The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-06-10
Christina
Christina.
She raked the chaff, she scratched the ground,
4 ApI H. II

agood and religious man, blessed with truly
christian wife, and many dear children. Their
youngest and favorite child was little maiden
eight years old, whom they had named Chris
tina. Now she was not only beautiful, but
very good and obedlent also; and her mind was
fixed on heaven, SO that her childish under
standing was prompt to take in high and holy
thoughts and never forgot what had been once
explained to her respecting them. Her great
est delight was to hear the bible read, and she
could learn verses out of the hymn book by
heart much easier than any thing else. Little
Christina was very quiet child, and kept much
to herself; SO that when the warm days Of sum
mer came, she could play for weeks together
in the garden, without ever wishing for any
other playfelows than the flowers and trees,
or the little birds that sang in the branches.
With them the child would play and chatter,
as if they had been living people; and at sun
set she always returned to the house with
cheerful and happy face, and having eat
piece. of bread and butter for supper, folded
her little hands in prayer to God, She then fell
into deep and peaceful slumber.
Now it happened one evening, when the
child came in as usual, she carried something
in her apron. She folded her apron closely up
SO that no one could see what was in it, and
bid her brothers and sisters guess what it was,
and her mother was asked too, but no one
could tell When Christina had waited a long
time and saw they would not try to guess, her
patience gave way, and she exclaimed
"Well, then, look here, [ must unfold my
ridde!" and she shook her apron as she spoke,
and. out dropped pretty snow white chicken,
pI lad t,ft H.
mother wondered where Christina could have
got the chicken. But she said,
81 cannot tell where the chicken came from.
It came up to me in the garden, and hoped
upon my lap, and played with me all the after
noon. When gotup to 60 away, it ran after
me, SO put it into my apron and brought it
home; for it would have been sad pity if it
had been starved to death, sitting all alone in
the cool night air; and besides weasel or
stoat might have come and killed it, That
was the reason why brought you in my sweet
darling little chckenp' And then the child
picked up her little chicken again, and kissed
and coaxed it, pressed it to her bosom, while
she said:
"Do not be frightened little creature; you
shall have a happy life with me, and sleep by
my side at night, and we will not hurt each
other.''
"Christina' S mother was very much afraid
Christmas story might not be true; for it ap-
peared strange to her that the chicken should
come in that way, and she feared she might
have got it from some neighbor, and exhorted
her strenuously to tell the exact truth about it..
But the little girl declared her story was true,
and played merrily with her chicken until bed
time, and when she was in bed, the little thing
spread out its wings, as@if to keep her warm,
and slept there quietly all night. .. ... Il.
Next morning the Weaver's wife sent round
the village to all her#neighbors, asking if any
one had lost a white chicken with a speckled
top=not:s But none Of them had any white hen
or chickens, nor had they heard of anybody 5
losing one. When the messenger came back,
Christina danced for joy that she might now
keep her chicken; and her mother was still
more joyful for her heart had ached at the
thought of the bare possibility that Christina
might have taken the chicken from somewhere,
and told her lie.
There was soon the greatest friendship that
ever was known between the young creatures,
the little girl and the little chicken. Christina
WAS nowhere to be seen without her little mate;
when she went with her mother to church,
some thought the little girl was sorry then to
leave Snowtip, for SO she called the chicken,
behind. And poor little Snowtip was never
happy when Christina was out of her sight, but
ran restless here and there, chrping as if she
would chirp her heart out. But as soon as she
saw the child coming back, she twisted round
and round upon her little yellow legs, and flut
tered her little tiny wings for Joy. They were
usually to be seen both together in the garden,
where Christina sat reading or knitting. and
sometimes had to weed the beds and water the
flowers. In this garden stood an old cherry
tree with a large flat stone near to its roots
Christina now always went to sit upon this
stone, because Snowtip liked to scratch and
nestle in the sandy earth round it, shaking the
the dust over her wings and feathers. There
the child constantly went, though her mother
sometimes asked her why she never sat upon
the nice seat her brothers had made expressly
for her But she would answer that Snowtp
could not bear the place. and always ran to
the old tree as soon as they came into the gar
den, where she followed it, because she never
liked to be far away from ~Snowtip when she
could help it. Thus these two lived through
the summer and spring in great fondness, and
Snowtip had wanted nothing more than o few
crumbs which Christina had always saved off
her own piece of bread, though she could have
done without that even as in summer there is
plenty of scratching and picking for chickens
out Of doors. But when autumn came, and
took every leaf from the trees, and the winters
snow hid almost every berry and seed from the
poor little birds, then our two little friends had
to remain in dosfs, and came into sad trouble.
For one day Christmas mother took her little
girl and said: ~........--. ....z. =,
l''My child, you are very good and obedient,
and therefore, am sorry to take Snowtip from
you; but SO it must be. The chicken must
not be starved, and we have neither corn nor
bread to spare. Therefore do not cry, but put
on your new Sunday frock and go over to the
clergyman's lady. who is your godmother,
with your chicken under your arm. / am sure
she will take care of it for your sake, and it
will be much better off at the parsonage than
at our poor cottage" .z.s a
When the little maiden heard these words,
she began to sob and weep 50 bitterly that it
grieyed her mother to the heart, and Chris
tina said,
''Oh,no! my mother, pray you not to make
me do that; for I shall not know what to do
when Snowtip is gone. Oh, why cannot we
Laan the chirLen2 for If will soon he hen and