Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-12-23

4
| door,"
Thy peace in this life shall be like the deep river
And dying, thy welcome to heaven shall be-
aye faithful and blessed of my Father-come
| hther;
Ye did it to others-ye did itto me-"
The Orphans ChriStmaS-Eye.
BY MARY A. DENISoN. .
1t had been showing heavily all day,
| but toward night had .efeared5oH, and
now keen, bitterwind was blowing,
that cut to the-very bone. 1t was SO
cold, indeedsthat but few persons were
in the streets, although it was Christ
mas-eve. Usually, at this hour, on the
night before the great holiday, thepave-
ments were crowded with eoplc-;;' hap
py children going, hand-in-hand, with
their parents, to buy toys; gay lockers
on maskers in grotesque garments; and
BOYS blowing horns; everything and
everybody jubisant with JOY and merri-
ment. But now the streets were almost
deserted, for the snow lay foot deep.
In vain the shop-windows blazed with
gas and exhibited their, very choicest
stores. Here and there news=boy,
stooping-to face the blast, cried the eve
ming papers; and now and then soli-
tary cab drove almost noiselessly through
the white streets. The gale roared
through the trees Of the public square,
and the icicles ratified down from the
-'-s~-----a--a-------:-I-
night as you ever saw.
Suddenly, bare-footed little girl,
thinly clad, and shivering with cold,
turned corner, and came face to face
with one of the most brilliantly-lighted
toy-shops in that quarter of the town.
She had evidently been abroad to gath
er fuel for scanty fire, for she carried
an old, tornb basket on her arm, in which
were chips and: other bits Of refuse
wood, which had heen picked up every
where and anywhere.
At sight Of the dazzling window and
of the gIories it revealed, the poor little
thing stopped. Her eyes sparkled with
10y. Her breath came short. For a
moment she forgot the want and misery
at homc-the fireless room, the empty
cupboard, the sick mother-and could
think Of nothing but the lovely things
the window contained. Oh ! that doll,
that glorious, gorgeous creature; the
spansIed dresses that seemed covered
with diamonds ;the funny, funny masks.
She had never had~a Chnstmas-tree
herself; but she had heard AofN such
things, and she gasped, breathlessly,'
gazing at the doll,
. Where will it go, I wonder? To
some one who lives in beautiful house,
l expect, and has everything she wants,
even to pies and turkeys for Christmas, .
she added, in longing little voice.
90, dear"
That sigh reached the ear of tall,
dark man who was passing leaning upon
the arm of another gentleman. He
looked down, at first with wonder, AMI
then with pity, upon the sweet face and
eyes; upon the little red hands that
were grasping the basket; the poor, lit
tie hands that should have been white
and dimpled; upon the chips with snow
melting about their edges; upon the
cleanly though thin garment 1t
bare feet; and then again into the deep,
wistful eyes.
What pretty child" he thought.
/" Poor little thing" And he asked,
stopping, his voice softened to tender
ness, "What is your name, little one?'
The child, reused from her absorp-
ton, looked up, startled, but, seeing a
kindly face, she answered, dropping a
courtesy,
Lucy, sir'
Lucyl 1t was the name of his only
sister, whom he had not seen for many
long year; not since he had gone
away, after the death of their parents,
and the sale of the old homestead up
in New England, determined to make
his way in the world What a train Of
memories it called upl He thoug hit OF
the happy old days, and OF sweet Hetty
Moss, and then of the utter despair that
followed, when his father died a bank
rupt, and his mother followed Of a bro
ken heart, and some far-way relatives
came and took his sister out Of charity
and old Deacon Moss shut his doors
against him. The shame and anguish
Of it all returned on him as sharply as
when he had first felt it, a lad of twen-
ty; but back also came the memory Of
his sister, and he almost persuaded
himself, for a moment, that the child
before him looked like his little Lucy
had looked at her age. There was
tremor of expectation in his voice. as
he said,
Lucy what, dear?''
"Lucy Pettigrew.
All it was name he had never
heard. But, remembering that his sis
ter's child would not bear her mothers
maiden name, he asked again,
And have you always lived here 2
"Always. AS long as I can remem
Der. Father was a soldier you know
and was killed in the war. Now there
is nobody but mother and me.
He looked again at the child. The
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