The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-13
For the National Era
RESSY

BY HARRIET N. MOVES.

-
BY HARRIET N. MOVES.
Our annual festivals bring with them SORROW
full memories. There is a vacant seat at many
board there is voice the less in the festal
song; there is smiling face gone, even from
our own Preside, for which we look vainly, for
getting for moment that the grave has shut
it in from our sight forever Few indeed are
they for whom the merry Christmas is not the
less merry for It's memories of the absent or the
dead; few are they to whom it is not the holier
for the yearnings that come with it for the
loved and lost; to whose hearts it brings no
deeper feelings than are their won't and no
more earnest looking toward the better coun-
try. twas the festival of my childhood, when
Saint Nicholas was verify established beyond
question to my simple faith by the gifts which
he left in the chimney corner for many years.
Ii is festival to be kept sacred still hallowed
by the memory Of brief beautiful life, which
came and went whittier it had come long,
long ago, of whose influence upon my heart
would fain give you a trace to-day.
| remember of being awakened unusually
early by old Elsie, one Christmas morning,
when was five years old. There was pecu-
liar smile on her broad Scotch face, and a
queer twinkle to her eyes which had learned
that she always wore When she had something
to tell me.
Then | remembered that | had hung my
stocking in the chimney corner the night be-
fore, for good Santa Claus to fill in his custom
airy round and my first question was
"What did he bring, Elsie?"
" And what do you think, Miss"
A new book--a picture book
"No.n
ooh, then some boxes, or birds, or sugar
Kittens
"No; not that, either
"a new doll, then, or a rag baby / said
despairingly; for ] remembered my already
numerous family, and preferred something
else.
"Yes. baby and though it is not for YOU
you may come and see it if you like
And she took me, no wise pleased with the
new present in her arms, and carried me into
the kitchen. 1t was not yet light, but there
was blazing fire of logs in the deep wide fire.
place, revealing to my wondering eyes the new
in my old cradle, which had been brought from
its resting place in the garrett, and placed in
the corner for the new conner. Yes there was
the new baby 1t was bigger than Susannah
or Jane, or Ellen Maria--bigger even thar
Miss Rosa Matilda, with her staring waxer
eyes, and her stiff kid arms-a most notable
doll, in my estimation, since she was no home
manufacture, but genuine importation, al
the way from Montreal, only the Christmas
before and, besides the extra size the new
one had different look to it, somehow. The
little red fists were cenched tightly together
under the blanket which lifted carefully from,
above them; the bright blue eyes looked at me
very curiously, and said, plainly enough, "There
is no installing me ; am a real live baby"
In answer to my eager inquiries, Elsie only
said that it was my sister, and her name was
Elizabeth My sister 1t was not new word
to me. remembered covered basket which
had stood on the highest shelf in the closet ever
since my recollection, and which my mother
had but once lifted down, and showed me q
little pink satin hood, plaid cloak, some
frocks,- and ha!f.worp aprons and shoes and
with tears dropping fast upon them, she told
me of a little sister who had gone up to heaven
None the less a wonder to me was the stranger
30 suddenly and mysteriously sent TO our house
hold She was wonder TO me all that day
and the next, and the next longed for her
to speak formed vain conjectures of what
she would tell me Of that heaven from whence
my mother said she had come At night
kept myself awake long time, thinking and
wondering and ! rose iearfully in the morn
ing, lest she might be gone back thither, as one
had gone before.
As days passed on, and the novelty wore
away, lost my fear of losing her. and learned
to love her so that she seemed part of my ex-
istence was never tired of observing her,
and noticed delightedly every new manifesto
ton of intelligence longing still for the time
to come when she would speak to me- and walk
with me, and sit by me, who had been 80 soil
tary heretofore
As she grew older, took the spelling of my
household treasures patiently at her hands for
she usurped, as Of right, and without resistance,
my dolls and dogs, and kittens and picture
books and she used them without mercy. She
broke off Susannah's nose and ate the sugar
kittens ears, at the frat onset she tore up my
picture-books, and pulled out Miss Rosa Ma
tilda's flaxen ringlets, and broke her arms in.
deed, her depredations were limited only by
the scantiness of my treasures, or her inability
of reaching them as she pushed herself about
the house with a chair all the while gurgling
her uninteIgible vernacular, ~ though she
were doing the best thing with the best grace
in the world As she dispensed with the chair
and went by herself her inroads became still
more alarming to me Poor puss, who had
hitherto held undisputed possession OF the
hearth-rug was rudely routed from her premi-
ses, pinched, pulled, and dragged, until she lost
all patience, and returned green giances,
scratches and growls The great house-dog,
however, bore her assaults with commendable
forttude, looking at her with an air OF self
appreciation, and with an evident consciousness
OF superiority quite above retaliation. When
she went out Of doors, she was not abandoned
by this destructive, tear-to- pieces spirit The
buds of the peony, which had watched trem-
blingly ever since they put up their heads in
the late and frosty spring were laid in long
rows upon the doorstep and the solitary sur
yiyor upon the stem blossomed gorgeously only
10 suffer more lingering torture, as its leaves
were plucksd, one by one, by the same unspar-
ing hand 81. ,.,., ~
leave of her mischevous ways, and seemed TO
be under the dominion Of a more peaccable
spirit. She cosxed and petted poor puss until
she yentured once more 10 resume her place IN
the freight; she ingratiated herself into the
good grsccs OF the dog--so he watched her and
followed her everywhere, and looked upon her
in this new phase Of character, wonderngy
and admiringly. She waSceaseless IN impor-
tuning TO have the serious losses OF Susannah
and Rosa Matilda repaired, until aourishing
and unnamed family Of children OF wax, and
eartheu, and cotton rags, were SGT up 10 rows
10 the play-room.
All through the delightful never.to- be-for-
gotten fourth summer, she watched with me,