Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-12-23
Seleft Story.
From woods Household Magazine.
Our Christmas Story.

&c was Christmas Day, 1868. The
morning sun smiled ON the giitteriDg
snow-flowers that nestled lovingly ia
tie arms Of the evergreens standing
thickly in,the forest, or scattered tslther
and tiIither through pleasure grounds
The air was keenly cold, but very clear.
No dai1ger of any storm this morning
The smoke from the chimneys rose in
upright feathery columns. The side-nexi
the sun Ueing gilded by his rays. Every
thing wore a holiday leok. A sense OF
peaceful gladhess pervaded out doors
aud in, this happy dawn.
But loBg before old sSoip with his
bright beams, or Bridgetand her shafts
of Smoke were up, the children at the
house on the hill were wide awake
The eyes so sleepy on other cold morn-
Jugs refused to sleep on this, and no
bounds of patience or of prudence con-
.folied them in bed. In their white
night dresses they found their way into
the warm, eozy sitting room where the
night before they had hung their stock
in2s in certain expectation that Santa
Claus, who had never forgotten them on
any previous Christmas Eve excursion,
would remember them on this. TTemb-
ling with anticipation their little bare
feet and wee fingers confidently ap
preached the plump mysterious stock
ings 'hung by the chimney with care. !"
Nor were they disappointed, the patron
saint of~school boys and children had
generously and discriElinatingly be-
slowed upon each just what she most
desired, and supreme content filed the
little bosoms. No fear of their taking
cold this morning. Excitement would
have for them the effect, that pride clten
las for children of larger growth
After joyful half hour had aeen
spens- in the contemplation of their
treasures, the latter were carefully re-
placed in the traditional repository and
conveyed to bed with their happy own
ers, for further and closer inspection -
No more sleep for Gertrude and Minnie,
but a long series of talks, interspersed
wi b numerous chucklings and violent
connections of bed-clothes, as house
keeping with the new dinner set and
dolls was Immediately instituted. They
did not suspect, that when in the sit
ting room, they were silently looked in
upon by two or three of Santa Claus
asents-mama, aunt Margaret and big
sister Jenaie, who ionged TO witness the
sweet faith OF the little innocents.
After while the household was astir
and halls and bedroom doors echoed to
Merry Christmas" greetings. Santa,
the bountiful, had visited every room
Mr.. aud Mrs. Ambrose, aunt Margaret,
Jennie, Grandfather, even, Bridget and
black Lilly were appropriately remem-
bered.
The cheerful breakfast room was filled
with the pleasant fragrance of flowers,
joyous salutations, and ezclamations of
pleasure and surprise, as each displayed
a gift, secretly wished for, now uneX-
pectedly possessed. o, marvellous San
taI many thine eyes and large thy heart !!
christmas comes but once a year,
sageIy announced Mr.. Ambrose, and
each seemed bent on making the most
OF the allowance. Was ever a happier
family circle, or pleasanter breakfast,
sparkling with merriment and lively
sailies, wanting nothing to complete its
pleasure Nothing !ah, it is not, Heav-
en- yet; in spite of all the blue sky, there
was q cloud. Robert, the eldest and
dearest, was absent, and absent from
choice. OF late a barrier had formed be-
tween father and son. Yeas before, when
AIr. Ambrose was school boy, animos-
ity had arisen between him and Joseph
Sutherland. prompted by jealousy on
one side ana stimulated by pride on
the other In college, the diseord was
undiminished and when the young men
left their Alma Mater aud entered the
arena of business life, Joseph Suther-
land carried his opposition to Arthur
Ambrose into every affair where their
interests met and Mr.. Ambrose had
never seen fit TO make a coHeiliAtory
overture.
Three years before our story opens,
Robeit the son of Arthur Ambrose, and
Alice, the only child Joseph Suther-
land had met "Dy chance-the usual
way" and in utter disregard OF the he
reditary right they possessed to make
each uncomfortable, had gone to the
other extreme aud were as anxious to
unite their interests, as their respective
parents were to divide theirs.
Robert would have left father and
mother to cleave only unto her sho
held the highest place in his heart out
Alice gentler nature refused to give
pain to the parent who had lavish i uD-
on her the whole OF his affection =. and
who, however rough and selfish 0ward
Others, had ever been kind and gentle
TO her, and sedulously endeavored to be
to his motheriess child in The place of
her, so dear to both. This charge he
had admirably fulfilled. Alice never
saw the dark spots of his disposition to
her was always turned the sunny side.
No wonder then, that while her heart
crowned Robert Ambrose as its king,
she was unwilling TO gFieve him who
had until recently been all the world to
her. Three years had passed, and nei-
tilef the Ambrose granite nor the Suth
erland flint had shown any token of
yielding an atom. Robert had grown
grave and care-worn, and still worse, was
becoming irritable. Alice, too, looked
pale and unhappy. Sac was no longer
the light-hearted girl. who dispensed
the sunshine of her fathers house
This Christmas morning had not a very
cheerful, notatall "a merry aspect to her.