In the meanwhile Bessie and Alice with their nurse had entered the toy shop. After admiring the various things each purchased the doll she liked best. These were carefully done up by the salesman and the two children started for home.
They were at the corner of Broadway and about to cross for a cable car when Bessie caught sight of our two little Fourteenth Street children.
"Oh, nursie, do let us see those two poor little girls. They don't look as though they were going to have any Christmas at all!"
"Never mind them, Miss Bessie, it's time you were home."
But Bessie would not be persuaded and Alice seconded her. "Mother likes to have us kind to our poor little brothers and sisters," said she, "please nurse, let us speak to those little girls." So the nurse rather reluctantly consented and the two children hurried and soon caught up with Annie and Maggie.
"How do you do," said Bessie, all out of breath. "Please, wouldn't you like to have a Christmas present? We are going to have a whole lot of presents to-morrow and we bought these with our very own money. Please take mine," and she thrust her package into surprised little Maggie's arms.
"And please do take my present," said Alice, going to Annie. "Indeed, I will have a lot more," and she handed her package to the astonished little girl.
"We wish you a happy Christmas," said the little girls in one voice, and before Maggie and Annie could speak, they had both hurried away.
To say that our children were astonished, hardly expresses it. They hugged their bundles and stood on the sidewalk staring after the two little girls as though bewildered. Maggie was the first to recover.
"Oh, aint it too good to be true, we'll have a real Chrissmus, now, won't we?" What kind little girls them was, wasn't they? They wasn't a bit stuck up!"