John Brown's Christmas Hamper.

roused himself , stood up , and bleAV his nose loudly , then took a turn or tAvo through the room . " I must be dreaming , " he said to himself in his old gruff way . " What do I want Avith Jack and a pack of noisy children ? Jack , AA'I IO behaved so ungratefully to me , too . I said I'd never forgive him , and I never -vvill . " And then , quite inconsequeiitly , he sighed again , and said " Poor boy ! Poor boy ! "

" 1 must be out of sorts , ' he continued presently , " or I should not feel so hipped to-night . I think I'll just have a short Avalk before dinner ; it will give me an appetite . I mig ht as AVOII Avalk down to Great Ashford Station , and make enquiries about the hamper . " So , in a very feAv moments , the master of the house had put on ] iis muffler and gloves and great coat , and was hobbling doAvn the street , for he had rheumatism sometimes , and was verv lame . And

Avhen he came into the station , whicii Avas a tolerably large one , he was hustled and jostled and pushed in every direction , until he grew quite irritable , and vowed to himself that no hamper was worth enquiring for when it brought him such an infinity of trouble . At last he ascertained that a certain train from the north was just due , and that when it was in there might be a chance of his being attended to—indeed , the hamper might come by that very train ; so he bestowed himself in a corner of the platform , and Avaited for the train to arrive .

He Avas ensconced in an angle of the building , so as to be out of the Avay of hurrying passengers and porters with laden trucks ; and , having nothing to do , he began to pay some attention to his neig hbours . A boy and girl stood immediatel y before him , and fragments of their talk were wafted to the old gentleman ' s ears . As a rule he did

not take much notice of children , but this pair interested him . For one thing , he got a glimpse of the boy ' s face , and it had a strangely familiar air . Those clear-cut , handsome features , those smiling blue eyes , those curling golden-brown locks—of whom did they remind him i * Of someone , certainly , AVIIO had once been dear to the old

man ' s heart . The girl was not nearly so interesting to him ; she was pretty , but she had not the charm of likeness to another which the boy bore about with him . The similarity extended even to the lad ' s A'oiee ; its tones were exactl y those which this lonely old gentleman had never expected to hear again .

Ihe two were brother and sister , evidently , and both were in a state of wild excitement .

"Oh , how late the train is ! cried the boy . "I do Avish it would come . Won't they be pleased !" "I ' m sure they will , " said the girl . "Do you remember last Christmas , Jack Y Why , we had nothing to make it different from other days , except a little tiny plum pudding , and going to church in the morning , and games with father in the evening ; and this year Ave shall have all sorts of nice thino-s . "

" Greedy creatures girls always are , " grumbled the old man to himself , while the boy made ansAver" Well , I think AA'hat AVO get to eat doesn't matter , as long as there is enough of it ; but I know this—mother was crying this morning , Mabel told me , because she was afraid she could not get us any proper dinner at all without going into debt for it ; and that she says she Avill never do if she can belli it . "

" What a good thing the hamper came , then , " said his sister . " It Avas just the right thing , Avasn't it , Jack ? I suppose mother had been praying about it , and God sent her the hamper as a reply . " " Edie , IIOAV sill y you are ! " said Jaek , rather shocked at this view of the situation , " And yet , " ho added , after a moment ' s pause , " perhaps there ' s something in that . "

' Well , I m sure Ave want feeding more than young ravens do , " said Edie , rather indignantly ; " and there ' s a hymn that says something about feeding the young ravens when thoy cry " " A nice lot of young ravens AVO aro , " said the boy , exploding into sudden laughter . " Ten of us , and all hungry ! Well , AVC shall have a jolly good dinner to-morrow , at any rate . Wasn't mother glad Y "

John Brown's Christmas Hamper.

