The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1864-12-24
Under the Mistletoe.
A Story of Two Christmas Days
and Two Kisses.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "a DAUGHTER OF EVE"

am an old man so old am that, look
ing back, life seems SO very long, and yet
so very short, that do not quite know
whether many things did not happen in
dream. l am hale and hearty, and merry,
Tor the matter of that and when laugh my
laugh rings out clearly and loud, they say !;
so much so that it makes the people around
me, especially my grand children and ne
phews and neces, laugh too. And when
laugh the old times come back when others,
who are silent now, laughed with me, and
then | am suddenly still, and the laugh dies
away; and when | think of it, its empty
echoes fill my brain just as if it were sleep.
laughter in dream.
Been in lovea Yes, should think
have; how else could have grand chill
dren, those people who laugh so well and
hearty when | laugh, and make me tell how
old am score of times, and say how well
am looking Well, well some of them
want me to look i'll, think but I'll laugh
aud live to spite 'em. No, no; | don't
mean that you know. How can live but
life are in the hands of One greater than us
ALL
Been in love! think / was talking of
that, was not? Yes been in love! Well.
we just did love when was young fellow,
and recollcct my wife, my Alice, that left
my side just now, it seems, and yet it TWEEN
ty years ago; and rccolect her, as loved
her, when she was very young, and as love
her now. She was merry one, was Alice !:
we used to walk, and laugh, and talk togcth-
or like two friends. think she could do
anything but drink and smoke or tell an un-
truth, or do wrong action. Her face was
a sweet oval face; her hair was very dark
brown, nearly black, and her eyes deep
blue; full of merriment at one moment, ay,
Mt all moments, except when she heard sad
story, or was touched with pain for any one
else, and then they grew deeper and deeper
as they filled with tears. Not for herself
She never cried for herself that know of,
for she never had days illness. But she
was terribly cut up when her poor brother
died, and that you see is how knew her.
Her brother was ny right hand man in my
company. Manys the time that he stood
shoulder to shoulder with me, good at
drill, good at a song-good at anything
He used to live near the coast; and, indeed,
he joined u.s. and was one of his tent-fcl-
lows, and his chum. Well, he knew people
that | knew, and we were soon friends and
he took me home to show me Alice. He
was always talking about her, and she about
him; and when he was there, scarce look
did she give me. Her brother Joe-his
name was Joe, and mine, too-could do
everything, and was the be-al and end all of
the world, | used to think and so one day
l tried to run with Joe, and Joe beat me,
and Alice laughed; and then shot against
Joe, and he beat me too, and she laughed
the more and | wrestled with him and
threw him, and she didn't laugh then, and
ran to see whether he was hurt, and said it
wasn't fair for Joe to tackle big fellow like
me, although he was nigh an inch taller In
short | could not please her any how.
Well, it was one day when we heard that
the hat-bottomcd boats of old Boncy were
not coming over, and that the army of Bou-
logne had melted bit by bit away, like Il
snowdrift, that We made a night of it, Ay,
it was night, too and, being hot and in
Summer, we must needs keep up the fun till
the sun came over the scacoast looking red
and angry at our folly. Well, Joe and L
the two Joes, as they called us-ran down
to the beach and washed our hot faces, and
plunged in the fresh, salt waves, and were
in a few moments as fresh and as merry as
young larks. And after dressing Joe must
needs take walk with me-who was moth
ing 10th you must know-along the cliff.
The seas for centuries have been washing
that chalk bound coast, and at intervals
there stand up pillars of chalk, with the sea
around them, and with little green patches
of land, a few yards square, on the top OF
them. The people call such place "No
Mans Land and no man can own it, truly.
Well, Joe came to one of these, few feet
say twelve-from the cliff, and turning to
me, he said, "Joe Junior said he-I think
] see his bright face now, ~ challenge you
to leap uoon that no Man. Land, do y