The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-05-12
The Little Match Girl.
From Cassell's Magazine.

IT was the last night of the year, bitterly
cold, showing fast, and nearly dark. In
fine cold and darkness a poor little girl,
with bare head and feet, was passing
down the street She had slippers on
when she left home-but what was the
good of them? They were very big, big
enough for her mother, who used to wear
them. She lost them as she ran across the
street in front of two carriages, which
came tearing along at fearful pace
One of them she could not find again, and
the other boy snatched up and ran of
with; he thought it might do for cradle
when he had children of his own some
day. =,
And there went the little girl, with
her little bare feet all blue and red with
the cold. She had lot of lucifer match
es in an old apron, and bundle OF them
in her hand That whole long day she
had sold none, and no one had given her
a penny. She crept along, shiyering with
cold and hunger, the picture OF misery
poor little soul!
The snowfakes lay thick on her long
fair hair. which fell on her shoulders In
beautiful curls but she never thought OF
them. All the windows were bright
with lights, and there was glorious smell
of roast goose, for it was New Years Eve,
She did think of that. In niche form
ed by two houses, one of which stood a
little more forward than the other, she
crouched down with her feet under her ;
but it only made her colder And yet
she did not dare to GU home she had sold
no matches, and had not penny; her
father would be sure to beat her, and at
home it was cold too, for there she had
nothing over her head but the roof, and
tie wind came whistling in through 1t
though the biggest rents were stopped up
with straw and rags. :,
Her little hands were almost numbed,
Oh, what comfort it would be to pull
one match out of the bundle, strike 1t on
the wall, and warm her fingers at it! She
did so. Saht how it splutters and flash
es, as she holds her hands over it! Such II
warm clear flame, like candida Won
derful flannel 1t really seemed to the
little girl as if she were sitting before
big lion stove with polished brass edges
and feet The fire burned so gloriously,
and sent out such aeat. The chlld
stretched out her feet to warm them too !;
but suddenly the flame was gone, the
stove had vanished, and she had nothing
but the little burned stick of the lucifer
in her hand.
Then a second was struck on the wall
it lit, and Just where its light fell the
wall seemed to become transparent like
veil, and she could see into the room
quite plain. A snow-white cloth was
spread on the table; all the bright china
dinner-servlce stood shining upon 1t, and
the roast goose stuffed with apples and
dried plums, was sending forth the most
heavenly odours And, what was still
more delightful, the goose jumped down
from the di h with knife and 1, rk in its
breast, and came waddling across the
room towards the poor child; but at that
moment the match went out, and there
was nothing left but the hard, damp,
cold wall
She lit another. And now she was sit
ting under the most splendid Christmas
tree much bigger and finer than the one
she had seen through glass door in the
great shop of the place. Thousands of lit
tie tapers burned on the green branches,
and bright pictures, like those in the shop
windows looked down at her She stretch
ed out her hands towards them, but just
then the match went out; the lights rose
higher and higher, till she saw them like
stars in the sky, and then one fell leaving
long tail of glory behind it. "Somebody
is dying" said the girl; for herold grand
grandmother, the only being who had
ever loved her, and who was dead now,
usedto tell her that when star falls,
soul goes up to God She struck another
match on the wall; and again it grew
bright and in the brightness stood her
old grandmother, so clear and dazzling
so gentle and loving ooh, grandmother
cried the child take me with you. /
know that you will go away when the
match goes OUT you will disappear like
the warm stove, like the delicious roast
goose, like the great splendid Christmas
tree!" And she quickly struck the whole
bundle of matches, for she wanted to hold
her grandmother fast And. the matches
burned 50 bright that it was lighter than
mid day, and the grandmother had never
before seemed so great and so beautiful.
She took the little girl up in her arms,
and away they flew in light and joy,
higher and higher and there was neither
cold, nor hunger. nor sorrow up there
they were with God.
But in the cold dawn, lesning against
the wall, with frozen checks and smiling
lips, sat the little girl--frozen on the last
night of the year. The New Years sun
rose over her little corpse There sat the
child motionless, with her lucifers and
the whole bundle of them burned up.
"She must have wanted to warm herself,
they said. No one guessed what SPLEEN
dours she had e ], a I'd in what glory she
had passed away with her grandmother
into the bliss of New Year.
ILL., 81, In, tl,1,