Bettys Bright Idea | Page 8

sign
the pledge over again from Christmas Eve, never to touch another drop,
I'll get papa to take him back. I always do get papa to do what I want,
and the fact is, he hasn't got anybody that suited him so well since John
left. So you tell John that I mean to go surety for him; he certainly
won't fail me. Tell him I trust him." And Miss Florence pulled out a
paper wherein, in her best round hand, she had written out again the
temperance pledge, and dated it "_Christmas Eve, 1875_."
"Now, you come with John to-morrow morning, and bring this with his
name to it, and you'll see what I'll do!" and, with a kiss to the children,
the little good fairy departed, leaving the family to their Christmas Eve.
What that Christmas Eve was, when the husband and father came home
with the new and softened heart that had been given him, who can say?
There were joyful tears and solemn prayers, and earnest vows and
purposes of a new life heard by the Shining Ones in the room that
night.
"And the angels echoed around the throne, Rejoice! for the Lord brings
back his own."

SCENE VI.

"Now, papa, I want you to give me something special to-day, because
it's Christmas," said the little princess to her father, as she kissed and
wished him "Merry Christmas" next morning.
"What is it, Pussy--half of my kingdom?"
"No, no, papa; not so much as that. It's a little bit of my own way that I
want."
"Of course; well, what is it?"
"Well, I want you to take John back again."
Her father's face grew hard.
"Now, please, papa, don't say a word till you have heard me. John was
a capital gardener; he kept the green-house looking beautiful; and this
Mike that we've got now, he's nothing but an apprentice, and stupid as
an owl at that! He'll never do in the world."
"All that is very true," said Mr. De Witt, "but John drinks, and I
_won't_ have a drinking man."
"But, papa, I mean to take care of that. I've written out the temperance
pledge, and dated it, and got John to sign it, and here it is," and she
handed the paper to her father, who read it carefully, and sat turning it
in his hands while his daughter went on:
"You ought to have seen how poor, how very poor they were. His wife
is such a nice, quiet, hardworking woman, and has two such pretty
children. I went to see them and carry them Christmas things yesterday,
but it's no good doing anything if John can't get work. She told me how
the poor fellow had been walking the streets in the cold, day after day,
trying everywhere, and nobody would take him. It's a dreadful time
now for a man to be out of work, and it isn't fair his poor wife and
children should suffer. Do try him again, papa!"
"John always did better with the pineapples than anybody we have

tried," said Mrs. De Witt at this point. "He is the only one who really
understands pineapples."
At this moment the door opened, and there was a sound of chirping
voices in the hall. "Please, Miss Florence," said Betty, "the little folks
says they wants to give you a Christmas." She added in a whisper:
"They thinks much of giving you something, poor little things--plaze
take it of 'em." And little Tottie at the word marched in and offered the
young princess his dear, beautiful, beloved string of glass beads, and
Elsie presented the cross of red berries--most dear to her heart and fair
to her eyes. "We wanted to give _you something_" she said bashfully.
"Oh, you lovely dears!" cried Florence; "how sweet of you! I shall keep
these beautiful glass beads always, and put the cross up over my
dressing-table. I thank you ever so much!"
"Are those John's children?" asked Mr. De Witt, winking a tear out of
his eye--he was at bottom a soft-hearted old gentleman.
"Yes, papa," said Florence, caressing Elsie's curly hair,--"see how
sweet they are!"
"Well--you may tell John I'll try him again." And so passed Florence's
Christmas, with a new, warm sense of joy in her heart, a feeling of
something in the world to be done, worth doing.
"How much joy one can give with a little money!" she said to herself as
she counted over what she had spent on her Christmas. Ah yes! and
how true that "It is more blessed to give than to receive." A shining,
invisible hand was laid on her head in blessing as she lay down that
night, and a sweet sense of a loving presence stole like music into her