TWO LITTLE CHRISTMAS ANQELS

New Zealand Tablet, 27 December 1906, Page 37

TWO LITTLE CHRISTMAS ANQELS

The following true story of the heroic self-sacrifice of two children for the - Christ-Child's sake is sent by a reader, who hides the identity of the little girls under fictitious names. The contributor hopes that some of our-^ youthful -readers may be influenced by this story \q perform some similar act of generosity to the poor during the coming holy season :—

In the, ,year 1862 there resided in the town of F- — a family of four, a dear old lady, her daughter, and two little girls, seven and nine years of age respectively. They, like all. other children of their age, were counting the days until Christmas should arrive and planning 1 out of their small means to - remember dear grandma and 'mamma with some lit/tle»_gift. It had been their habit from their earliest recollection to present mamma with a Christmas turkey, as tihe income she had "did not , permit of such a luxury. This year they had saved up (out of hard-earned money; for they received ;-* from that mother- each week a small amount for doing their' share of the house, work) 10s, which they had planned to invest In'a turkey and a few accessories for the Christmas dinner. On the Sunday before Christmas the priest -of . the parish church begged from the altar that the- congregation would remember substantially at Christmas a poor family who were in a starving condition. At dinner that day the older girl spol'e of the thought that had come to Tier during the pastor's 1 ' remarks and suggested to her younger sister that they obtain their mother's consent to give the money they had saved for their Christmas dinner to the starving family. The younger one, Kllen, was not at all willing at first, as their diet, for financial reasons, was a perpetual Lenten fare, and Christmas would not come again for 3G5 days ; furthermore, she was, extremely fond . of turkey. After some reasoning on the part of Cfcssie, the older girl,, Ellen, consented. 'The mother told them how pleased- she was to hear that they thought of others, but suggested that they think their sacrifice over, before thijy . took ' any steps to forego their Christmas dinner. Two days later, they came to their mamma and told her they realised what they were doing and begged her permission to. add to their gift some, of their to^s and any discarded clothing she SS?* ?? PParP * are 'i* Gra ? dma aIW * mamma entered into the spirit of self-sacrifice, -and that evening a substantial faSn? r^"? WHh , tne 1OS ' found itß W the poor family. Christmas dawned, an ideal day. After Mass the morning was spent in exchanging the gifts > made by lovang hands Dinner time ' arrived. Two happieV little girls could not be found in all the town of F than Mien and Cissie. They both declared they

never ate a turkey that tasted quite as delicious as

fcKe roast pork, "and no - cranberries ever had ■so delightful a taste as the. .apple- sauce. The ~ .mother as- > sured that the «. dear little Unf ant Jesus was- so with their sacrifice that- He had- blessed," their'

, dinner with the additional flavor of contentment. While "-she "was speaking 'Jbhe bell 'rang, and the - expressman

brought in. a large ' box addressed- to- the Misses-^— '.- <• Upon opening it they found al ' turkey, cranberries,; and'" everything- that : goes to make up a .Christmas, dinner. • It was senit from a distant town by theirs 'mother !s> . old friend and former teaelier,"' who, , -although- sh«X--was ignorant o'f.^ .their sacrifice, of . a' Christmas dinner," had., determined to send them these dainties, "as- %Slje-"~w as y - /- sorrowfully aw&re of v the their /good'" mother ' s was mating to. -give „them the convent training- slie her- - self - had * enjoyed. --" -•' ... .- „, /> ! - • , „-\.- . Could you, good -readers^. only , have' witnessed : ' tW ' scene that -followed the opening' of tliat bojtybii' would"like the _ writer, thank God for ajOStholic' iducat-ionV, ■Cissie^was . so overcame- that tears- sta-rted* down her litile cheeks, arid she' exclaimed V' (jh, "mamma"! tfre Infant -Jesus \ has given us back a what we.,, did for -His. poor.'/ x . ' * 5 .., "-_„ -_' Years - have • rolled into a decade since that Chrismas, and those little ~girls : :have' grown into women and are still true children of the Sacred Heart. Every .Christmas when" they are planning to bestow the customary Christinas .presents among their family and friends they first •• find out how muclr'money they may - spend -and how many people' there 'are to remember, then divide the amount into equal parts, but first on the list is, the amount, .for -charity, ,dnd each Christ- ' mas that goes to some poor~~ "family to cheer their Christmas,- as that Christmas box ojT lon^ ago dtidt- . the little g£iis of F-^-. •Catholic News'