Newspaper Page Text
Qcw ScnVf 1902.
How the Twins Saved Moneu
II A NEW YEAR'S STORY II go
"&mr By HELEN MORRIS
BS HIS twins rushed noisily into the house, caught up their banks, ami rushed
out again, elosmg tlie door witu a bang.
Aunt Mary glanced up from the book she was reading a look of dis
approval on her ic.ceShe t'.iought the twins were not as careful of their
money as they should be, and she must discover gome way by which
they might be taught economy. Accordingly, after supper that night, she
"I have a plan to propose to you, girls," she said. "Hut first how much money
have you in the bank, Rachel?"
"Not a cent," Rachel answered, promptly. "I gave the last of it to the monkey."
"So did I," chimed in Clarice. "Oh, Aunt Mary, he was so cute!"
Aunt Mary frowned. She had given them each a quarter only a day or so ago.
"Well, that makes you even to start with," she said. "Now, 1 will .U you my
plan. I want you each to rave all the money you can from now until New Ycir, then
I will take the one who has saved the most with me to spend New Year's day at Aunt
Harriet's."
The twins clapped their hands in delight. Aunt Harriet lived in the country, and
they asked no greater happiness than to visit her.
"Oil, how lovely!" Rachel exclaimed. "I'm not going to spend another cent, from
now until the happy day. I'll be the one to go, Clarice, just see if I'm not. You know
you never can save money;"
"Oh, don't you be too sure of that," Clarice replied." "You know the doctor has
forbidden me to eat any moie candy, so I'm that much ahead of you. Oh, dear, 1 wish
New Year were not
quite so far off!"
It did seem to the
twins that an expect
ed holiday was never
before so ' slow in
coming. It was very
hard for them to pass
the stands where the
fruit was arranged so
temptingly; and the
candy, seen through
the store windows,
had never looked
quite so delicious be
fore. It was hard,
also, to pass the old
blind man on the cor
ner, and the old
apple woman, and
the crippled boy to
whom they had been
accustomed to giving
some of their pen
nies. "I declare, I feel
just too stingy to
live!" Clarice ex
claimed, a few days
before New Year. "I
passed the dearest
little beggar girl on
the street to-day. She
was crying because
she was so cold and
hungry, and I didn't
give her a single pen
ny. I've felt mean
about it ever since.
Oh, I'm so glad it's
so near New Year.
Won't it be nice to
spend our own mon
ey again, Ray?
Seems to me I'd like
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"Oh, how mean!" Clarice cried, indignantly, while Rachel opened her eyes wide in
atnaze:iient. '
"Yes, he's a hard, cruel man," Nurse Bently said. The tears were trickling down
her wrinkled face, and she wiped them off with the corner of her shawl, "lie says
the poorhouse is the place for them that can't pay, and 1 expect it is; maybe it won't
bo so bad," she added, trying to speak cheerfully. "But it does come hard when folks
have lived independent all their lives, like I have."
"It's a burning shame!" Rachel exclaimed, passionately. "I only wish papa were
home, and he'd fix it all rig'.it, and he would teaeii that old landlord a lesson! I wish
I were big enough to do something myself." Siie paused suddenly, and her face flushed.
. "Isn't there something I can do?" (lashed through her mind. "There's that money in
my bank at home. It's enough to pay a month's rent for this old shell of a room,
I should think; or at least enough to keep the landlord from doing anything untij
papa coines home. ISut,'oh, dear!" with sudden dismay, "I dou't want to give that
money away!"
Rachel was very quiet after she had bidden Nurse Bently good-by and was ton the
way home. But she was thinking earnestly. "Oh, I almost know I would be the one
to go to Aunt Harriet's, anil now, if I give my money to Nurse Bently, I'll have to stay
at home and let Clare go. But I can't let poor old nurse go to the poorhouse! If she
, hadn't taken such good care of me -when I had the scarlet fever I should have died;
the doctor said so. Oh, dear!"
Rachel was very thoughtful all that evening, but when bedtime came she had made
up her mind.
"I'll take the money over to nurse bright an! early to-morrow, morning," she
thought, pressing her lips together resolutely. ''I ain't care if I can't go to Aunt
Harriet's!"
But she did care very much. Even Nurse Bently's grot joy over the money did
not entirely soothe the ache in her heart. She did not tell Cla.,;ce what she had done;
she did not feel quite able to talk of it yet.
The last day arrived.
"You may bring your banks into the library, girls," said Aunt Mary. The twins
obeyed, rather slowly, much to her surprise. Rachel was feeling better now. She had
had a talk with her father the day before, and knew that he approved of her action
toward Nurse Bently. Still there was a little lump in her throat as she put her bank
down on the table and walked toward the window. She dreaded to hear Clare's cry
of delight which would announce the fortunate one. Clarice also put her bank on the
stand, then stood gazing intently at the fire in the grate.
Aunt Mary opened
first one bank, then
the other; then she
gave an exclamation
of dismay. T h e
twins slowly looked
around. Both banks
lay open on the
table, - and .there was
not a cent in either
of them. For a mo
ment not a word
was said; the chil
dren stared at each
other in astonish
ment. Rachel was
the first to speak.
"Why, Clare Seds
wick! What on
earth did you do with
all of your money?"