" I wish there had been some crackers and oranges , too , " said Edie , rather plaintively . " Other children have them , and Christmas presents , too . I never had a Christinas present in my life except from Ethel . "

" And I'm sure that ' s enough , " said Jack , somewhat rudely . " You mustn't be ahvays wanting and wishing . Father ahA'ays brings us an orange each , you know ; and what with the apples and cakes in the hamper , I ' m sure Ave ought to be quite content . I Avonder AVIIO sent us the hamper . "

" I wonder ! repeated Edie , meekly . " It Avas very kind of somebody , AA'hoever it was . " " Look out , there ' s the train ! " said Jack . " Come along , Edie . I see them—don't you see ? At that carriage window ? There ' s Kathleen and Nora—both of them nodding and smiling—come along !"

The old gentleman was so much , interested by this colloquy that he forgot his OAVU errand for the moment , and folloAvcd the children in the direction of the railway carriage Avhere their sisters were seated . "Very pretty girls , indeed , " ho muttered to himself . " Coining back from school , I suppose . Third class . H ' m . "

He AVUS near enough to hear Jack's vociferous Avelcome . " Oh , Kathie , darling , Ave are so glad to have you back again , and Ave have such a surprise for you !" " You can't be g ladder than I am , " Kathleen was heard to say . ' Oh , IIOAV nice it is to talk bad grammar , and not have to teach little girls !

" A governess , is she Y" said the silent observer to himself . " Beginning early , poor child . Why , she ' s only a child herself . Good heavens , Avhat a likeness there is in that boy to What utter folly I am talking ! I'll go and look for my hamper . I Avish it

Avould g iA'e me half the pleasure that theirs seems to have brought to them . Some poor man ' s family , I suppose ; poor and respectable and proud—honest , too , from what the boy said about debt . I wonder who they are—but it's no business of mine . "

He could not refrain from watching the sisters and their brother as they claimed their luggage , and he noticed that their boxes were scrupulously neat , although they were of a very common kind . There Avas some complication about a box Avhich had not arrived , hoAvever , and the old man felt at first inclined to proffer his help ; but he

noticed that the eldest girl , in spite of her refined beauty and gentle aspect , seemed to be AVOII able to look after herself and had plenty of common sense . As it was ahvays his princip le to let people help themselves AVIIO werc able to do so , he did not therefore interfere ; but silently examined the various articles that came out of the van—Avithout finding Mrs . Kirby ' s hamper amongst them .

Away he Avent at last to the Parcels Ofiice , for , as he said to himself , it was , after all , no use for him to trouble his head about a pack of girls and boys ; and at the Parcels Ollice he made his inquiries in due form . " What name did you say , sir Y "

" Brown . John Zacchary Brown . I live in Ashford Road . A hamper from Selby in Yorkshire " Who gavo that curious gasp beside him ? Mr . BroAvn turned round sharply , and SHAV at his clboAv the boy whom he had remarked upon the platform ; but , strangely enough , the boy ' s face had turned

quite pale , and bore a wondering and horror-stricken expression which Avas entirely inexplicable . But the likeness which Mr . Brown had observed , Avas stronger than ever ; and it Avas this likeness which impelled the old man to say , in the very gruffest of tones" Do you Avant anything with me , boy Y "

But , aftor an ineffectual attempt to speak , the boy turned round and fairly ran out of the ofiice . Mr . Brown looked after him with an odd smile . " One would think that that young gentleman was afraid of me , " he muttered , half to himself and half to the clerk . Then in a louder tone , " Do you knoAv who that boy is ?" " He has just given his father ' s name , I believe , " said the young

Ad03102

SHOOTING fj § FISHING TRADE MABK , GODFREY CHARLES COOPER , Practical Gun , Rifle , Revolver & Fishing Tackle Maker . ( THE FINEST STOCK IN LONDON ) . COMPLETE SPORTING OUTFITS FOR ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD . SPORTING CUTLERY , CRICKET , FOOTBALL , LAWN-TENNIS . ( 22 YEARS IN HOLBORN ) . 131 , High . Holborn , London , W . O .