Show JOHN muo BT adafine adlor df jafolis atif kiider false rrt niri K I 1 who docs that belong to eh pont know air not one of the passenger got to b delivered in the town I 1 etzet go and look at it gaul the sta lion master and alia porter who wa wai i a hiither looking young man with fair hair and b ue eyes went doan the platform to the spot where a solitary halper was standing just where it bad been d posited by alie guard of the lit train it was a small roadside sa aaion ion where few passengers alighted and faw were mo aly bund for the country town of great Aidi tord about miles away theresaa The a station also at little id hut it was a place and the houses at its southern extremity were nearer little alfford than great ashford station who hel for instance in road w re not more than a mile and a liili from little Ash torl station and usually preferred it to the more difutt one there were of course dra backs to the toi veni enie of having the two et edtion tion BO near at hand pardons Bonet iines got out at one ano bulit to h v gone on to the other and great and little ashford were confounded in the mind of strangers stran gerr S that when the stationmaster station master saw that solitary hamper on th p at forin it immediately occurred tj him eliat it ought 0 o have cone on to atea ashford and that it would vary awkward to get it there biford in especially on Cans tims eve but the porter canoe back with a re its ony for ashford row little ashford be said 1 I be ging g ing that way myself presently when I 1 joes to my tea shall I 1 take it along ano is it for the browns eaid the porter laconically the w a a rather in man brownest Brown st lie repented ted in a meditative way browns now what browns might you ha meaning eh theres ony one set of that I 1 know anything of said the porter A nice chely beet as berer lousan lou saw they live at no 10 ashford kow and theres ten of em I 1 believe A nice lively the station muster came forward and looked at the hamper john brown he read Vell thre wont mistake about his identity any way john browns common enough but brona gotso of a dis ingui shing mirk upon him s one m iv say la it mr jolin brown as you enow jamea the porter shook his biad say he answered dibi bously john browns the name 1 know john brown ten achord row theres no number on this direction said iha elation he deemed a little suspicious about the destination of this hamper for some iemon or other theres no oilier browns in aali ford row said the porter dogmatically and I 1 goes it when I 1 aea to my tea then you can take it you eaid hia turning on his heel with the air of one who had beard enough of a trivial piece of business lla mighty heavy said the young man lifting the hamper a little way and letting it down again but its christmas time and eive me something to drink their healtha with I 1 make no doubt A nice lively family they he for eure and ten of them all told if theres any well its nearly half pat tour so ill be off taint far to go thank goodness good nesa with some difficulty he shouldered the bamper which was an unusually large and one and left alie railway elation the daylight had not yet fadda but the sky was dull and grey overhead with a promise of enow la its colorless depth the road was hard as iron and the birter who waa young and active thought with some satisfaction of a certain round pool in the neighborhood which would be sure to bear upon the morrow ten As liford row was one of a doan uninviting little houses 0 halt baked brick which blood at a elodea throw from little ashford St aion they had all shallow bow win dowe bright green venetian banda and a small fl abt of step from the little iron gate to the neat brown door they were eo small that it was dill where the nice lively family of which the porter spoke could possibly be slowed away the man looked up at the bouse as he approached it with an air of recognition almost a friendly air as he knew its inmates and wae cen bally disposed towards them were two or three youthful faces at the bow window and their owners nodded vigorously to jaffs as he butted jutted at the little gate the hamper on his shoulder and prepared to aa end the flight of steps ci fore he could reach alie door however it was thrown open and a merry looking toey checked cheeked boy of twelve years old stood on the threshold while two eirls mith flo wini hair and very short in the background what have you eaid the boy anything for us it cant be for ua said a dolorous voice from one of his in the hall as ebe peered curiously over his shoulder into the darkness is never anything for w bat it is for you sir raid james spence the porter with a grin and mighty heavy it be too leastways Least waya it is for you if your pas name may appen to be john zaachary Zac chary brown laquire as it baya on thin ere direction why of course its fathers name eaid the bo beginning a wild war dance upon the door mat and its mine too it everybody that has lucli a namo as ours brenca I 1 dont suppose another person dared da red the whole of ashford maybe not sir said spence cheerfully depositing his burden jnet inside the front door and therdore ther Jore there cant be inucci mistake as to who the hampers meant for thiera it is air and a heavy load to lift as you will find if you tries it air and nd I 1 wish