THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 52, 30 December 1867, Page 4

THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

Chapter If. “ Why, I’ll tell thee, Rebecca, ” said he It were only last night that I seed Maggie myself, anfi she were looking anything but well. 1 met her by accident in an omnibus, and told her I was cooming down, and wad bring any message or parcel for her; but she only burst out crying, and said she was a cooming herself, hut she could’nt, and she had sent a parcel that morning to her father and mother, which, if she’d a known that I was cooming, she’d rayther hev sent by me, to be sure that it had - coomed safe and carefully. She said she was going away, and had written home to explain everything, but the ’bus being -lull of folks, she could not tell me there. She had to get out a long way afore me, and was in a hurrv, she said; but she -cried again when she bid me good-by, -and said how she wished she could have coomed wi’ me to her Lome. Poor thing! she were quite cut up about it; I felt so sorry for her.” “ 111 tell yer what it is’ Richard,” said Mrs. Gibbs, impressively; “ I kno wed how it would be when she went to the great city of Lunnon. She’s gone wrong, and daren’t face the old people.” “ Hush, hush, Becky! don’t thee be uncharitable,” said her brother; “ she’s as good a lass as ever stepped i’ shoe leather. Something’s turned up to hinder her.”

“Did thee say, Richard, that she’d sent a parcel to the old folks ? Why Joe ’ll have it i’ the cart. I’ll go to-night and take it into them myseltj and then I uhall hear what ’tis that’s kept her from cooming.” With this new idea uppermost, Mrs Gibbs hurried out again to assist her Husband and son in convying the goods into the empty room. They had cleared the cart, and Joe was taking it round to the shed and putting up the horse, the carrier meanwhile indulging in a tew minutes’ gossip with a neighbour’s newly : arrived visitor. Mrs Gibbs had thererore -all-the work to herself for a bit, and having carried a parcel or two into the house she fetched a candle, and began to carefully examine the labels of those already there. Maggie Leyburn’s well-known handwriting, in a direcii m to her father, was -not long in being discovered by Mrs Gibb’s keen eyes ; and finding that the r parcel was one of those small square -hampers that seemed so plentiful, and was fastened up with only strong cord, -''knotted round the lid at intervals, her curiosity could not withstand the temptation to peep at the contents before delivering it to the rightful owners. It is necessary here to state that Maggie’s mother and the carrier’s wife had formerly been fellow-servants in the same family, in tiie respective positions of upper and under housemaid; and that ■the latter, who had firom a girl possessed the unfortunate mania for taking possession of little things not belonging to her, had one day committed herself by a larger theft, that was suspected by her mistress. The act was eventually brought home to her, and Maggie’s mother was called up as the principal witness, upon whose evidence she was committed to gaol for three months. It majr readily be imagined that ever afterwards Mrs Gibbs owed a bitter grudge to Mrs Leyburn; and as chance made them near neighbours, she seldom omitted to -give her a taste of it when in her power so to do.

Thegoolness, cleverness, and beauty ofMagrie bad always been a sore subject with Mrs Gibbs: and nothing would give her gnater satisfaction than to find an occasion she rroi singly believed had come at last. Her brother’s account of his meeting with Maggie in London was quickly invested with the basest construction ; and now that she had the means in her own hands of satisfying her curiosity, her evil nature was too strong to ho resisted. Hurrying with -the hamper into her own room, which lay* beyond the package apartment, she locked the door and proceeded to cut the cords and investigate the contents of the 'hamper.

Amidst e thick wrapping of old newspapers, a goodly pair of winter blankets first were revealed to view. And then their uncommon solidity led Mrs Gibbs to unfold them, and discover a handsome black-silk dress-piece neatly rolled on a long flat board- Her covetous heart leapt nearly into her mouth at the tempting sight, for there was nothing that she had lately longed for more than a handsome new black silk, which she could not yet afford to buy, and her husband would not give her. The paper it was folded in contained a letter carefully pinned in one turned-down corner, and it did not require a second thought for the unprincipled woman to open the envelope and persue Maggie’s epistle to •her parents. She had not read many lines when her countenance fell; she was evidently disappointed. Another line or two, and it brightened again. "Presently she hastily seized the envelope, and re-examined it. Her eyes assumed 'a glittering light, and she became unwontedly excited as she withdrew therefrom a five-pound Bank ofEngland note. The old penchant was strong with her, *aud she took no pains to suppress it. Pne money and the dress she hesitated not to at once appropriate, and hurriedly locked both jn her .own private chest. The letter of course .she must destroy, or hor theft would invitablv be ■ detected without delay. But the blankets ? How canid she give these to the old people without eventually placing weapons in their hands, with which to • scourge herself ? Ho. They also must .remain with her if she retained the silk - and the note. Upon the principle that she “ might as well be hanged for a sheep as s lamb,” the blankets, too, quickly found