"I I gave it to
Nurse Bently, so
she wouldn't have
to go to the poor
house," Clarice re
plied, with a little
m he" voice
showed how
her struggle
been. "But
r.'.r-Hff. new":'
catch
which
great
had
where
she
is yours?
'Oh! It's the Babies!" Sbn Exclaimed, Relieved.
to spend it by the handful, just to make up for lost time," she added, laughingly.
Happily, for Aunt Mary's peace of mind, she did not hear this conversation.
"I wonder which of us will go to Aunt Harriet's," Rachel said, after a pause.
"Do you know how much money you have in your bank, Clare?"
"No, I haven't kept account of it," Clarice answered. "About seven dollars,
though, I guess. How much have you?"
"I don't know. More than that, I hope. Oh, I wish it were time to open our
banks, now. What shall we do, anyhow? I'm tired of doing nothing; I wish mamma
were home!" For Mr. and Mrs. Sedswick had suddenly been called away, and did
not expect to return for several days.
"Let's go and see Nurse Bently," Rachel suggested. "It's an awfully long time
since we were to see her, and I'm sure she must be having the rheumatism dreadfully.
She always does in winter, you know."
"All right," Clarice answered, rising and reaching for her wraps. "Come on."
The children's destination was in one of the poorest parts of the city. Long rows
of tumble-down tenement houses were on either side of the street, and around the
corners the wind whistled shrilly. In one of these houses Nurse Bently lived. The
twins did not wait to knock, but pushed oien the door, and walked direotly into the
room. It was cheerless, cold and bare. In one corner there was a small stove over
which an old woman was huddling. Her limbs were drawn and misshapen with rheu
matism. As the children entered she arose with a frightened exclamation, and turned
toward them.
"Oh, it's the babies!" she exclaimed, relieved. Rachel had often said the old lady
would call them babies if they were a hundred years old. "Which is Clare and which is
Rachel? My poor old eyes ain't so good as they were once. My, 4ut it does a poor
oul good to see you again," she added. "Take chairs and tell me about your ma."
Her face had lost its frightened expression, but it still looked haggard and worn, and
she kept glancing nervously toward the door.
"What is the matter, nurse?" Clarice asked, laughingly, after awhile. "You look
as though you were expecting a ghost!"
Nurse Bently's voice trembled. "There are things to be more afraid of than ghosts,
dearie, as you may find out when you t.e older," she said. "It's the landlord himself
that I'm expecting, and not a cent in the house to pay him."
"That's too bad," Rachel said, sympathetically. "But can't you tell him to come
again next "week?"
"And where would the money come from next week, with me crippled up with
the rheumatism?" she asked, with quivering lips. "And it wouldn't do any good to
Btk him. He says he won't be put off any longer. He said the next time he came if I
didn't have the money for him he'd turn me out into the street." She drew her little
thin shawl more tightly about her shoulders, as though she already felt the cutting
blast outside. "
demanded, look
ing blankly at the
other bank.
Rachel gave a
hysterical laugh. "I
gave mine to nurse,
too," she said. "Oh,
Clare!" Withoneim
pulse the twins
threw their arms
around each other,
half laughing, half
crying.
"Why, what does all this mean?" Mrs. Sedswick asked, in astonishment, while
Aunt Mary looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression upon her face.
After several attempts the children succeeded in giving them a fairly clear explanation.
"But, oh, Ray!" Claris exclaimed, "I never dreamed that you had any intention
of doing such a tiling. And I've been almost half angry at you to think that you
would be the one to go to Aunt Harriet's. 1 sent my money by Clara," she added,
"and I suppose that's the reason nurse didn't say anything about yours."
Rachel laughed. "Isn't it funny? We've each been thinking the same thing, and
didn't know it. And you had told papa about it, hadn't you?" she asked. "That's
the reason he looked so kind of funny when I told him."
Clarice gave Rachel's hand a loving little squeeze. "I'm so glad it has turned out
this way, only I suppose neither of us will spend New Year's at Aunt Harriet's now,"
she added, wistfully.
Mrs. Sedswick suddenly drew the children closer to her. "My blessed girls!" she
exclaimed, with shining eyes. "You shall both of you spend New Year's with Aunt
Harriet. If Mary don't take you, I will!"
"But I will!" Aunt Mary said. And with a shout of joy the twins rushed off to
pack their trunks. Minneapolis Housekeeper.
m Va
HAPPY NEW YEAR 1
By Ruth Raymond.
Happy New Year to the mother
Rising In the early dawn.
Caring for her nurslings ever
Till the daylight hours are gone.
May the New Year keep and strengthen
Loving hands that gently guide
Little feet that else would wander
In forbidden path untried.
Happy New Year to the father,
Toiling on and trusting fate,
Looking for life's full fruition
In the toy that coines but late.
When the band so nobly cherished '
Into man's estate have grown,
And he lays aside his armor
While they buckle on their own.
Happy New Year to the maiden
Pledged to one she deems as true;
May the New Year bring her gladness,
Keeping life's best gift in view,
With the love she holds the dearest,
And the tender arms and strong,
That will shelter still and keep her
As she sings love's sweetest song.
Happy New Year to the people,
While for others' good they yearn,
May the oy they give ungrudging
To their faithful hearts return.
May their vows be kept unbroken.
Home snd friends remain as dear,
Through the days that still shsll follow
Making all the Happy Year.
Goat Hnuttkttping.