you a merry air lie ins cap with his fore as be spoke and looked pleasantly the boy wa by this time on hia knees carefully examining the addreen ad drees im sura I 1 dont know who can have sent it he was baying lh what did you pay spence oil a merry christmas the bame to you anil many of em jack dout be stupid one of ins in his car amt you eee that the mans w ailing arr a bix jack up and fizzed at he porter op n mourned 1 I wih you a merry bir said the porter once more politely jack fumbled helplessly in hla pockets and the from those jack produced after infinite toil and trouble the large sum of one mif penny no sold lr adie here iva take that quick but im sure it enough there here anything to pay is there jack blanca out in his bewilderment no air nothing to pay sir e d alio porter taking a step towards the poor and respectfully touching his cap aaen 1 I wish you a merry christma Chris lma air wait a minute ill ask mother said jack making A rush towards abo inner door but he was cd and held back by his sib aan no no you go to mother she in a whisper has got no money sh e wa ying this morning because she conijn antoini anti ini fr a christmas dinner the man and tell him to call again the matter said another voice and a girl of fourteen came downstairs haie ou any m ney mabel will ou lend us some wed kiy vou back by degrees said edie and ahel in hurried tones mabel was the one of the family she did not fail her brother and itar on this momentous occasion from a n at little aha produced the eum of sixpence wh ch eha handed to jack with a look of reproach what business had you to keep him waiting for a bix she murmured yuu know that we cant afford it but jack bad got all he wante dand landed the coin to spence with a lordly ar of generosity which caged the to touch ln cap and utter fervent christmas wishes once again before he took bis departure ill kiy aoa back mabel the boy said confidently confide 1 I dant like poor to pet nothing when he bad come v ich this hamper tor us john blown well now father name and my name too eo how earth are we to know which of w its meant fir wait until lather comes home raid mabel contemplating alie ham inie e t wait till he gets homel repeated jack with infinite acorn when you know that he wont be here until n ne tonight to night we must see what is iodide the hamper beffie then mb I 1 then we must ask mother to open it morrris Mol lying down ad must not be disturbed one of the girls bezan but at this moment alie door of a back boim slowly bened and there appeared the mother of the children mis john chary bron herself ane wai n ery graceful locking doean wih a pale de irae face lorte dark soft eyes and a quantity cf pile gulden hair piled up about her heid not at all the woman apparently to ba tha mother of ten healthy noisy children ranging arm seventeen years of ae to thirteen month she herself had been married eighteen when she was n petty goare s with no home and no friends and at beven aid thirty she hod not lost her charm even if ehe aa 1 lost the first bloom of her beauty and in the eyes of husband and children sha was the lovelest lov clest woman in the world she biad had a laird struggle with life her husband had married her against alia wishes of his friends and ard squirreled with bliem in consequence this ado an im pontaut dif ferente in hia life 11 had basen brought up as his uncles heir and his ancle was a rich crusy ill tempered old bachelor who had meant him to marry an heiress and who made a fresh will and disinherited him on the day when he heard of his marriage with pretty madeline gratton since that day john brown had known a good deal of trouble it was not at first that lie could get anything to do altoe ollier eaic in what he daring alie cret few years of his roat cd life but ho bad now a ino ioe and although it was small they were able to live upon it in a tan ful and manner he had a in a business house the beadi of which had known his father and his uncle w ho had nally come from a village near Asb foid and after years of uncertainty the a year which lie received seemed to him almost like wealth he wag not a mm who easily despaired when madeline reminded him of the increasing expenses of their family he would put her off with a bight word an 1 a encouragement why the elder one will soon be able to help os he eaid cheerily look at kathleen and NOB I 1 am quite proud of them for wa already earning a lioy salary as under teacher in a school and nora was a pupil teacher in the same estable and the two cast him nol hiie lie declared except their food la the holidays mra brorn smiled a little sadly over di claraloui she knew how kathleen who was sensitiva was fretting her heart out over certain difficulties and mortifications incidental to her position eha knew how nora who was clever was mcable to have the teaching that ehe required and how mabel the next was obliged to stay at home from school altogether in order to help her mother witti the little ones all weighed upon the mothers anxious mind for jack eclie had no need as yet to be quite so anxious he went to a very good grammar school in great ashford Anh ford and the twins eldie and ehl as well as the bungar onea did not need any more teaching than blia could give but she could not help thinking fearfully of their future and wondering