, 1870-12-15
4 CHRISTMAS STORY.


a H1ez zEukAep&.
- Fl GRACE GREENWOOD.
| a. ~ ak.htaea night aomo Yeztx aEu-
taafe Nefe gathered Ataut the vide hrapiace
IL ctels oan.stisn an. Ea.Ia q aesss happy f4a-
wbo Wa Anagsatlafs-ktoun far md siie ~
"6qn1ra Percivat"- eona.}y Wits 80 .a9 ~ -
dang ht*rs. ; niece, aud last, but mt i.s,+ .
sop, Just homo from 4ats for the hoiit,vs'' "
| Ite Eight wlthont H.s sesasnae'e cot /, aaa
briilhns~ rfth moonlight and asazaighs, Tha
la1ge stone farm house stood On tbs bsuw ~
! bill eehiDd = trpts clog, jine Of tt1l p3, =
tIets, The onIv green In tho villa lapd-capc.
!he estep htlaide AID the valley beueatn vars
htashJ blauketed xish aoosy.
uaeT1,sJ With Ramss. iests, and songs Bat tor
n ncuf or t6o The caET' t1afloa hat taken: =
diff into the realms Of tho superussu1al, Ops
ghost bad Guccee4!ed another till, Is tho
xttehio9 time Of night" approscheJ, aud
| ise hIe burned low, me circle tnst,nc:lrely
dt1s Of .'rsnge spiritual; dread, which u ~
AKIN to the kaene.t pIeaxure-an avtsooan tuv.
an txquis1se rfrTur. The sa1eun sfKhirx Of
no s'tds among the trees, heard Ia the paasss
o. gnossy 1ec.tal', added its xondzuns, wei1d
Just u young Perrival h1d copcIud ID i Wild
German fegerd, which be declared - spiaudid
sst for d1esns, !" the outs.de door ~15 nosrd
to ooen eoddeniy- All iooked around more Or
les feaffnl1y, to SEE standing on the threshold
In ah'te. ard lo1s1ng strangely pure, md ocid.
ard MmInt us. Ike locssnafsd noon}ixht
With thA B1lde OF spirit" tho rsus for
ward. Her feet wsre quite b,ru, md hse
AIMS x,rs doopiog ws:rly. Ass*es of fair
a.G isn oveE htr shoa!ds1.. but hs7 s,e@
Her ilps w<ss sstxhssJ parted arh a,eaost eo5ov-
less- Hhs esn9e tfto fh@ efrr1s shut tha'
hsaItb, s#d thSs ptnse1t MTodtnz u&tS{iJ
nostot issf-s btsraisa', sp7sltinx /, ,,7fo.
tof npsehs. ~ ~ sfAttk6 Enoup r.
maiatd ~ *''tn6 ~ fhA stfssrs ysetos. Tbss
- sensE ~ esexAS bsv t7r4ts, n ; hysfsrf
cal s<1asna* = satfA wks rt.<t4nfIy *nsxaSsd "
~ fsdas fhe E99 ef !" ia 4o1aAn Ia wtlts.t
tofe @ho.s hstt sTs~ THehAd 4 Wild, kssu
h&hs> shs taxed stons b II "a terror snd b..
sllds'1sssf. thsn sf<res1 do~n upon hsrselG,
Der fses WITH bsr hAser, ard gitirs my Is
chi dtSb ptFttJ OF He8Mnf, !.
Tie fsrmeT's MA. = Nnrnzn Of sare xeuas
aoo Pseseneo Ct Mid, II oncs dl,iEed tbe
She h I eieep-1alker," sts ssid. 81 ashe
mus. b half dt.a With tho eoa. Girls. bziag
1mmed'stely IL was hustle: Ths farmer
ard hia son disc1eetIy .auished fr5m tho
reene. and 'he ,1tnd mother, d.ughtes,,, md
niec4 devoted th, n1Eolyes to sheir bt Hfderat
aoa1ge. aho still weps and sobbei undsr their
kiuo nioistrattons, cut declared that she fslt
/ no cold md no pstu, though her deltcate feas
rtfe aetns!v bleeding from hsr long walk up
| Tho i1 hilaiae xnd over tho crusted SNOW.
