New-York daily tribune., 1863-12-25
IFor The Tribune.
African Cnspnr's Chrfstrnas.

RICH in contentment, poor in purse,
Thankful their lot is nothing worse,
Old African Caspar and his wife
Patiently pass the Winter of lifs.
Beneath the same roof, for fifty years,
They have lovingly mingled their smiles and tears
And kncehng together, they have given,
Morning and evening, their prayers TO Heaven
Almost on the very oceansands,
The honse of African Caspar stands.
On the east AS far as the eye can reach,
Stretches away the sea-worn beach;
On the west, distant town is seen,
With groups Of forest trees between;
Far SOUTH two arms of the ocean lie,
Far north, q tall mountain cleaves the sky.
From his western windows, old Caspar sees
A neat little cottage, half bid by the trees:
Hated alike by poor and rich,
II is here Black Angela lives, the witch
Great phantoms of smoke that arise by day,
And, at night, her lean candles ghostly ray,
And the stalking shadows, tall and gaunt,
That make Black Angela house their haunt,
Coming and going with noiscless tread,
Fill the heart of old Caspar with pious dread.
Last Christmas, about the set of sun,
After his hard days work was done
For even on holidays the poor
Must struggle against the wolf at the door
With his great Christmas basket, loaded dovn,
Old Caspar had just come home from town.
In the antique fireplace, blazing logs
Roarcd and cracked on the huge fiTe-does;
From the pot-hook a sayory supper hung,
The tca-kcttlc songs of comfort sung;
While full in the blaze of the CHEEKY light
Old Caspar sat as If charmed with the sight:
The ca, purred softly around lis chair,
The smoke from his pipe curlcd high in the ar.
" "Goodwifc, Ruth, said CasIar, at length,
This baskc, has .orcly tried my strength,
am failing fast. bu; 20 God be praise
lie has already given NE many days
And wherever the summons comes 70 ne,
ain ready 10 go, If FIRST cs.n see
Nv race and yours " no longer IN chalns'
Shrickcd q voice ~ Wild a. hurricanes:
Old Ca,uar upboundcd; down 10 ihe Hoor
sank Ruth: Black Angela stood at the door
" oh, do not fear ne, am only a woman:
Sit down. good Caspar you see am human;
some call he e witch, but ccriaiuly yol-
You have more sense than 20 think as they do;
And though confess have some sl.h,
use II for good and not for ill.
Bu, how J.. this ncighbors; have ye 10 chair
For poor lame woman, or Hoss fospa'e
Au old witch Ike ne p
Nay. ray, good dane
have ,ricd to speak ever since you cane,
Fatcred Ruth, ".lt down, our suppeI : ncaf,
And you shail partnke ouT humble ctcer.'
Thank, ,hanks, Kind Ruth, but o4no here TO-
night,
~ thls glass Ia sho~ you mage sishi,-
That done, a. fast a. ny foot can bo1r
mus, hobblc home, - have business ih'ro.'
While .ayinr thee wor,i. from hrr soEn she d'eS
4 quaint l.tiic glass, which slc hc'd g. Wow,
D." See sou augli bu; yourself 10 this mirror, Ruth
DOCS Ca.par No, Ia as clear a. Truth
Now tiAc it and gaze with al your eyes,
TIL yon scc O. marvellous picturc rsc
BE- sur YOU spcak not, t,-mcAut.me good sculs,
uill no. your cat here, and s;ir ile.c Goals"
AsIf knowing it. mistress The cot had cr,yt
slowly toward Angca,-now 1t lcapt
Into her lap where it at and puued
With d savage relish, While she stirred
The elticnug Goals:
At last ,hc witch cried
1T Is time II is iimc' the gobirs rdci
See you any thing YETI!
Not yet, but stay
.ec something far of which comes this way:
Il looks lisc-but no, II cannot Dee;
Il looks Ike q fleet bound out TO sea-
rislItis aud the widespread sails,
How tlaycly they take the driving gales
More than hundred ships They ay
Before tho wind They Will soon be byl"
Hush" cried ,hc witch, those very ships
Are flled with the slticrs they call 'Thick-lips:
Sailors and soldiers, they have won
Rcnotn in the land of Washington;
And uow with holy, sublime intent,
They scck that beautiful continent,
Africa named, which they have sworn
H. redeem from the curse 10 has thus far borne.'
"Oh tell us, Angela, shall we live
- behold these thinrsl Fox would giyc
Ten times the happiness ofmy lite,
Only FOX thia-would not yon, good wife ?"
"African Caspar," the witch replied,
Think you Black Angela can decide
Upon life and dcathl Look again in the glass,
Til you see a still stranger picture pass:
BE- sure YOU speak not meantime, good souls,
viii hold yonr cat here, and stir these Goals"
Then poking the brands awhile, she cried
o'It il time, the goblins ridcl
What see you. Casparl"
" ! see cloud,
Now black az Il pail, now white as a shroud."
THAT Is batlc-smokc, Caspar-what morol what
more p
al see a shoemaker at his door,
Sewing his welts and see miller,
Leaning his grain against pillar
And farmers ploughng"
"wait, waii, good sous,
Let me sprinkle a powder on these coals: