Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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 • H If 1