Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-12-28
al stel mtn II s
Mrs. Brent's Christmas,

| 1t was the day before Christmas. Mrs.
Brent stood at the window, drearily watch
ing the snow fall, as though neither sum
mers sunshine nor winters snow could
ever more have charms for her. A great
sorrow had come to this pale. sadeyed
woman, and changed the glad summers OF
her life to d-eariest winter.
Last Christmas Eve how happy and bu-
~ she had been. How impossible it SEEM
ed to keep certain articles from prying eyes
and little meddlcsomc fingers till the prop
er time for displaying them arrived. How
little arms went round papa's neck, and
red lips whispered close to his ears that he
must teep it sctret hut mama had some
slippers hded away for him T'ristmas, and
that Santa Kause was going to bring her
a dolly, cause she saw it in the clothes
p'css.'
Mrs. Brent thought of these things with
an agony words cannot express, for the
little pet was done with all earthly things
Months before, when the October leaves
were piling the ground with gold and crim-
son heaps, she had closed her eyes and
gone to keep her next Christmas in heaven.
There was none left. She WIS the one pet
lamb of the fold. this little three years old
girl, that they had made their idol. oh,
fany who read this are mothers who love
their little ones with too tender, too all alb
,b.m m in vour hearts bcfore Him who
gave them to YOU. for the time may come
when you will wakcn to the fact that your
idol was only clay; beautiful clay, and
dear as the casket that held the gem so
dear to you-but only clay after all. And
Iioa af,an yon b,yn wished Won could keen
e .,,,',a,I, ,,,on.,,. pnor mother. Won
ann Lnnn !, snnntt now the little restless
aa LaaJ :" i f,reS"r ~ % still C,,sc the dear eyes
-, ,,,ane, viii mover make Won clad
"nG tIJ ,,,o Gt,la wovon hands that will
-" .,",,,or rn,, INV, mare in all the time
".so, on,a 'o'1s, cl,ss tho cnlTn i'd mother. Law
,onr hsn, IN tLe cburrhvard. that never
saa,,aI s"n =. far aw,y and cold as now. 10
Iaoi' .a ~ ,In d.sor,aa housn that wifi never
m p"'I .,,ao. 70 rou a,sa;n t,,e nm vonr .bnr.
w. ~ n9 Gc, ara;n Vom viii sea bannv
~" a,har, rra,, ,;ma n Tina who have miss
'I NV i,nI fr,,n mar rnlJ"von will hear
,,in ' i'' '"aD nrr mnth., inst m SHE used.
,1'~ nhn.. .T'o1 Gns ,re now go White and mute in
J.a,h An tbis viii he too much for YOU
snmat;mes and von will cry ont in YOUR az
nnr hut rou viii h,y. learned n lesson.
~, :, :, ...iI ~ maxi. Yourselves idols
; uhnn ". has said. .Thou Shalt have no 9th.
.nl, Lor,r,mn
Nrs- Hrcpt had been alone all the morn
,n an b,'r nrorarot;ons ~ fnr the morrow
,rsro cnmnl.te Her husband was a min.
;stnr and sb. had nreparcd many gifts fnr
h;s noo, nar;sb;oners As she stood by the
,r;ntow n hcr honuet and cloak, n brisk
ra,,ln was roino On in her brcast between
J,,, ","e onJ ;ncl;1a,;on Inclination wbis.
,"r.J ""r. .St,r -, hama. co m IN the nurse
~ and loot ovnr L,Lv7s nIavthinrs-the
.i;"ms ron aoy. her iast Christmas There
;s me Gitlc stacking TO fiji tonight. You
"T i..s a,,,, 1,nt,, sa;a ia nut and
re-" W'.';i'. ho. ." ',;f,s yon VIII tbcn meet
,'s-;,I hr;,,Lt f,co instead of
!o"' ''s','s i"sol"" ,'';,l, ,"on,,;no Coi,
~ laJ alnn.t rr..v.;1.d . she moved
s,on for'rarJs In, the nntt,r Of little feet
a '.tP ,'un.',Jh,r .o' " 49, rSh. listened with
h,tnI H. ."I hr"ath E,,In hnnrlin~ hands turned
u"'' ,na ,,oh ha,, n,t,raI + sonnIcd-a little
,a1 ,ao nn"" nonoI :" nnrl and Golden. Int mat.
n."u n, nrnl.anan,. Tho GttI. hand ,Iat held
w. ,u a.h a"u ""mu'"r ra, ',rr,,,, With coJ She adj
.io n"'o I"s ;t,;rp,.,,. t"'r., ;n,o tLo roam, lis
.anotu VA; tn, """Js''"'asH !" ,y mama o Lcro @ !,
NJ p,o,t ,ooL ono litt,e hand in hers.
M's n'I". % ''VH T,,,a J,' omo1 % I"w % came 50 20
are YOU iuS.' n,.'. WV ,,mo w, smch a
1',,al' 1.' y, e'''' Us ~" 0'' ~ "
o'! r 40. ,o.. 1I;,o !, ,bo strect
NJ Il" n'' 'o'' NV nIo Mil scnt
"hefe ',is l'sh s.ei'T ~ "P' ~, ' s,,ns and nj
l,ie "u' u w. anu .n '"a w. i"u haoran NJ.
Thought thought '','s ;I"ra .. '''' "'"' ~ '''
MAMMA rre". ,t thought little idle garments
MIS- n'e,,. W, ."oo".o VI ar IN ~ 'as and
up sla!'s' vi 'nu p"'s vi nt 'o ,ho rmnh ,;,tlc
stockings, as she iooheo ~ ."e ""'''' ''','o