how all the babies could be up and educated and put out into the world overwhelming burden of debt aad difficulty and there was present four leather health or that of her husband neither of them very strong give way altogether with all these cares pre fwing upon lier it was not to be ode edat that mrs brown looked pilo and worn audit rather have been a matter for remark to note how sweet was her smile how un were her when she nd dresel a to hie excited group of in the halt what ia it darlings she eaid do you know how lata it is jack you know you must meet kathlen and nora by tha six train mother dear said jack cimpea dively there are heaps of timo what I 1 want you to do now is to look at abia address john zaachary Zac chary brown L quire now is that me or is it faher 7 1 I should think that it was maul emphatically father slid mrs brown laughing what ia it A hamper hut it cannot be for w S if there is an one else of the name of john zaachary Zac chary brown I 1 should like to knowl said jaik hotly it is the nama of your fabers fa hers uncle said mrs brown jack for a moment what that horrid stingy rich old man that have anything to do with fattier because he aimed mimed yon darling I 1 wish I 1 could punch his heald what did fattier call me after him I 1 wonder it was your fathers own name to you must rim niber aard mr brown with a faint colo in her pain cheeka dant talk in that way of your nude dar aad as to this hamper I 1 cant im itrice it trim but clue maybe found inside BO as I 1 think it innel bo for your fahir I 1 decide that we open it at once the decision received with acclamation cla mation and edie ran olf to find a knife or pair of ora with which to cut the cord wenla jack fell on hia knees beside it and begin tugging at the knots as for der life the lamp in the lull was p lighted in d the children appeared on the scene baby jim was abely bleeding bleeping ble but will and teddy and dot were all to the fore the lid of the hamper waa eoon wrenched op nand the children which nude them stare with a and delight for neer was hamper more invitingly tilled there wai a splendid turkey there were two ducks and a couple of I 1 and a mighty ham was a big plum pudding ready boiled there wi fl a park pie of ample dimensions and any number of and the inderst ces were tightly packed w ith round ropy checked cheeked amples and winter pears then there was a rich looking plum cake and some thick hunches af home made gingerbread and on top of all these lay a card on which was 1 a robin with a very large re I 1 wait coit and bis mouth a scroll which bore the words a merry christmas Christ mai and a happy new year but who ran have sent it sail mrs brown in amaze oh come old friend of fathers or youral cried jack recklessly some body who wants to remind you of their exis ence but there is no nama attached to the gift and therefore we cannot bo reminded of anybody perhaps a letter will come to explain it perhaps it for us ater all said mbel d this was a terrible thought sire brown stooped don and examined the label once more theio was no mistake about it john browne q ashford row though not very distinctly written v as qubie legible and there wag certainly no other john zac biary brown in attle ashford jak settled lie question qi estion in his isaal practical fashion by distributing ropy checked cheeked apples to eiery member of the party and fl uffing two or three into his own pocket for the benefit of kathleen and nora H now there was in great a thoroughfare which bore the name of ashford road it stretched away frum the town on the opposite tide to which little ashford lay and it was a very pleasant looking road in bummer though dreary iq the winter time on anch side of the road stood detached houses in the nr ast dst of gardens acome of tha houses and gardens were not very lage some w ere decidedly imposing and in one of lie and most there lived an old and solitary man who had to use a homely ion more money than he kacew what to do with it was on christmas eve that this old gentleman sat alore in bis comfortable for table dining room in front of a glorious fire the room was plainly bu handsomely furnished it was rather a gloomy room to in spite of tha wealth that had evidently been upon it there was nothing light or bright or pretty about its decorations they were solid heavy and eminently ilal the owner of the room had drawn his armchair clow to the fire and was sitting with feet on the fender his elbows on the arms of his chair and hia thin billowed pillowed pill owed on hii brias he was a tall gaunt man w ich stoop ng shoulders and grey leair he biad long rugged aled bent into a perpetual frown above ins fierce grey eyes hia mouth had a trick of turning down at the corners in a rather truculent way and li s forehead and thin cheeks were covered with a network of alna ca and ines which did not add to the pleasantness of his expression and yet fierce and aggressive as ha looked there waa a touch of melancholy in his face which redeem d it from being utterly disagreeable one could fancy that 1 lie eyes might un der certain circumstances soften and the linea about the grim mouth grow tender but certainly Lerta those who lived in this old mans bonse bad never been anything aspri aching softness or in his glern face As the daylight began to |