Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-12-28
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The Christmas Sheaf.
~ THEBE CARY.

" Now, good wife, bring your precious hoard, :
The NorIand farmer cried,
And heap the hearth, and heap the board,
For the blessed Christmas-tide.
And bid the children fetch,n he said,
" The last ripe sheaf Of wheat,
And set it on the root o'erhead
That the birds may come and eat.
And this we do for His dear sake
The Master kind and good,
Who Of the loaves He bIest and brake
Fed all the multitude"
Then Fredrica, aud Franz aud Paul
When they heard their fathers words,
Put up the sheaf, and one aud all
Seemed merry As the birds.
Till suddenly the maiden sighed
The boys were hushcd in fear
As, covering all her face, she cried.
" If Hansei were but herei7
And when at dark, about her hearth
They gathered still and slow,
You heard the childish mirth
50 loud an hour ago.
And on the tender cheeks the tears
shone in the lckering light;
For they four in other wears
Who are but three tonight.
And tears are in the mothers tone,
Come, children, come for the supper's done,
And your father waits for YOU
Then Fredrica, and Franz, aud Paul,
Stood each beside his chair,
The boys were comey lads and tail,
The girl was good and fair
The fathers hand was raised to crave
\ grace before the meat,
When the daughter spake; her words were BRAY,
But her vol sas Iou and sweet.
father. -i.suId ,e. give line ,.,,..,
To all the b .'s tire arr
shall we let n site and the rev.., .t
such choice ANA dainty fare
d" For if tomorrow GIom our -ter.
We drive them not away,
The good little birds Will get no more
Than the evil birds Of prey
"Nay, nay, my chiId,o ne graveIy said.
You have spoken TO your shame,
For the good, good Father overhead
Feeds all the birds the same.
Go He hears the raven. when they cry
He keeps the fowls Of the arr;
And single sparrow can not he
on the ground without Ills care"
Yea, father, yea ana tell me this 49,
Her words fast and wild
" Are not thousand sparrows less
To him than a single child
Even though it sinned and strayed from home
The father groancd in pain
A. she cried &" on, let our Han-ei come
And live with again
E" know he did what was not right
sadly he shook his head.
"If he knew longed for him to .nlght
lie would not come, he said.
lie went from me in wrath and pride;
Cod shield him tcnderlyl
For heard the wild wind cry outside
Like soul in agony
Nay, it Is a souli7 OH eagerly,
The maiden answered then;
." And, father what if IL should be he,
Come back to Us agani
She stops; the portal open Hics;
Her fear is turned to JOY.
" Hanseii" the startled father cries;
And the mother sObs, d. Ny bOyI7
lis a bowed aud humblcd man they greet,
With loving lips and eyes,
Who fain would knec az his fathers feet,
But he softly bids him rise;
And he says, '' bless thee, O mine own:
Yea, and thou shalt be blestIn
While the happy mother holds her son
Like a baby on her breast.
Their house and love again TO share
The Prodigal has come.
And now there viii be no empty CHAIR.
No empty heart IN their home
And they think as they see their JOY and pride
safe back in the shelterin2 fold
ununthe child that was born at srn,as-tlde
= In Bethlehem or old.
And all the hours glide swim away,
With loving, hopeful words,
TIL the Christmas sheaf at break Of dav
Is alive with happy birdsi
TNOTE.-In Norway the last shedf from the hgr-
vest-feld never threshed but 1t Is always Ieser
ed till Chrlstmas-eve, when it Is set up the
roof a feast Tor the hun gry birds.