OR, CLARENCE MORTIMER. 33

 

get warm, for you must be half frozen, and
Iwill see to it that your children neither
freeze nor starve this night. There should
be happiness in every home the night before
Christmas.’

‘«’The kind-hearted lady, with this began
_ to bustle about to get together a few com-
forts that would be appreciated in a destitute
family. She carried the poor woman to the
kitchen and seated her in front of a blazing
_ fire, and then she went straight to the pan-
try with its Christmas load. There she took
out a large chicken pie, a piece of cold ham,
a loaf of cake, and two or three Inares Of =
bread, and packed them neatly into a large
basket with covers. To this she added half
a-pound of tea, a paper of sugar and a pound
of butter; also a large, warm blanket.

‘‘< Here, my good woman, take these,’