The Nevada journal., 1858-03-12
The Little Match Girl--A Christmas Story
BY THE DANISH POET, ANDERSON.

1t was SO terribly cold; it showed,
and the evening began to be dark it
was a 50 the last evening in the year,
New Years Eve. On this cold, dark
evening, a poor little girl went into the
street with bare head and naked feet.
1t is true she had shoes on when she
went from home, but of what use were
theyY They were very large shoes,
her mother had last worn them, they
were too large and the little one lost
them in hurrying over the street as two
carriages passed quickly by. One shoe
was no, found, and the other, a boy ran
away with, saying he could use it for
cradle when he had children himself.
The little girl now went on her small
naked feet which were red and blue
with cold; she carried number of
matches in an old apron, and held one
bundle i'll her hand. No one had bought
Of her the whole day, no one had given
her farthing. Poor thing she was
hungry and benumbed with cold. and
looked SO downcast The snow flakes
fell on her yellow hair, which curied so
prettily round her neck, but she did not
heed that.
The lights shone out from all the win
dows, and there was such a delicious
smell of the roast beef in the street: it
was New Years Eve, and she thought
of that
She sat down in a corner between two
houses; the one stood little more for
ward than the other; and she drew her
legs up under her to warm herself, but
she was still cold, and she burst not 90
home; she had not sold any matches,
or got single farthing Her father
would beat her; and il was also cold at
home, they had only the roof directly
over them, and there the wind whistled
in, although straw and rags were stuffed
in the large crevices
Her little hands were almost benumb-
ed with cold. All ! little match might
do some good, burst she only draw one
out of the bundle, strike it on the wall,
and warm her fingers. She drew out
one match 2 how it Burned it was a
VAIN clear flame like that of little
candle, when she held her hand round
it; it was strange light!
The little girl thought she sat bv a
large iron stove with brass balls on the
top, the fire burned so nicely and warm
ed so well Nay, what was that The
little girl stretched out her feet to warm
them, too; when the flame went out,
the stove vanished, she sat with burnt
match in her hand. Another was struck,
1t burned, it shone; and where the light
fell on the wall it became as transpar-
ent as Grape she looked directly into
the room, where the roasted goose stuff
fed with apples and prunes steamed so
charmlngly on the table on which it was
laid out covered with a shining white
cloth and fine porcelain cervice. What
was still more splendid, the goose sprung
off the dish and waddled along the floor
with knife and fork in its back it came
directly up to the poor girl then the
match went out, and there was only the
thick, cold wall to be seen.
She struck another match Then she
sat under the most charming Christmas
tree; it was still larger and more orna-
mental than that she had seen through
the glass door at the rich merchants, S,
the last Christmas thousand candles
burned on the green branches and
motley pictures, like those which orna-
ment the shop windows, looked down at
her The little girl lifted up both hands,
then the match was eXtinguished, the
many Christmas candles rose higher
and higher; she saw that they were
bright stars; one Of them fell and made
fiery stripe in the sky Now one
dies - said the poor girl, for old grand
mother, who had alone been kind to
her. but who was now dead, had told her
that when a star falls. soul goes up to
God
She again struck match against the
wall; it shone all around, and her old
grandmother stood in the lustre, so shin
ing, so mild and bli sful "Grandmoth-
cr," exclaimed the little girl, 'oh take
me with you! | know you will be gone
away when the match goes out, like the
warm stove, the delicious roast goose,
anu thC
she struck in haste the whole remainder
of matches that were in the bundle !;
she would not lose sight of grandmother,
aud the matches shone with such bril-
liancy that it was clearer than in broad
daylight. Grandmother had never be-
fore looked SO pretty, so great; she lift
ed the poor little girl up in her arms,
and they flew ro high, so high, in splen-
dor and joy, there was no cold, no anx-
iety; they were with God.
But the little girl sat in the corner by
the house, in the cold morning hour,
with red cheeks, and with a smile round
her mouth, dead-frozen to death, the
hast evening of the old year.
New Years morning rose over the lit
tie corpse as it sat with the matches, of
which a bundle was burned. But no
one knew what beautiful things she had
seen, in what splendor and gladness she
had entered with her old grandmother
into the New Years joys.