a hiding-place, and trusting to the chance of the package being looked upon as lost on the road, she was just •about to tear-the tell-tale direction from the empty'hamper, when the feeble wail of an infant near the door of her room stbrtl ed her so much that she trembled from head‘to foot. Thrusting the emptypackage under the bed, she hurried to the door and listened. Tlie feeble wail was repeated, and seemed to proceed from the adjoining room, which was devoted to the temporary stowage of the carrier’s parcels.' Thinking that some little child might have accidently followed her into the room, and was afraid of being left so long in the dark, she went to liberate the little prisoner. She had not been many minutes over her nefarious work, and when she reentered the package-room it was just the same as when she left it. Her husband was still chatting outside with his friend, and her son Joe and brother Richard had now joined them.

No sign of a child was visible in the room, and yet the low, feeble wail continued. Strangely enough it seemed to issue from one of the small square hampers, and whilst she stood gazing on it in unbelieving suprise, a movement within accompanied the’ noise, and settled her doubts beyond dispute. She would have uttered a loud exclamation, but wishing to return and destroy poor Maggie’s direction before the men came in, she restrained herself, and stopped to read the address upon the hamper, which bore such indubitable signs of a living inmate.

. ,£ To the rector’s wife, I declare ! ” she said, wondering!y; “ a queer Christmas present for. her, I’m thinking, A baby, for sartain sure! I wonder whoa’s it is. She hesn’t no children at all, and if she bed, she airit old enow to be a grandmother. I lay it’s some poor unfortunate girl’s, whoa knows how good she is, and and how she’d like to hev a bain o’ her own, so she thinks the unhappy brat’ll find a good whoam with her.” - Another feeble cry and movement aroused all the womans limited stock of compassion.

“ Poor little thing! it must he cold and uncomfortable in its straitened bed. I’s a good mind to take it out and warm it.” And the thought was acted upon immediately, though only partially. As soon as the poor infant was taken out of its confined prison, a note fell out of its many wrappers, and being unsealed, the woman did not scruple to possess herself of its contents. The words were few, ill-spelt, and worse written:— “ Honahd Maddam, —Having heerd of your Benevulents I givs you my Unfortin child. Be a mother to Her. I ham maddam “ A HUNAPPY HUNBEKNGWST ONE.” An evil thought, deep and powerful as it was rapid, entered the had woman’s brain. She would drug the infant, and, placing it in Maggie’s empty hamper, fasten it up and take it to her anxious parents, with the news that her brother had brought respecting their child, which she could easily contort to suit her own purpose. The very fiend himself must have entered into her, as she quickly proceeded to put her malevolent scheme into execution.

To quiet the child was her first consideration, and that was quickly done bv artificial means. Then carefully folding* it «p in the piece of flannel and old shawls that were found about it, she transferred its thick bed of straw to Maggie’s empty hamper, and tied the lid down firmly again with cord. Then carrying the hamper back into the pack-age-room, she tore the rectory direction off the other, and burnt it with the scrawling note. The hamper itself she carelessly tossed upon a heap of empty ones in the corner of the apartment. The whole transaction from first to last did not occupy her above twenty minutes. And when the carrier and his son resumed their work of carrying in the packages, she was in the opposite room, very composedly looking into the oven at the sausages she had placed there to be kept hot for tea. “I think I’ll just fun across to neighbour Levburn’s, and take them the hamper Maggie’s sent, whilst gou’re finishing getting them things in,” said the artful woman, joining her husband. “ I won’t be a minute, an’noa doubt they’ll be anxious about the lass.” “Well,” said the carrier, “see the isn’t long, as we’ll soon be ready for dea noo? and Richard ’ll be half famished wi’waiting sic a time.” So, reaching her bonnet and shawl from a peg, Mrs Gibbs took up the hamper, and set off on her guilty errand. TO BE CONTINUED.