Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1873-12-17

lS 10 do but fol,
] ! / |. | ]. !: ! |: !: !. ! | |:
l VI Ter hands an,
A26k 'ook pretty, sh
z " iound her part,
,tress very cold
and shivere,
80 again and agail
as the needles
AE Night Wind wen
a. whistling by
w a. leaving all tn,
" w doors open
a-!.a Earth was yer,
beautiful this ev,
~ W in her soft whit,
$500 drapery, and he
| jewels flashed ana sparkled in the ligh
with rare brilliancy; her faded brown
locks were powdered DER, and crysta
daisies thrust therein, and a cloud o.
misty lace was thrown around her
which added greatly to her attire. Win
ter, the great artist, had designed and
furnished this toilette, faultless il
every respect. Had his work ended
here it would have been well but when
he beheld how charming Earth was in
her regal dress, he fell down before hel
and worshipped even what he had crea.
ted; /; and Earth, pleased with his adu.
latlon, steeled her heart against every
one else, and promised her hand to him
in marriage, her whole soul, like many
another maiden's captivated with anti
cipations of the beautiful clothes with
which his Indulgence would supply her.
Icould go still further, and tell you
/ that she fulfilled her VOW and became
Winters bride; of how Winter, like
many another husband grew tired of his
little wife, fondness for dress, and de-
serted her, carrying her jewels with
him how Earth wept her soul away in
tears; how her pretty white dresses
grew ragged and thin; and how finally
they laid her underneath the violets, y
like many another sad heart but all
this has nothing to do with our story.
1t was Christmas eve, as have said.
One walking the brilliantly lighted
streets of the city. and gazing in at the
windows, exposing for sale their choice
and beautiful goods, their SNOWY and
attractive gifts; looking into the bright,
happy faces as they passed, and listen
ing to theexcited children's s ordinations
of delight, rs, with older ones, they
witnessed the rare display, would have
needed nothing further to have told him
that it was the eve of great holiday.
But turning aside into some of the mar
row streets; walking on, on, on, till the
crowds of eager faces gradually disap-
peared; listening to the curses of the
poor wretch in the gutter, or the drunken
brawl of others over the way; seeing
only now and then struggling rays OF
light from the miserable dwellings piled
up along the walk; and catching from
the countenances of those who passed
only stolid, sullen glances, or sad, weary
looks, he would have required an alma
nae, to have told him that the great day
of rejoicing was SO near at hand. Yet
many of the inmates of these wretched
"stys" were well aware that the morrow
was Christmas. On some the fact made
no impression; they had long ago be-
come Indifferent. Others it rendered
bitter, and they cursed the poverty that
ever denied them the wherewithal to
celebrate holiday. Some wept as they
thought of brighter days past. And
few, yes, there were some even In this
locality, that drew nearer to each other
and thanked God that, though they
suffered below, they should reign above,
because of His precious gifts to all man
kind-the hrist-child-JEsus.
'Brick Row" was a tenement house
of the poorest kind. Yet it was a shell
ter in its way, and half-dozen families
huddled together under its well venti-
lated roof, and called it home. In the
basement of the east end lived Mrs.
Mentz and her little brood. "Poor Mrs
Mentz," the neighbors were wont to
exclaim, as they thought of the many
mouths to feed |; but to have deprived
this CHEEKY, brave woman of her family
would have been to have taken away
her comfort in life-her riches as she
termed them. So we will love rather
than pity her. There was Johnnie
Mentz, the widows oldest, lad of six
teen, but helpless cripple, who spent
his days in bed /; yet Mrs. Mentz often
shook her head as she toiled over her
tub, and murmured to herself, "What
in the world would We do without
Johnnie 2" for the dear fellow was SUM-
shine incarnate. Then there was Andy,
a boy of fourteen, a sturdy stout
hearted little chap, who helped to buy
bread with the papers he sold and the
boots he blacked, for Andy was never
idle. Horace came next; he was only
twelve, but his little broom and his
clever ways added many cent to the
scanty sum in the family pocket. Then
there were three others-young ones to
be sure-but as such are seldom favored
with the formality of an introduction, l
wish to depart from the custom of
sighting the least, and remark that
their names were respectively Peter,
Sarah and Vic. They were all together
this night, all but Andy; he had not
vet returned, though it was getting
quite late, and the candle was already
half burned
.-Oh, sech things as 1 seed to-day,
Johnnie, in the windys, me an young
Scrouty, - said Horace. ''Oh, sech
piles an piles O. thingsl" Then Johnnie
turned over on his side, and all the
members of the Mentz family fell to
listening to Horace, who had perched
himself on the bed beside the cripple.
"There was sleds," continued the boy,
'all yelly an red the shiniest runners,
an the quickest time in 'em, 1 know
There was skates-whole crowds on 'em;
they'd fit little Peter here, or any OF us,
or me-" and perhaps Horace gave
sigh here, and little Peters eyes grew
very large. "Then there was trees
real uns-chock full of shiny things, an
toys, an dolls, an Noah's arks, an
candy horns; an there was cakes there
as big as-as-an ash-sifter, every bit,
an ali white an crusty like"
Little Peter licked his chops very
like o little dog, and Sarah and Vic
swallowed several timesvery fast. "And,
oh, the oranges-as big as Vic's head,
and as round and as yelly ]"
"An' ath thweet?" lisped the pet,
and then the Mentzes laughed. G
can the fathers would go in an pick
out the very best things of all for their
little boys. an pull out great bills, and
never wink once as they give 'em over.
1oo1y emily