed.
"Haven't you any mittens?"
The childs eyes were upon Elsie's
skates. He almost felt himself gliding
over the pond. "I'll give 'em right back.
I will, if you'll give me the loan of 'em
for a jiffy."
Elsie, skating round and round the little
urchin, eyed his shoes.
"You couldn't get my skates on those
shoes. I should think your toes would be
frozen."
The child's face clouded. "Couldn't you
just let me have a try at 'em? I could get
'em on."
Elsie had a happy thought. "Say!" she
exclaimed, "I'll tell you what I can do.
My little brother has 9ome skates just
your size. He'll loan them to you." (It
was the way of the Kimballs to loan their
things.) "Now look! you see that street?"
Elsie pointed to the street leading
straight out from the pond. "Our house is
number 278: you ring the bell and tell
whoever comes to the door that Elsie
Kimball sent you for Linnie's skates.
*Tell them I promised ycu should use 'em
this afternoon. Now run, and don't forget
the number."
A
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After the child had gone the men, who
had heard every word Elsie had spoken,
looked at each other.
"Well!" exclaimed the one who had
just declared every man was for himself,
"there's one little lass who'll put herself
out."
"Yes," agreed another, "likely there's
a good many, first and last, like that little
girl there."
' "Oh, the world isn't so bad!" declared
a third man, nodding his head and speakinir
with snmp cViAtip />f ?
-w ?uvn UL UUUI cxgt. INO
use looking on the shady side all the
time."
Bach man seemed to pluck up courage
now, and when they saw the little chap
getting over the ice on Linnie's skates,
the happiest youngster on the .whole
pond, they brightened up and in spite of
themselves and began to tell storiea
about "when they were boys."
Blsie herself was so used to doing little
kindnesses (neighborliness was a part
of the day's work with the Kimball famHi.
v "
ijj; one never gave me affair another
thought. She skipped home that, night
with Linnie's skates over one shoulder
and her own over the other, and when
she told the family about her glorious
afternoon?how the ice was like glass,
and how she had learned to skate backward,
and how she and Helen Lyon had'
skated "over and over" three times
round the pond without a break, etc., shenever
thought to mention that she had
given a poor little chap the happiest afternoon
of his life.
She didn't know, of course, how that
one little kindly ?ct of hers had made thewhole
world look bright to half a dozen
discouraged men. We never do know
what great results oome from the l^nst
little hit of a kindness. Of one thing we
may be sure, though?wherever there is
a place fortunate enough to boast a family
like the Kimballs, happiness is spreading
all over that town and away over
into the next. Anybody is likely to catch
It?men out of work and poor little waifs
with no skates and ever and ever so
many people.?The Congregationalism
There is so much more to do in these
days that the time seems short. Yet the
doing of today's work today gives time
enough tomorrow.