Newspaper Page Text
THE LAGRANGE REPORTER.
FRIDAY MORN TNG. DEC. 11. 1914.
Wrs.Wcffat's
hristmas
'fell Clarissa c t c taeKie ••
ES. DEACON POTTS
ped the teacher’*
^smartly with a ruler,
the member* who
■ sitting at the low desk*
friendly gossip came
attention rather,
guiltily. It was
a week before
fchmtmas, and the Ladies’ Aid so
ciety was meeting in the sohool-,^r>
house. <o 6 '
“Now that we have settled upon'
the needy ones who must be helped
at Christmas time, it only remains
to appoint some one to go around
and solicit contributions for the
purpose,’’ announced Mrs. Potts.
’Helena Moffat has always done
that,” suggested Mrs. Pinney
“Where is the list!” asked Helena
jbluntly. She was a little blue eyed,
sanity haired woman who lived
very modestly on a tiny in '
come left by her dead husband.
Helena was always foremost in
good works.
Mrs. Potts smiled as she,
gave the list to Helena.
“If you can get as many
contributions as you did last
year, Helena, every home in
Little River will spend a hap*
jpy and bountiful Christmas.’’
“Except some of the givers,
Whispered Helena. ^ _
- ‘‘Why, what do you meant’’ exclaimed Mrs. Potts.i •( \ v (
Helena smiled mysteriously and, nodding goodby to the qther mem
hers, went away from the schoolhouse with her list of names. V As she
walked along the village street she studied the
“Miss Riddell, rolling in money and lonesome jis a homesickjcat,” she
commented; “old Mr. Wayne, without chick or child_andfrattling around
that big house like a pea in a barrel; the Widow Merton^stilljmourning
for her husband dead twenty years and crying her heart out/every Christ
mas because all her children are dead and gone; Dr. Langdon, busy as a
bee all the year and not a moment to spare except on Christmas day,
when he has to stay at homo with the housekeeper because hi only
daughter married a man way out in Honolulu, and Mr. Atkins,, trying to
keep house all alone since his ma died. I don’t believe any town ever
bad such a lot of lonesome folks in it. Talk about giving to the needy
poor! Well, the needy rich ought to be looked after. I wonder who
ought to tackle that job ?” O O
Helena turned the thought over and over in her busy mind as she
•rent from house to house soliciting contributions for the Christmas giv
ing of the Ladies’ Aid society.
Old Mr. Wayne, not so very old and still hale and handsome,^gRve a
generous check and gave it with a smile.
“I’m going to give a Christmas party. Will you come V 1 asked Helena
recklessly.
•‘Why—er—thank pou, Mrs. Moffat. I shall be delighted!” gasped
Mr. Wayne, for he had only a slight acquaintance with the little widow.
“Christmas day it my house in Willow lane I’m going to have a
Christmas tree,” promised Helena as she went away. “I shall be disap
pointed if you don’t come.”
“I’ll be there, although I haven’t attended a party in years, _said Mr.
Waype cordially. ., .
“Ay’Christ mas party V 9 echoed Miss Sarah Riddell after Helena had
tucked her check away in her black sateen bag. “I don’t know, Helena.
i I haven’t been to a merrymaking in years and”—
“All the more reason why you should come to mine,” interrupted
Helena stoutly. “Mr. Wayne’s owning and lots of others.”
"It is delightful of you to ask me,” said Miss Riddell smilingly. £ “I
Shall look forward to your party, Helena."
After Helena had gone | Sarah Riddell went upstairs into her spare
bedroom and looked through the wardrobes, where hung almost forgotten
gowns that belonged to a gala period of years ago.
They smelled, of cedar and lavender, but there would
be one that must be presentable enough to wear to a
Christmas||party. j t | °
I There was something festive in
the very words, “Christmas party.”
“It won’t be so lonesome,’^ said
Miss Riddell wistfully.
Helena Moffat went her “way
from house to house, adding sev
eral checks to those already in her
black sateen bag and placing op
posite other names on her list
promises of potatoes, flour, plum
l puddings, apples, pies,
chickens and other goodies
for the Christmas season.
Here and there Helena
dropped an invitation to
her Christmas party. These
invitations were judicious
ly distributed. She over
looked those who had
large families and those
who had any families at
jail to help
them make
need my party,” decided Helena, growing enthtwiastio as her list-of
guests increased. “This is to be a party for lonesome folks, and, judging
by the number here in Little River, it ought to be a large gathering, as
the city newspaper* say when rich .folks entertain.”
