, 1872-12-29

And she said aloud to the boy, "Our torch |
shall not so ont, Tommy; come down, come
the day after this, when they had struggled
poem poem came back to her. Why did
she ever learn it2 Why, but because dear Tor: !
gave her the book himself, and this was his own |
Version, as he sent it to her from the camp in |
the valley.
"'Tes, It Is he, although he persisted,
still his sacred tzoth lo cherished
Why did Tom write it for me?
".And they t1ickle, lightly playing
'tWhat fool am! Come, Tommy; come,
Matte my darling. Mamma will tell you both
story. Once there was little boy, aud he |
had two kittens. And he named one Buff and !
one Muff." But thus could not last forever: forever
Shutdown came. And then Laura and Tommy |
climbed to their tower, and she Lighted
her own lantern, as she called it. sickly
and sad through the storm she. could
sec the sister lantern beamlng :, bravely.
And that VAS all she could see IN the sullen
whiteness. snow, Tommy, my darling, we viii
come and have some supper: and while the
bridegroom tar1ied they al slumbered and
slept
srill his second trot6 he cherished
Come Tommy,-come, Tommy Tommy,
let me- tell you story.
And the children had their supper ,-aaking
terrible questions about papa Questions which
about giving them their oatmeal, and treating
them to ginger-snaps, because it was Christmas
Eve. Nay, she kept her courage when Tommy
asked if Santa Claus would come in the boat
with papa. She fairly loitered over the undress-
ing them. Little witches,-how pretty they were
in their flannel night~gowns. And Tommy kissed
her, and gave her-Ah me- !-one more kiss Tor
papa. And in two minutes they we're asleep. It
would have been better if they could have kept
awake one minute longer! Now she was really
alone. And very soon o'clock has come. She
does not dare leave the clock-work at the outer
lantern a minute longer. Tom and Nipples wind
run five. One more look at her darlings
Shall We ever see them again in this world?
Now to the duty next her hand!
Yes. the wind is as fierce eTerl point
more 1t to the north, Laura notices. She has no
child to carry now. She tumbles once in the
drift. But Laura has rolled in anow before.
The pile at the door is three feet thick. Rut
she works down to the latch, and soon her poor
numb hand conquers it, and it gives way. How
| nice and warm the tower is. And how well the
| lights burn Can they be Of any use this night
to anybody? 20, my God. grant that they be
She has wound them now. She has floundored
| into the snow again. Two or three falls on her
! way home, but no danger that she loses the
line OF march. The Light above her own
to aim st that. Home again. And now to wait
for five hours, aud then to wind that light again
| at midnight
"'And It midnight there WAS CRY made 20
@ dear; +! if he would '0ms 1 would not ask for any
And Laura got down her choice inlaid boz,
that Jem brought her from sea, and which
| held her treasures of treasures And
the, dear girl did the bost thing she
| You know what they we're, do not you7 They
| we're every letter Tom Cults ever wrote to her,
from the first boy-note in print,-"Laura, these
aqs sura afe epened 9r psm M 1d aed sa
| them one by one, each twice, and put them
back, in their order, without folding into the box.
At ten she stopped, and worked her way upstairs
her oTR s5o od ane n snd hsra M
here was less Wind, did persuade herself 80.
But the snow Was as steady rs ever. Down the
tower stairs again, and then few blessed min
ates brooding over Mattie's crib, and dear little
| own bed, where she had laid him. Darlngs
| they are SO lovely their father must come home
to see them, Back then to her kitchen fire.
There are more Of dear TOMS letters Jet: How
| manly they are,-and how womanly. She will
read them all! Will ahe ever dare to 1ead them
[ all again?
Yes, she reads them all, each one twice over,
and his soldier diary, which John Wilaar saved
| clock strikes twelve. Christmas day is born!
sand at midnight thore WAS cry made, Be-
hold the bridegroom cometh.'" Laura fa1rly ro-
| peated this aloud. She knew that tho >ther Car
|
for the fight thoroughly. She ran in aud trusted
herself to kiss the children. She opened the lee
door again, and crept round again into the storm
familiar now with such adventure. Did
Surely not. But then the tide ,s
now so low! So she came to her other tower,
crept up aud wound her clock-work up again.
wiped otf-of tried to wipe of-what ehe thought
the stairway, and looked up on the steady light
above her own home. and the Christmas texts
came back to her.
1.-THE star went before them, and came and
| stood above tho place where the young child
| was F"
light to tighten Ugh {, the aentles, and the glory
"'By the way Of the sea,'-and this Laura
| the people who sat III darkness sew q great
light; and to them who sat in the region and
shsdGw Ff Of asath Light s sprung up Grant it.
Children And she 81 almost ran 1'fi through a1
the heavy drifts till she found the shelter again
OF her frieng1y- tower. Her darlngs had not
turned in i14eir bed since she left them there.
| down her Bible and read the Christmas chapters
It was as If she had never known before what
darkness was, Or what the Light was when it
came. She took her hymn-book and read al the
Christmas hymns. She took her Eeble and read
every poem for Advent, and the hymn for
Christmas morning. She knew this bY heart
long ago. Then abe took Bishop Ken'a Chris
tian Year, which Tom had given her for her last
birthday present, and set herself bravely to
committing his ''Christmas Day to memory:
| To sound your loftiest air,
Ye choral angel at the throne
Your customary hymns postpone,
And thus, dear girl, sho kept herself from
thinking even Of the wretched Hero and Lean
der lines, till her clock struck three. upstairs
then to her own tower, and to look out uuon
the night. The sister flame was steady. fhe
| wind Was all hushod But the SNOW WAS a. staaav