Universal Brotherhood, Volume XIII, No. 10, January 1899: A Magazine Devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, the Theosophical Movement, Philosophy, Science and ArtVarious
Religion
Universal Brotherhood, Volume XIII, No. 10, January 1899: A Magazine Devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, the Theosophical Movement, Philosophy, Science and Art
Various
Theosophy -- Periodicals
"How do you do," said Bessie, all out of breath. "Please, wouldn't you
like to have a Christmas present? We are going to have a whole lot of
presents to-morrow and we bought these with our very own money. Please
take mine," and she thrust her package into surprised little Maggie's
arms.
"And please do take my present," said Alice, going to Annie. "Indeed, I
will have a lot more," and she handed her package to the astonished
little girl.
"We wish you a happy Christmas," said the little girls in one voice, and
before Maggie and Annie could speak, they had both hurried away.
To say that our children were astonished, hardly expresses it. They
hugged their bundles and stood on the sidewalk staring after the two
little girls as though bewildered. Maggie was the first to recover.
"Oh, aint it too good to be true, we'll have a real Chrissmus, now,
won't we?" What kind little girls them was, wasn't they? They wasn't a
bit stuck up!"
"No, indeed!" answered Annie. "I'm so s'prised I don't know what to do."
But it was growing cold and the two children were forced to hurry along.
They did not say much as they hastened through the crowded streets but
their hearts were dancing with joy. When they at last reached home they
rushed up the long tenement stairs and stopped in the hall before their
door. "Let's go to bed right now without opening our bundles," said
Maggie, "and then to-morrow morning we can wake up and have a s'prise
jest like we wuz rich children!" Annie agreed to this and the two
children were soon fast asleep in their small bed in the cold dark room.
* * * * *
On Christmas morning two children in a beautiful home on Madison Avenue
were dancing around their nursery full of happiness over the lovely
presents that had been made ready for them during the night. They had so
many gifts that they never missed the two presents they had given to the
poor little sisters the night previous, until suddenly Bessie clasped
Mademoiselle Fifine in her arms and said:
"Oh, you dear French dollie, you are very beautiful, but I do not think
you are nicer than the sweet little Japanese doll I saw in the shop
window last night!" How Mademoiselle Fifine would have liked to turn up
her tiny aristocratic nose at this, but she couldn't.
And Alice said, "Do you know, sister, it seems to me that this is the
loveliest Christmas we have ever had."
"I think it must be because we know that somewhere in this city there
are two little girls who are having a Christmas treat because of us."
"It is quite true what mother taught us, that 'It is more blessed to
give than to receive.'"
Down in East Fourteenth Street two little sisters had slept all night
cuddled close together for warmth. Bright and early they waked up on
Christmas morning and Maggie's first words were:
"Annie, do you know I dremt that the little Japanese doll we saw in the
toy store wus in my bundle."
"That's queer, for I dremt that the messenger boy was in my package!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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