“It’s the funniest thing,” she soliloquized as she wended her way
home when her errands were completed. “I never thought of a party
until the words popped right out of my mouth there in Mr. Wayne’s
house. I can’t afford to give ’em much to eat, but they’re welcome to
what there is, and I can earn some extra money some way or other to
make up for what viotuals they’ll eat. And a Christmas tree—well, I’ll
get Ham Tennant to chop down that hemlook in the south lot. It can
go into the parlor, and I oan make some little gifts to go on it and wal
nut taffy and hickory nuts and popcorn, and I guess my piece bag will
turn out silk scraps enough to make pin balls and penwipers for every
Good land, it is exciting to make a party for poor rich folks!”
When the Ladies’ Aid society heard that Helena Moffat was going to doctor int0 a brown
...
/ 3
m
.-’ight 19h by. ,
n Pras Association
Isn’t it a.happy timer’ hreathed Helena ft* she whisked though the
sitting room.
The Widow Merten looked up with soft, tender eyw. The Seem
twins were sitting in her lap and nestling against her motherly breast.
“Oh, Helena, I shall never forget this day!” the sighed. “I want to
adopt these children for my own.”
“Why can’t you?” returned Helena joyfully. “You couldn’t ftik for a
better Chrintmas gift, and the twins would be wonderfully blessed.”
Dr. Langdon looked at Helena with kindly, quixxieal eyes.
“You wonderful woman! Have yon had time to think of your own
happiness?” he asked.
“This is my happiness!” returned Helena, with a wide gesture that
included the house and its occupants.
Mr. Atkins looked up from the stamps he was studying. Dr. Langdon
surprised & strange look on his quiet, reserved face, a look that sent the
give a Christmas party and that few of their members were toteinvi ted
a wave of virtuous indignation swept through the ranks. Oj
“Seems to me Helena Moffat’s aiming to enter society^ one|jump,
only inviting the rich folks," sneered Mrs. Pinney.
“There’s some rich folks she hasn’t invited,” defended Mrs. Potts.
“If you’ll stop to think you’ll find she’s only asked folks whojjiaven’t
any families to make Christmas for ’em. She’s asked those little Seeder
twins from the town farm. You know they’re the only children at the
farm, and I expect it is dull for them. Helena’s thought all that out.
“I don’t suppose she could ask everybody in town," admitted Mrs.
Pinney. “Her house is a tiny plaoe, and I wonder if she’d be offended if
I had Darius send around a gallon of ioe cream for the party ? Mr.
Pinney was proprietor of the ice cream parlors in Little River.
“That’s a kind thought, Sarah,” said Mrs. Potts qnickly. “I am go
ing to send Helena a Christmas cake. She’s worked like a major over
this contribution business. There won’t be a hungry mouth
in Little River this Christmas.’’ Mill || ( If l| I j//
“Or a hungry heart," added Mrs. Pinney seriously,/"
Helena’s party.” 1 'V
The days preceding Christmas7flew
by. For Helena Moffat they' werejilled
with happiness, for every moment was
occupied. Her little cottage was clean
ed from attic to cellar, although it was
usually immaculate. For days spicy
odors were wafted through her kitchen
windows upon the frosty air. Cakes
and pies and cookies were baked; pans
of walnut taffy cooled to hardness in
the attic windows and were twisted
into waxed papers. Stores of hickory
nuts and black walnuts were brought
forth and the rosiest of apples picked
out of the barrels stored in the cellar. || I
Ham Tennant chopped down the lit
tle hemlock in the pasture and set it in
a tnb in the middle of the parlor. Then
he brought great armfuls of trailing j?
ground pine and bittersweet and green 1
laurel, and the walls and windows werei
decked with the cheerful green and
the red berries. —=■
“I shall have a party every, year,”
Helena promised herself as she flew
from room to room on Christmas eve. )) JT~
“I do hope Mr. Wayne will like/his^-"" y/-
u They say he has the^“ ^—
knitted slippers. They say
rheumatism badly, and somehow folks
don’t get such things even if they are
rich. It needs a heart to think of com
forts like that. I’m so happy. Seems
as if my heart could hold the whole
world tonight.” o
She went to thAwnidow and; looked out at the) red^reflectioiy of ( the
sunset slanting albngytlie snow^j “I'm?glad I decided^toQiave^aVspcnd
the ^ av ’ nortv nftpr nil ^Tt’R.ChristTnasfdav that’s the lonesomest.^jVO)
w „.the snowT) “I’mfglad
le day’ party, after all.XltY/Christmas|day that’s the lonesornest^TV CD
1 Helena’s Christmas~'ircej looked (beautiful with its\jino\w(string8 of
popcorn, its little paper wrapped^gifts tied with red ribbonsXltsfmysteri-
ously stuffed stockings for each guest which Helena had maaejfrpm pink
tarlatan found in the attic. fThe attic gave other things, too—some for
gotten toys that would gladden the hearts of the Seever twinsj&nd an old
book that Dr. Langdon would rejoice over; some foreign stamps that Mr.
