The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-12-24

oPoh q OlHiC, hoC AhdHy years ago, there
lived in the pleasant city of P gen
| tleman, who had one little daughter
Many years before, when this little girl
was wee baby in his arms, he had laid
his wife in her long, narrow home, and
taken this tiny pledge of her love into his
lnmost heart. He loved the child fondly,
| yet IN his love he was blind to many
| things that might have made her happier.
| As he loved books music, and painting, he
made her life one round Of study and sweet
sounds and sights, neglecting those little
feminine pursuits a woman loves and
Graves. She Was his scholar and compan-
ion, trained to masculine tastes, yet gentle
and womanly by nature and higher in
stinct than her father could teach. As
she passed from child to woman, her father
read upon her broad white brow and in
her clear blue eyes talent he had never
possessed, and by gentle urging he trained
the gift till his eyes were gladdened by
reading all the pure outpourings of his
child's genius. a poet born, her prose
was full of gems, and her pen became her
dearest treasure.
Papa !'
''Listen, Rett4. One day, upon all this
dreaming life Of pleasant Intercourse there
came a blow, sudden as the thunder in a
sunny summer day. The trustees who
held the wealth that had made this life an
easy one 10 indulge in, failed, and swept
| of at once the whole fortune upon which
those two depended. This was not all a
fall upon the ice crippled the father so in
curably that he was a6ained by his injuries
to his bed, dependent for actual bread upon
| l. L i
just opened--a liir, loving blossom, train
ed to a life of Injurious ease. It was then
he learned his mistake when watching
the noble nature that conquered all diff
Guilty, he saw low the fastidious taste
shrank from such domestic labors as most
women love- With many pang Of bitter
self reproach, he saw the most common
place duties of poor house fulfilled by
fingers trained to glide over the ivory keys
OF grand piano, saw the. busy little hands
he had SO often watched guiding the pen
now roughened and soiled by cooking,
busting, and sweeping, and kLew his fair
child martyr in every detail"
'No, no! Love made the tasks easy.
What could repay the years of care such a
father had lavished? She were a disgrace
to her sex if such memory did not gid the
most menial task"
'Hush, Retta, listen. When the little
ready money that had served at first was
gone, the talent that had been the fathers
pride became his support. Other eyes
than his loving ones learned to scan and
grew to praise his child works, and day
after day piles Of neatly written sheets
were transformed into food, medicines, and
clothing Perhaps this might have become
the life of these two, content to always
continue all 10 each other; but one was a
woman, with loving heart and noble
womanly nature. Visiting this pair, pas
sing whole hours by the bedside of the in
valid, was young doctor, whose love for
his profession at first drew him often to
study an Interesting case, but who came
soon from a deeper motive. The father
from his prison led, had grown to watch
his childs face so closely that every tho't
Of her heart was Transparent to him, SO he
soon read in her eyes the secret she tried
to hide and knew that those two, both
dear to him, were still more dear each l.
the other Retta, Why do you weep p
There was no shame in such love; it was
sought with manly frankness by one worthy
| 10 Win IL. GUN, IHSiC WIS Il DdI Il llt
young doctor was poor, and when he told
his love- the maiden would not burden him
with a helpless invalid, neither would she
leave her father"
'.Oh, papa, how did you know %
''The lover himself told the invalid, who
then wrote to see if hospital could not
afford him home"
"Nevcr Papa, you break my heart ,
''Not yet, fer the story docs not end SO
Christmas was coming, and the day before
while the child was busy in the kitchen al
her dstasteful work, the young doctor
came to pay his daily visit, His story
was worthy of novel, for he had received
legacy from an aunt sufficient to kee,
him in luxury He had purchased house
and deed OF gift made it his Christmas
, present to the father Of the woman he
loved. Tonight, Retta, this father aud
lover move into their new domicila and
the child, the loving girl who has SO pa.
tiently borne dark days, will she not comc
to glad len bright ones p
1t was evening when the fitting was
made, and IN the new homo the loving
father gave away his treasure to stronger
protection, while there vas no happier
heart in that large city, nan little Retta';
on that Christmas Eve.
/. E-z--~
| V'rII, trocaS of 4 ricrn,oo Oh.