The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1873-12-27


music that doesn't get sung, nor ye
tipped of from the keys of Miss Ger
trude's piano.
"What sort Of music, then!" say,
Miss Gertrude, In maze.
Well, there Is the click Of needle,
that goes to the knitting0f some warm
worsted muller for grandmama, there
Il the earnest "rhank ye ma'am" from
the old crone In the edge of the wood
who gets u fat fowl for her dinner that
one day in the year; there Is the stified
whispering of q crew of little voices
which covers, or tries to cover,
some grand scheme Of q gif!
that il to lie all revealed and
dazzling OH mammals plate OH Christ.
mas morning; there are the thousand
kind words of greeting and cheer
drifting about in all the mailbags OF
Christmas time, making the leathern
pouches fuller OF music than even the
Scotch bagpipes. For once, too, there
is music in the schoolmaster's voice as
he says, "The boys and girls may have
II holidayW
Then there are the stealthy footballs
of that dear, tender-hearted mistress oi
the household as she gropes her way,
past midnight from chamber to cham
Der, bearing gifts heaped up and run
ming over for the little slumberers-
not waking these; but surely those
quiet, stealthy, kindly footfals of hers
Shall waken echoes for the blithest
pnrfle fhnt ~ nf fhn annale ginO
For one, don't believe that all the
angels who hover near the earth at
Christmas time are grown-up angels,
though the painters may make them
so. think there are little half-fOrmed,
piping voices that make Themselves
heard from out all the Christmas CAROL
ings, more clearly and distinctly, for
many listening ear, than II they
were full-grown voices.
/ dare say you do not know why
l should say this, or what ] mean
by it. / can fancy that Miss
Gertrude or Miss Alice are all agape
with woiiderment.
But listen for moment.
Do you know y lIstlc private drawer,
where you young people may not ven
tnre; and have you ever caught sight
in it of u tiny pair of half-worn mo-
rnccO shoes, which you know can tit
NO one-no one of the living-and
have you ever caught chance sight of u
certain loved figure bowed down over
that private drawer; and hurrying
away az if you had no right there,
have you glanced furtively afterward
at your mothers face to see If there
were signs Of tears?
Yes, there are Christmas angels, who
are not half grown; and their childish
voices in the swest Christmas tunes,
change the plaint Of mother Into car
OILS Of joy.
I think there are old Christmas an
gels too, whatever the painters may
say,
At this, Miss Gertrude rolls her eyes
in wonderment again.
Haven't you or l had, some day, q
darling old grandmother, who wore
spectacles, perhaps, but who had q
peach bloom upon her cheek, that told
of great beauty In her younger days; |;
not over tall, but with walk that was
almost stately for its dignity? Then,
sho had such far-seeing, kindly eyes,
we could never escape them; We never
wanted to escape them; they had such
o sweet, inviting fondness in them.
She did not make her home with us
otherwise, think we should have out
grown little awe that always came
over us In her presence. Yet 1t was an
awe that wss full of tenderness.
Jeanette, who was the clever
one among us, said she didn't
quite know whether she felt
most fear or love of grandmamma
but she could never be in the
room with her an half hour, and hear
her talk as she was used to talk, with
out running up and throwing her arms
around her neck In such a headlOng
way as to put all the old lady's ruftles
for she had vauity--in danger.
/ think jeanette was the grand.
mothers favorite.
But when the Christmas box came
as it was sure to come-bless me, there
was no favorltism there.
Dick had his ball--we knew what
fingers had sewed ND its morocco cover.
Fred has his top, and host of nick
nacks besides; and there were tidbits
of all sorts, and candies running over;
but for each child, whatever that childs
fancy would most have coveted, and
with every gift line OF writing in that
dear hand-overlooked then, In that
Christmas gale of frolic, but dearly
remembered now.
Does anybody who ever had such a
grandmamma doubt tnat she is among
the Christian angels? must own to
you, my youngsters, that had
quite forgotten the Captain and his
sharp knife, but will tell you more Of
him some day..
Meantime, l am sure that OH these
of whom We have been talking--and
such as these, Frightening their lives
with kindly deeds of cheer and Of
good wjli---whether young or old,
living or dying---in Christmas times,
and in all times, great light shall
shine forevermore.