Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-12-30
NUMBER 1876.

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will rest upon you, but it will never melt
you. Far above all others, you will never
be sought Yours will be a cold and soil
tary life to the end"
sInform her as to the meaning of the
other figures" suggested the person who
had been addressed as s'your Majesty"
The rough but kindly voice went on:
''You know the man. A heart OF oak may
he wounded, but it can never be quite killed.
His manliness will bear him on and up
through difficulties, and over obstacles until
he stands on the highest summit Of success.
But on the mountains top, as at its base, he
will be alone in spirit. having lost great
hope in mis- youth. His life will not be hard
or cold, but it will be sad 1t will not be
dark, for courage and truth and earnest
purpose will rise above mis;s and clouds,
but no household joys will ever brighten it.
He will stand as high as you, but the gulf OF
a life-time will separate you from him. No
wish of yours or his will have power to fill
that gulf or bridge it over. While the noun.
tains stand firm, you two must stand apart.
Alice burst into tears. / love him l
love him, she said, with apiteous little sob,
that must have touched the hardest heart to
its very core. Through her tears she saw
the picture vanish away, as if some sudden
deluge had hidden valley and mountains.
and far different scene. She and Charlie
were standing very near each other. His
audacious arm was around her waist, her
golden ringlets were ripping over his
shoulder. A world of love, a life of glad
ness, seemed to be involved and implied in
the mere posture. Then all the glamour
was gone, and there was only the dingy can
vas which an unknown artist had smeared
with colors in some forgotten day.
n,,a 40 1<><,Ir raI frvY nd hn nm
| ter whence the voice had come. She thought
she could distinguish the countenance of
him called Count Baldwin. His cheeks
were suffused with rich glow, as If the
knightly deeds of his ancestors the crusa-
ders had reused him to flush ofnoble emu
lttion. ~
A sturdy, hofnely, yeoman-like figure she
| saw could be none other than the " Russet'
whom she had heard addressed. These per-
sonages, with the others already described,
seemed as it were to occupy the foreground
while behind them were gathered many
more of similar appearance.
All eyes were now turned upon the one
who had been saluted as king. "Let the
lady attend our royal commands" he said.
Instantly several OF the interiors called out,
s.Lady Alice Shortcake! attend to his gra
cious majesty, the king"
She bowed her homage and looked at him
steadily Jollity and good cheer mantled all
his visage.
Take il not unkindly, lady fair,h be
said, ''that in our regard for your happiness
we have summoned you to this presence and
caused you to look upon these sights. In
the mystic night before Christmas many
strange things are permitted to happen,
which nevertheless have relation TO that
great lesson of peace and goodwill OF
which the morrow reminds the whole world
| T fhot
you and all about you there will come, a
Merry Christmas"
And all the voices she had heard, with
others added, cried out in chorus, ga Merry
, Christmas! A Merry Christmas !"
sour reyels now are ended, said the
king. "To your places, go, disperse.." :.
Y .'Your name, most gracious majesty,
! cried Alice hastily, all bewildered, but anA-
ious to know In whose presence she had
i been standing.
el ''IIis sovereign higbness, King Pippin y
# was answered back by the attendants, at
c signal from the monarch.
v The next instant Alice found herself
n standing at the foot of the attic stairs,
d trembling all over and divided with an equal
mind between laughing and crying. She
e rubbed her eyes very hard; she pinched
herself smartly. There was no doubt
&c about it she was wide awake. She hur-
1t ried into her own room, half-expecting to
v find somebody else there in her stead, fol-
Is she almost thought some fairy change must
:" have come upon her, and that she was not
s, herself any more, but entirely another person.
d But her dainty bed was vacant, and when
she turned up the gas and looked at herself
in the glass Of her dressing bureau, her own
Id welI-known features met her view. Sht
Sc crept into her downy nest again, and aftei
4? some wondering musings fell fast asleep.
le She was down little late the next morn
ty ing, but the whole family could not but re-
so mark how kind and courteous she was, how
er gracefully deferential to her parents, how
swectly considerate of her brothers and sis
o. ters Not naughty look, or scornful smile
he or arrogant word, the whole morning. a
ch little paleness, gentle pensiveness OF man
ty ner, slight tendency to look out into tn
III street-nothing more than these, and moth
u ing disagreeable in them.
he Pretty well on in the morning, Mr. Charlie
"a Oakheart passed by the Shortcake mansion
list on the other side of the way. / am no
J. aware that he had any particular business t
wv call him in that direction. think be wen
its with half-formed mournful resolution, :
en- look upon it for the last time, and then
gh off to seek his fortune where he would neve
ms even hear of the naughty beauty who ha
&c. treated him so scornfully the evening bt
M fore.
nd His resolution died sudden and unli
en mented death, for at window stood th
fair Alice with such smiling look and mt
lin King such unmstakable signals OF invitatlo
cir that he knew nothing more until he foun
,us himself in her presence.
tits His welcome was SO cordial that he sta
me to dinner. The penslveness ana paiene
his were gone from Alce's face; she locke
ces into the street no more. Her beauty WI
os- never more radiant, her voice never mo
,ss musical her conversation never more br
liant. With it all, she had never been
OF kind md humble and sweetly unaffected.
n tcr dinner she proposed an exploril
ed expedition into the attic. The whole fami
,cs. laugbingly consented and assembled thith
ate in grand procession.
put The arrangement OF tile room was lu
i of what Alice had noticed on the previo
1t night. There were the cradle and the dus
in. mirror, and the nameless picture by I
rom nnmeless artist. She hent down by the CT
val. die and whispered to it: ~ will never
nan uneraleful again" To the antique lookir
nan glass she said quietly: II will never look
again--never" She addressed the paint
nan III low but triumphant tones "Your moi
ness tain prediction shall never come tru@ q
, as false prophet"
ace. Her father was engaged with Charlie
ress another cornel Of the place. She caul
ting his words.
kled "Yes I've laid in good stock af app
ght for winter use. There's the Northern 81
and and Russets and Baldwins. But. after |
no here is the king-Pippin !"
Irble She looked across. The barrels OF apr
ght- were ranged in that very corner whence
s of mysterious voices had issued A hl
] or pippin peered above the edge of one OF
e. barrels Alice drew near and inspected
tain, more closely. 1t bore a striking resemblal
had to the countenance OF that merry
amor moral monarch from whose warnings {
will teachings she had derived so much bene
dent But in The daylight it was devoid of ints
;eard gence. To Alce's glance of recognition
eye Returned only blank, though placid, St,
the From that day the course of true love
true run very smooth with certain young c
thai pie You need not be surprised If W
leath take up the COMMERCIAL some evening
one, look at the marriage column, you sec
night tice like this -
that MARRIED.
OAkHRART -SHoRyoAKR.- Jan. LIST, il
iarlie ai The residence of the brides pare
,t so CHARLES OAKHEART, of the Harlan
ecog- Hplliursworth Works, and ALICE, youD