The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-12-30
CHRESTMAS.

duct me where you Will. l went forth last night
on compulsion, and learnt a lesson which is
working now. Tonight, if you have aught to
teach me, let me profit by it."
/ Touch my robe -
/ Sero0ge did as he was told, and held it fast.
/ Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys,
geese, game, poultry, Drawn, meat, pigs, sausa-
ges, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit and punch, all
yanquisaed instantly. So did the room, the fire
the ruddy glow, the hour of night, and they
where (for the weather was seyere) the people
made rough, but brisk, and not unpleasant
kind of music, in scrapiag the snow from the
pavement in front OF their dwellings,, and from
tie tops Of their houses whence it was made
delight to the boys to see it come Pumping down
into the road below, and splitting into artificial
little snow storms.
The house fronts looked black enough, and
the windows blac&er, contrasting with the smooth
white sheet Of snow upon the ground which
last deposit had been plouched up in deep fur
rows by the heavy wheels of carts and wagons !;
furrows that crossed and re crossed each other
hundreds Of times where the great streets bran
ched of and made intricate channels hard to
trace in the thick yellow mud and icy water
The SKY was gloomy, and the shortest streets
were chokej up with diugy mist alf-thawcd,
half-trozen, whose heavier particles descended
in shower. Of sooty atoms, as if ali the chin
nies in Great britain had, by one consent. caught
fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts
content. There was nothing very cheerful IN
the climate Or the town, and yet vas there
air Of cheerfulncss abroad that tie dearest sum
mer air and brightest summer sun might have en-
deavored to diffuse in vain.
For the people who were shoveiling away on
the houso-tops were joyial and full of gee cal
ling out to one another from the parapets, and
now and then exchanging "a facetious SNOWFALL
better natured missile far than many wor-
thy iast-laugiiing henrtily iris went right, and
not less heartily If it went wrong. The poulte-
rers' shops were still half-open aad the fruiter-
crss were radiant in their glory. There were
great, round pot bclled baskets of chestuuts,
shaped ike the waiscoats of jolly cid gentlemen,
loiing at the doors, and tumbliag out into the
street in their aPoPlectic opulence. There were
raddy, brown faced, broad-girthed Spanish Oni-
ons, shining in the fitness ef their growth like
Spanish Friars aud winiiug from their shelves
in wanton siyness at the girls as they went By,
and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe
There were pears and apples, clustered high in
blooming pyramids there were bunohes Of
grapes, made, in the shopkepers' beneyolence,
to dingle from conspicuous hooks, that peoples
mouths might water gratis they passed there
were piles Of fiberts, messy and brown recall
ling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among
the woods, and pleasant shuaiings aake-deep
through withered leaves there were Norfolk
Bifins SQUAD and swarthy, setting of the yell
low Of the oranges and lemons and, in the
great comPactness of their Juicy person, ur-
gently entreating and beseeching 10 be carried
home in paper bags and eaten after dinner
The very gold and silver fish, set forth among
these choice fruits in n bowl, though members
OF dull and stagnant-blooded race appeared to
know that there was something going on and
to a fish, went gasping round and round their
little world in slow and passionless excitement.
The Grocers' oh the Grocers' nearly clo-
sed, with perhaps two shutters down, or one
but through those gaps such glilnses 1t was
not alone that TIE scales descending ON the coun-
ter made merry sound, or that the twine and
roller parted company SO briskly, or that the
canisters were ratified up and down like Juggling
tricks, or even that the blended scents OF tea
and coffee were so grateful to the nose, even
that the raisins were SO plentiful and rare, the
almonds so extremely. white, the sticks of CHINA
mon long and straight, the other spices so deli
cious, the candied fruits caked and spotted with
molten sugar as to make the coldest lookers-on
feel faint and subsequently bilious. Nor was it
that the figs were moist and pulpy, or that the
French plams blushed in modest tartness from
their highly decorated boxes, or that everything
was good to eat and in its Christmas dress but
the customers were all so hurried and so eager
in the hopeful promise of the day, that they
tumbled up against each other at the door, clash
ing their wicker baskets wildly, and left their
purchases upon the counter, and came running
back to fetch them, and committed hundreds OF
the like mistakes III the best humor possible
while the Grocer and his people were SO frank
and fresh that the polished hearts with which
they fastened their aprons behind might have
been their own, worn outside for general inspec-
tion, and for Christmas DAVIS to peck at if they |
chose