The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-12-30
ANDERSON S. C. THURSDAY DECEMBER 80 1862

On sped the train, his longing to stop
for church ungratifed. Alice again was
in his thoughts. What was she doing, all
alone all day? for he would not reach
home until night She must he very lone
ly! Nobody to wish her "Merry Christ
mas excepting the domestics. A-lonely
Christmas dinner; not even a present
the first time she had ever missed that;
but owing to his absence it had been neg
lected this year. Not even letter, for,
thinking to reach home, he had not writ
ten. Poor, pale Alice it was too bad, it
was all wrong. She ought never to be left
So. What was he thinking of, to leave her
all alonep But what else could he. do ?
His brother was sick, and his presence was
not only consoling, but imperative. But
then, Alice-=ah, yes! Alice ought to,have
some one besides her father to.guard her
from such experiences as she was undergo
ing today. She ought to have little, bird
like voices wishing her "Merry Christ
mas" She ought to have rosy cheeks and
happy eyes, And why hadn't she Then
his brow contracted. If she had not been
so silly and obstinate as to like Robert
Ambrose, the son Of his enemy but what
was that about "peace,@ and egood will''?
And wasn't there something, too, about
glowing enemies"2 Love his enemy How
could he? Love tile man who; had always.
crossed his path triumphantly! But Alice
was not his enemy; should he be magnan-
imous enough to give her to old Ambrose's
son-old Ambrose, who-but when ;Mr.
Sutherland thought the matter all over,
he could not tell, after all, whatMr. Am
brose had done, excepting to be more for
tunate and than himself, always,
from a boy up. That used to seem enough,
but to day, somehow, things seemed differ
emu from ever before. He began to won
ycer if he had been at tault-1Ie began to
wonder if he had,e been good to Alice.
Save in one matter, his conscience acquit;
ted him on that point. On. the other, he
felt something. like shame; but that was
new sensation to him, and after little he
fell asleep, tired of his thoughts, and wea-
ry,,too, from the watchings- ard ,solicitude
of the; sick chamber he had left.
The afternoon was waning, and, some.
what wearied by very pleasure, the Am
brose family clustered around the open fire
place for quiet chat. Gertrude and Minnie
held their dolls very closely, and Aunt
Margaret tossed her baby boy and gave
him laugh for laugh.
"King Sol,' observed Jennie, "has near
ly completed his daily round, but he seems
10th to. cause shadow to fall upon the
day he has done so much to make radiant"
ayes" replied Alice, ''and therefore he
is lavishing his royal store of purple and
of gold on sky and mountain, ere he grad
ually disappears .
"And," said Mrs. Ambrose, she will
soon be sending some brilliant billet dour
to console us for his absence and assure us
that if his face is withdrawn, his thoughts
are still with u.s..
"What does mamma mean ?" whispered
Gertrude to her father.
"Look out the window, up at the sky,"
he answered, "and perhaps you will see
one"
The children rushed to the window to
search the sky for billet dour, and in few
moments exclaimed, '"C, know l know!
mamma means the stars. There are three;
and now there are four. But how does
the sun send them, papa? did not know
the sun had any thing to do with the
stars"
Dir. Ambrose always answered his chill
dren's questions, unless they were beyond
him, as children's questions are sometimes
beyond the ken of human mind; so he
mounted one on each knee and proceeded
to give Gertrude and Minnie an elementary
lesson in astronomy. When he had finish
ed, he told his little audience that he could
not instruct them gratis, and should claim,
as payment, the song, "Star of Wonder
which debt the youthful voices promptly
and harmoniously discharged. This inn
portant matter disposed of, Jennie seated
herself at the piano, and soon all voices
Joined in glad caiols and Christmas an
thems. aaz
The sun had quite gone now; dusk was
stealing closer and closer, but the singers
sang on, by the quivering light of the
wood fire. Thus an hour passed, and
Alice and Jennie commenced the duet of
DR.. Mulenberg's beautiful carol. AS their
sweet voices joined in the stanzas,
"Discord sure must cease-
Who dare hate his brother
On this day of peace.
While tho heavens are telling
To mankind good will,
Only love and kindness
Should each bosom fill.
Mr.. Ambrose felt as if he were guilty
man, to have lived SO many Christmas
Days cherishing bitter feeling against
any creature. In the frame Of mind in
whichlhe was now, at once soothed and
elevated, anger or any low passion seemed
so insignificant, so much of earth, earthly,