:. Alter hsvipg been teudtrly put to bed, how
| evos. rho became spfie,ensly composed to ro.
t ply to the few Questions wh,ch hsd been put
to her, .She g. ID that she WAS Lucy Riis&t, thu
niech OF the vi11zga po1siciau :. that sha h.d
| lately been t1ken from school on ACCOUNT OF
nerrounness. md sest TO h,m for medic i
Treatment. but that honeaickneas and Iopeli-
rtss had utde her wor>s. She had occ4sIou-
s1ly walked in her sleep betcre, hut only about
tbs house and grounds It horne, and On sum
mer moonlight nizhs- - think the moon
bevitthed me- eho ea,d su1ili.E through hel
!eira. That night she had, before gong to
bed, locked ac1sss the little valley to the
tleatsnt boute On this hill, wstching the cheer
fol Christmas lights cleaning through The
| pine treer, and forged to De Qua OF she
bapp5 party there, though she was stranger
Ste had cried herse1f to tleap, ehe said, aud
that was alt Ehe knew Of her mysterious tramp
ever sonw and ssonts and 1ct.F NOT mern.
DRY. :notA thought c.uid the recall til the
Gcmtnt .hen abs fouad he1sssf tsandiog on
The hearth IN her night d.e-s. with 80 many
"Oh.. dear, Hhat do yau thiuk Of me-?
Whas can yon think Of me Dow?" she nao2uod.
Nevnx mind rhat We think OF you, nv
poor chi'd, sid The good, mothar1y Mira Per
ctvsl, Te love you al:eacJ,. 80 drink this nica
Tbs poor child got : little natural .leep,
And 70 tte moaIirK appeared eome7t1at less
8bcstJ than the sppa1ition Of Christmas
night But she 1aa very pale, With playful,
shy, gftesta lock- she wss suffering less
fze1a e1poturo than was exfecttd, but more
AID b5 tho advice OF her uncle, snc had boon
| summoned, crntepted 10 remain with her nav
tri+nts for few days.
| Yoorg J1hu. .Pesc.7al wss Hospitality kind to
the tnvatid gueat. not seeming to per,%ivs
| that sho thtank from bis attention in : sousi-
sise. disauibsed way Tet rhen hi. eJe vas
not o.. her, abe was obees yed to study hta fscs
With pfcn}iar tnQnlr1pg ~expreasiou. sns
could not tensmbef having 8ear. .has face 1t
Tho featful moment Of her awakeuing, and eho
hoped be han not been altuess OF tia. walk
iog uance, md ehe regarded 1t with absolute
h.1roE.
Finally, On the last day at her visit, finding
herself alone NTH nlm for = moment, uodez :
desperate Impulse. shn a>ked, g Did you, too,
ses me that rigtt, HI: PerciraL"
Hs Tss !oncntd by The tremb1e in her voice
assve1ea honestly; "1 cannot deny ;hAt1 did
S6b, .ir shas mu.t rou b.,s thouteate"
>, Thought? Why I thought It ghosts vooll
s!.1;s sn2a II tueh shape, "ou1a aaVer
1ke sb5 fmIs and rcse blu.h TIA. his o..v-
.u1 snaxes called forth, sssmsd frst to re~eal
70 tho Jourg co,.eg,au the psle, atJ yieion Of
tnas nleht n + loseIy ws1k1ng aesh and blood
j ns1sr heard ot Enc, E,1st. :. re,i.,ttux the
enupSes' Of tho moon"as sonuAaa 1ulfat
after thist but hoard thai, on another Christ
mas tRbt, eha rtood on ths s1earth OF the old
taim house, dressed Ill IN nhite; in tbs midst
OF the Eane fanoils cirrl., and sho cazad
shout bsr and said r.. Am afraid am walk