The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-29

7 - = =
do for cradle when he had children Of his
own some day. lor-eA 1T-AEL e ETEeo-
And there went the little girl with-her
little bare feet all blue and red With the
cold. She had q lot of Iucifer matches IN
an old apron, and q bundle of them in her
hand.--That whole long -day. she hadss0ld
none, and no one had. given. her penny.
She crept along, shiyering with cold and
hunger, the picture Of missry-poor little
soull ---
The snowfakes lay thick on her long
fair hair, which fell on her shoulders inn
beautiful curls, but she never thought Of
them. All the windows were bright with
lights, and there was o glorious smell Of
roast goose, for it was New Years Eve. She,
did think of that. In niche formed by
two houses, one Of which stood q little more
forward than the other, she erouehed down
with her feet under her; but it only made
her colder. And yet she did not dare to
go home; she had sold no matches, and
had net a 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 the wind eanieswhistling
in through it, though the biggest rents were,
stopped up with straw and rags.
Her little hands were almost numbed -
Oh, what comfort it weald be to pull one
match out of the bundle, strike it on the
wall, and warm her fingers at it, She did
so. Sahtl how it splutters and flashes, as J,
she helds her hands overitl Such IA warm
clear flame, ike q candle-a wonderful
flannel It really seemed to the little girl as
if she were sitting before big iron stove
with polished brass edges and feet The
fire burned so glorioUsly, and sent out such
a heat. The child stretched out her feet
to warm them too; but suddenly the fame
was gone, the the stove had vanished, and
she had nothing but the little burned stick
of the lucifer in her hand. r.
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-ser-
vice stood shining upon it, and the roast
gooses stuffed with apples and dried plums,
was sending forth the most heavenly od-
ours. And, what was still more delightfub
the goose jumped down from the dish with
q knife and fork in its breast, and came ;
waddhng 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 o 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
To- e,e,1-rr II F1n1 L.
a long trail of glory behind it. Some
body is dyingp said the little girl; for her
Did grandmother, the only being who had
sver loved her, and who was dead now,
used to tell her that when star falls, a
soul goes up to God. She struck another
match on the wall and again it grew bright,
and in the brightness stood her old grand
so clear and dazzling, so gentle
md loving. t'0n, grandmother! cried the !
child; ''take me with you. I know that
7ou will go away when the match goes ont ;aa
7oa will disappear like the warm stove
ike the delicious roast goose, ike the great
splendid Christmas -treei" And she quick Z.
y struck the whole bundle of matches, for
he wanted to hold her grandmother fast
And the matches burned so bright that it
vas lighter than midday, and the grand
mother had never before seemed so great
md so beautiful She took the little girl
Up in her arms, and away they flew in light
md JOY, higher and higher; and there was .
neither cold, nor hunger, nor sorrow up
here-they were with God. s1g--7h
But in the cold dawn, leaning against the q
vail. with frozen cheeks and smiling lips, =
at the little girl-frozen on the last night
# the year. The New Years sun rose over b.
Ter little corpse. There sat the child mo- =
ionless, with her lucifers, and a whole bun
lie of them burned up. ''She must have :.
wanted to warm herself" they said. No i.
me guessed what splendours she hadseen.
nd in what glory she had passed away
Nth her grandmother into the bliss of 3
JeW Year! yr.14z.-