Atkins might like for his collection. 0 (2^--7 O
The Seever twins arrived first. Mr. Smith/had brought them over
early so that they might enjoy every minutejof the day, he explained
kindly. | They were a rosy, chubby pair, agirl and a boy of five
Miss Riddell came in her shining ^carriage, driven by old black
Nathan, who was eager to be off to spend the day with his family in the
village. Miss Riddell’s arms were full of mysterious looking white pack
ager, and Helena found that the lonesome lady had had a lovely time se
lecting gifts for all of Helena’s guests, people she had known all her life,
but somehow had never known intimately.
Before, 10 o’clock all the other guests had arrived, each one bearing
gifts until the little hemlock almost creaked under its burden. Pack
ages were heaped around the base of it, and in some mysterious way
oranges suddenly appeared on every branch, and bonbons, and a doll and
a book from the city for the twins.
There was much laughter and merriment in the parlor and sitting
room, where the guests were .gathered. Miss Riddell and the Widow Mer
ton insisted on helping Helena prepare dinner, although Agatha Ames,
the little milliner, presented her nervous little hands for the task.
“Run away, do,” insisted Miss Riddell kindly. “Go into the parlor
and sit down and rest yourself, Agatha, unless you'd rather work. I like
to work around the house at Christmas when therfe’s any One to do things
for.”
“I’d rather rest if you don’t mind,” said Agatha as she sank into a
chair in the corner of the parlor.
KisB Riddell found time now and then to slip into the sitting room
and wring a gay tune out of the tinkling old piano, and Mr. Wayne dis
covered Mr. Moffat’s violin in a corner and, having tuned it, played such
marvelous music that every one came and listened, spellbound. They all
joined in a Christmas carol after that, and then Mr. Wayne insisted on
peeling the potatoes just so that he could smell the turkey roasting, and
Mr. Atkins cracked nuts, while the doctor went to the cellar for sweet
cider.
Dr. Langdon insisted that Mr. Atkins should carve the dinner turkey,
and that quiet bachelor grew quite pink in the operation.
Miss Riddell did not seem to miss the attentions of her skilled blaok
servants, and Mr. Wayne grew very jovial and witty and told such funny
stories I that he kept the table in a gale of laughter. Helena, sitting al
the hefid of the table, lopked from one happy face to another aud was
.happy herself. | |(| I
The Seever twins stuffed themselves out
rageously, and | Mrs. | Merton saw that theii
Agatha Ames just ate
smiled and
;!} rested.
“I’ve talked hats
for ajwpr,” she ex
plained. “Just lei
me listen to othei
folks talking.- I’m
resting today.”
So each one found
happiness in an in
dividual way. Each
lone took what h<
needed of what th«
day had to give.
After they had
ffiggSVqt helped to clear
^^-rf ithe table they wenl
V^Minto the parlor;
'" where the Christ
mas tree stood h*
with its gifts. I
Dr. Langdon be
came a very jolly
Santa Claus and
distributed gifts to
each one.
^‘I haven’t had a '
Christmas stocking
'ainciy I was a lad,”
)_jpm,arked Mr.
© Wayne as he fum
bled with i tta> drawstring of
his tarlatan stocking.
“There’s a queer I feeling
about a Christmas stocking.
All those queer littje lumps
'suggest wonderful presents,
and ode is never disappointed, even
if the lumps turn out to be quite
everyday things.”
He smiled in a wonderful way at
Helena, and she. smiled book again,
and Mr. Atkins managed to inter
cept the smile and take it to him-
self" Helena felt a strange emo-
\ tjon Stirring her heart. What else
was this wonderful Christmas offer-
ing to her? O
When the tree wa/quiie denuded' of its glories they playedfgames and
told stories and sane/songsX Mr. Atkins developed 'gysweet'tenor voice
and sang old Scotch]songs,(while Mr. Wayne accompanied him on the
violin. v OQo
At last it was time to go home. The happiness the little honse sent
ont into the winter air lightened the town for many a long day. Best of
all for Helena, Timothy Atkins had learned what a wonderful woman
Moffat for Atkins.
I I 'I
Dr. Langdon and Agatha fonnd|
happiness on their way home from
Helena's. | l| M I I;
When Mrs. Deacon Potts heard
abont Helena’s engagement she
threw np her hands in dismay. | (
“Helena Moffat, do yon know
what your Christmas party has re
sulted in ?” she asked excitedly.
“Plenty of happiness,” smiled .|=r
Helena. CT?
“Yes. Look at the Seever twins — |p= 1
and their new mother, and
Mr. Wayne and Miss Riddell, an^~
other marriage, sure as yon live!
Why, Helena Moffat, there aren’t
any lonesome folks left in Little
Biver!” CUD
“We will have a Christmas par
ty every year, then,” decided
Selena.
II
i’ll
... r •
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If
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