The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-12-23

TAR across solitary moorland
R waste light HAD! shone through
& the long hoans Of tth, night: But
g, it wapedr as the cold. grey, dawn
broke slowly, and: 50: died ont; for' it
was the freight from ai :thatched COT
.tage which, With saeea!,ssr;a'l Low eutbuild.?'
.ings, stood half burisd in deep asnow.:
It might bcsa place tair enough. III the
glory Ct M summer, when the liehens
we1s bright upon tie gtaaite bonlders
and limestone rocks, when the springs
and runncls cleaned sheeny in the sun,
when 4 ? It :thsf ftesf wss elastic te the tread,
and the lark, poised II the blue sky:
sang its divine melodies. But now, in
the cold grey dawn of this December
morning, nothing coufya be moreC DESC
late and drear, or 8 i more suggestive of
the saddcr aspects of human fate. :
The door was stout bach, worn by
tho wfdtry storms'of many a. year Of
this ad)appet part t :; ::1;;iis X now drawn
gently back, and an old woman peered
wistful1y out.H' She shook her headoaud
sighed deeply: /. : ay + ,'lhe,i glanced round
upon the tracklcss waste ofisnow ), then
closed the hatch and returned To- the
fire, Of which tic CLEANS had oshone SO
long and far I':It Hps, formed: Of mingl.
cd turf and wood; and, though burning
far within tfe| t| deep 9 recess S'sa of very
wide chimney, .it'6lled 'the'whole' house.
place With. a: glow 50. full and intense as
to break in upon the darkest and most
distant ehsdovs: ~x::~sDT1 q F:7-.
As near as possible to this chimney
nook was lp1aeed =, g. ;;halGtesterr;;bed, on
which, eoqersdnelosely, lay,.> very old
and d1eecrepia haan::,sS T.. It=Ha5 evident
that the cpnxieldy piece Of furniture
was not an ordinary; 6reside appendaee,
a4'ap qakeaI !settle, = ARK. with age, Had
been drawn back to, accommodate it,
| thus forming; as it were, 'aa outer
screen. Close beside stood . small
round table, on which, were spread the
signs of @ seanMty III neal n Lab already perat'ksen aa|
| Of, and which the old woman a4a.tened
| osclesr away when she had assured
herself; +, that the, old man =, at length
|slept; for, .bedriddens from chronic
rheumatism and at combined, his
nights were s'eepless and full Of pain
she' then made d preparations a. though
for absence andna: long day, and :; all ia
reference to the old mau'sa comfort
These, n accomplished, q She took took a key
from ~ her pocket, 81 and, goiug, tohe dis'
tant part t,of the room, uplookeddas slaret
oaken chest. From the bottom, sftel
lifting out { some poor % remnants Of slethe'
and household thinga, ,lshe drew q long
heavy = parcel, parcel NJ wrapped id tattsrs'
Ebomespun sheet! Brinsiugsthis tosth
fire, she slowly upPinned wrapper ate
wrapper, till at' length was revealed
Ifinely.enamelled dish Of rare AID extrtalo,a, tl,a
dioary size: aIts pattern xes 81, .r.besxq1u, bx1
after tie t tylea Of the finest M specimen iet ID
o. Moorish lr Hispan,o' 81 81 auisial, lit
its prouiasst hi s oolosrs, a.
= Riiasoni.h: a hb1lasi iblasi .iid j s6s
Witch .wtets, intssiilaeed :tttead,i' ,ef' it.t
! gliding H. lo~s' reliat' The ,golds,in' SOD
\ parts :. s.:BdrniAhed,' Others rot; ;;,,tt'
1shinipg !.oriIl or lying tia III .,soa2 shadows \
I 1the firelight "playc'ih in fitfulness q, 10y
iltitI tn.ss ,as,is Zs9s.A ei as!,"r oal4,at 1o.t
(: le:..sssU sU adefnRatk. 'last wrapper 'laJ
little roll fspafer:' 10 ID Thia sta;; sqftl
5|teaaerly5 opened ada Ida seafedes e., With
' Whatshe thaas aal looked l'o q pas1 Fl reti.
IT,; losksaotx strop & NJ hair
T. lock gut of'~hen aie,sxlAsss in 4! ,!AislWp5i, l.
+ T a lock brown as the woodruff Viii
at ,hanss r..dyffoar thses 3gatkerfet ID il It'd