Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-04-12
EVENING STAR.
A CH RISTMAS IDEA
BY G. DONALD MACLEOD.

Twenty-fourth of December, and the night
just setting in. 1t had been bitterly cold all
day, and the sidewalks covered with crisp
| snow, seemed to reflect the icy air up through
the soles of your feet to your very heart Up
aud down Broadway were omnibus-sleighs,
with an improbable number Of horses and an
impossible number of human beings. The
former in their usual positions with reference
to the vehicles; the latter, not in, but on,
around, over, in front of, behind, upon each
| other, swarming like bees, and shouting like
demons.
There were no children in the streets Dear
| little hearts, they were kept at home in pro-
foundest mystery, in blind, hopeless ignorance
OF what was going on out of doors and all
day long they had hsttened their noses against
| the window-panes, or breathed upon the glass
| till it grew dim, and then drawn odd figures,
| or written their names in large irregular let
| ters upon the misty surface, with nice fat lit
tie fingers How they wondered at their i'm
prlsonment, for the voices that ordered them
| to stay at home that day had never been more
| full of love, and irrepressble tenderness had
been very evident through tho thin severity
Of the maternal eyes. Every one who passed
| the windows had large bundle under his
| arm; tall porters stalked by, with rocking
horses and sleds upon their shoulders; fat
| gentlemen were seen with bursting great coat
pockets; and oddly colored bits of wood, that
| must have come from the toy shops, had occa-
slonally split the paper, and were poked out
| obtrusively and suggestively. Mamma had
sternly refused to take anybody out with her;
| had issued perfect nkaSe of Imprisonment,
and, finally, under pretence of going up stairs,
| to look for her needle-case, had gone ont sur
| reptitiously.
Those who were old enough remembered
that similar severity, practieed last year
had been mysteriOusly connected with Santa
Claus, and so when they were refused out
door exercise, they looked demure and then
| turned away, and smiled to themselves, and
hoped about on one short leg and hid their
expectations from the younger ones-the pre-
cOcious little humbugs
And when the oft fiattened noses we're al
most frozen, and the chubby finger tips were
red with writing On the misty panes, they
shouted that they saw their mother and their
Uncle Ned, and bundles, and a man behind
with something large-and at that moment
they were violently torn away from the win
dow by the nurse who blamed them with ex-
aggerated crossness for mistaking somebody
else for their mother and pointed her finger
at them and asked derisiyely "wern't they
ashamed to take strange lady for their own
dear mamma ~ And then, in the midst of
the argument, the door opended and closed,
and there was an audible rushing I'D stairs
and trampling in the room overhead, and
tnen quiet descent and new opening and
shutting of the door, and then a ring at the
bell which nurse and all the children au-
swered, and there on the porch innocently
waiting to be let in, were both Uncle Ned and
mother without any bundles at all Whereat
the children were much amazed and indis-
posed to trust the evidence of their senses in
future, coming unwittingly to the conclusion
that 1t does indeed require wise offspring to
know their own parents. Of course / am
talking about my own dear little one, as my
wife described them to me; for L had been
down town all day long, worrying about some
book Of mine which had not been rightly dealt
with by my publisheT-ny publishers name
was Pernicious L Smith.
So when had gotten myself into furious
rage with Pernicious Z. Smith, and had run
myself into unknown perils by tearing up
passiOnately two or three papers, walked up
homeward through the cold, cold wind. Long
before got home my pockets were so full OF
bOns and that sort Of business, that I
could not button my over-coat; and as both
my hands were full, could not put them into
any warm spot; SO that when | finally reached
home L was nearly frozen.
And Florry brought in the babies for the
goodnight kiss and blessing, and then trun-
died them off to bed Then she put me into
our crimson-pl plush arm chair; and then she
put her soft little fingers up through my hair
hair was thick and soft and glossy and then
she sat down upon my knee and put her gen
tie loving arms round me, and laid her soft
cheek against mine for a moment, as much as
to say, my heart is near yours, darling, SO
forget your troubles Finally, like dear,
good, little thing, she brought me my slippers
and mixed me a real jolly tumbler of toddy,
and kissed me, and said that she must 90
away and get ready for the guests-for there
was to be party that evening at our house
and would please excuse her?
l said yes; and drank my toddy, and then
lolled back in my arm chair and stretched my
feet out towards the fire to get thoroughly
thawed and the sea coal blazed in the crate,
and its flames were the only light in the room.
Well, l had been enjoying my Ottum cunu
stuptditate for some time, when L heard
ring at the door; and then the servants foot
going, the slamming of the hall-door, and a
quadrupedal step coming towards the parlor.
The door was opened.
"Mr. Smith, sir" 1t was Pernicious E.
"Ah, good evening, Mr.. Smith, will you sit
down, sir ?" / said, with some little haughti- |
ness.
"Yes." he said and did. "It is cold to-
night, Mr.. Therford. Rather bad style of
night to be poor in"
There was something in his tone that an
noyed me, and l said
'May inquire why I am honored by this |
visit?"
"Oh, yes; called to let you know that
have let this house, and the new possessor |
comes in on the first Of February"
The house was his, and although 1 had |
lived in it ever since L was married, yet after |
our mornings quarrel l could not ask him to
let me stay So I said:
every well, sir"
BY the way he continued, 81 have been
looking over our accounts, and''-
My good sir, this is Christmas eve, and
do not wish to occupy it in any business mat
ters'
"But, sirn-
"But, sir, L do not tnteud to occupy it with |
any business matters The day after to NOR |
row will be at your service
He rose from his chair, saying:
81 thought that as you would be occupied |
in moving, you would like to begin as soon as |
possible for matters are more complicated |
than you seem to have any idea of But |
good night, sir; L wish you a merry Christ
mas"
H. Said II "a n dayil might saw IL to q man |