The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-12-30
THURSDAY 5-No2
HOYT & co., Proprietors. 20

/ -. 20 -
the dressing gown and embroidered slip
pers that were to please her father wher
he should return.
On any other day she would not have
been; so lonely, but this bright beautiful
morning with its joyous associations
ought to be received, Alice thought, IN
a different frame from that in which she
found herself IF her father had been at
home, it would be very different, but he
was not, and try as she would, her usual
selEcontrol was not at her command.
Very unlike her solitary meal to, the
lively party at Mr.. Am5rose's. There not
only the members of the family and all the
household partook of the festivities of the
dav. but others, less blessed in temporal
matters were hidden to their Christmas
cheer. Several baskets of provisions and
half dozen parcels of clothing changed
owners that morning, as black Lilly's
somewhat tired arms and two pairs OF
chubby cheeks made roster by the frosty
air can testify. Scarcely were these de-
lightful expectations to the neighboring
cottages concluded when the, large sleigh
was driven up to carry all of to church.
Joyousiy pealed the bells, louder and
clearer as they neared, the town. The
streets were thronged with worshippers
of Him, whose great gift more than eigh,.
teen hundred years ago has made all
Christmas tokens doubly precious.
To the happy sleighful never had the
day appeared SO lovely and yet SO sacred.
The church, when they had entered Its
portal had never looked SO beautifully dec
Grated. Surely the good pastor had new
.er preached 80 eloquently before. His
discourse seemed oyerfowinge with the
spirit of the love that on this day gave
peace to earth, and ney er, never had the
chorus s'Glory to God in the Highest
seemed SO full and complete, or;s;the. soto,
on earth peace, good will TO men" fallen
so distinctly upon the ear and fingered In
tie heart as on this occasion. Why was
Iit,alt? Z. 49, gtfic. .
As the party were abou. to drive off,
Alice Sutherland, standing on the church
steps appealed strongly with her pale face
and wistfuI eyes, to Mrs. Ambrose moth
Eerly heart. She had; never shared her
husbands objection to the child of Joseph
Sutherland, and nowsbe said, -.
/ "We must take Alice home with us,
poor child Come girls, sit up close; Ger
trude, your aunt Margaret wants you on
her lap. Alice, Alice Sutherland, we are
going to carry you off to Christmas at our
house, jump in here, beside me-" Alice
was easily taken captive. The lonely
house at home, and the contrasting thought
of the joyous family party at the Ambrose
homestead, passed quickly through her
mind, SO with. a heightened color and
brighter eye, she gladly suffered herself
to Be helped in by Mr.. Ambrose, who was
too vel! bred to allow any discourtesy to
guest of his wite's
| Lively conversation mingled with the
merry iingllng of sleigh bells and Alice's
spirit began to rlsc Arrived at her des-
tination it would have been impossible to
resist the kind attention and delicate SYM
pathies of all the feminine portion of the
household. She felt more like the Alice
of olden time. Mr. Ambrose seemed
touched-his heart was so very tender to,
day-by the bright sweetness of the girl,
and he several times found himself think
inc a how like Alice is to her mother, and
how unlike her father" He did not know
that he blamed Robert SO very much, af-
ter all. but then she was Joseph Suther-
lands child, notwithstanding her blonde
complexion and winning manner-so gran.
ite was itself again.
Alice's father had been detained longer
than he expected. To the serious illness
had succeeded death, and Mr.. Sutherland s
presence had been required to arrange
many matters, and to comfort the bereav-
ed ones, so thatit was not until the morn
ING Of Christmas Day that he was at lib
erty to start homeward.
At first, his thoughts were upon the sad
scenes he had left, and from the affection
hes felt for this tayorites brother and his
family, his feelings were unusually tender.
AS he drew near home, his thoughts turned
thitherward, and entered fondly upon his
beloved, Alice. He recalled the few, but
oh! such happy years, he had spent with
her mother, ere he had been called upon
to pass through the same sorrow that was
now crushing the heart of the widow he
had parted from that morning. Alice
looked very like the one whose name she
bore, but not so fresh or gladstone, and,
for the first time, the father was willing to
acknowleds to himself that he was the
cause of the alteration in his child. He
had often been angry with her for her OBJ
stinacy, as he was pleased to term it, but
never before had he blamed himself Now
his heart was subdued by the softening
touch Of grief.
He thought it must be trying to those SO
recently afflicted, to witness the festivities
of this Joyous festival, and see all around
them SO gay, while they were in the first
throes of anguish and then he thought, as
he was not wont to think, of Him who came