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

bounding up to the door as the horse
stopped, and spraBg forward To assist
his mother and their friend; but when
he saw her pale, lifcless face he was
terrified, and began to cry, "My dear
little mOthcr--what ai!s her? Mein
Herr, ach tell mel" he entreated. The
poor old professor, trembling and
agonizcd himself, could not answer
him. When poor Frau Hoffman had
been carried up the long flight of stairs
to her bright little home, which she
haa left go blithely not three hours be-
fore, and laid ON the sofa in the dwell
ing-room, she opened her eyes ut last,
and they rested on the children, who,
pale and weeping, had gathered
closely around her. The kind Old
Herr had told the little orphans,
in brokcn tones of their bcreave'
ment by this time, and they, over
whelmed as they were, still hardly re-
allied their terrible loss; but SO much
the more, the stricken condition of the
dear mother before them, for whose
sake they strove to be quiet and calm.
But she opened her arms and they
Gro Ndcd close to her, their sobs now
breaking cut Ms though the little hearts
would burst with Grief. "Goue, gone,
Fritz was all she said, very low but
Gretchen heard her and nestled closer.
The slow, wlctchGd hours had drag
ged along towards niSht--thc eagerly
expected happy night, which lad
turned to such misery and despa't; II
was growing dusk. -Four li;tie lonely
figures were huddled closely together
!ehind the great stove-the friendly
German stove, with red velvet ffinged
mantle shelf against the cleaning
white tiles only prominent Whilc
object in the darkeiling room. Inc
door leading into the mothers room
was q little ajar for Gretchen had
lust crept in softly to see if the dear,
patient little mother WAS asleep.
tritzel was leaning against his brother,
who had thrown his arm around the
little fellow, and said presently, in a
half whisder, "Uon't Papa come for
our Christmas tree ut M?' with a
grieviDg voice; "will the Christ-child
know it and not come either 2" "The
Christ-kindIem aUW come, Think
said olga, "because he viii
want to comfort US and tell
us what Papa will do on Christ
mas in heaven. Papa told me last
year that there was Christmas in
| heaven.n
Fritzel and CarIotta, to whom Olga s
word was gospel, turned their eyes to-
ward the door OF the SdtOn, at the oppo-
| site end of the room. "Wii he come
soon Oiga?" whispered poor little
Carlotta.
~ am so tired and sorry here, in the
dark,n with little sob in her voice,
which she tried to suppress for fear the
mother would hear it. "Will we see
the light when hc does come? for if
Mamma isn't in the room lie might go
away, and we not know ii
SO, Carlotta,," said Paul, sadly,
Chow can you care for Christma9 trees
when dear Papa Is gone and the
| Mother 50 ill!'
But little Carlotta and Fritzel, hand
in hand, bad, slipped away from the
others, and groped their way up to tie
closed door for the purpose Of peepinig
through the kevhoie; and seeing unly
blackness, however eagerly the little
eyes might peer, they gave up and
stole back disappointed to the stove.
~ know the dear Cbrist-child won't
forget u.s." said Olga; II don't want
the gifts; but l do want to
know about our Papa, and that
would comfort Mother. l learn
ed little text last Sunday-.Blesscd
are We that mourn, for ye shall be
comforted;' and Mamma told me that
Jesus said that himself; SO l am sure
| it's true" just then, Gretchen came
out-"Mammu sends me 10 tell you hll
that she wants to hear our Christmas
hymn" There was little settling
down ami Whispering and sob from
Paul: for this was to have been their
greeting to the dear father, who
would never come To- hear it now.
Then, led by Gretchcii's sweet,
clear voice, the beautiful Christmas
music rose aud filed tho room, Cling
the heart of the poor neither with COM
fort too, and bringing the first tears eff
relief to her dry, de3pairing eyes, us
she lay crushed by her sorrow, in the
| dark room near by.
| Thou dear and holy Christ! whatbli's
Thy coming 10 thy children is;
For thou caii'st make us pure and white,
Cots children, pleasing in lis sight.
Oh, bless US we are young and small;
I Oh, free our hearts from sinful thrall!
Oh, make Onr SptrlCS lfec IRON sint--
Thy fount of heavenly love within.
As the last echoes of the sweet carol
| died on the ear, bright ray of light
streamed through the key-h0le of the
solcn door, and flooded the threshold,
| Fritzel saw it first, and sprang towards
the door, elappng his hands. "l'he
Christ-child! he is come! Oh, open |!
open!' he shpuIed. Carried away 10y
excitement and the delightful renem-
brance of last year, when they all
waited in the dark fer the lighting up
in the scion and the opening of the
door, he wholly forgot, for an instant,
the sorrowful reality.
But, at that moment, the door few
open. The beautiful, brilliant tree
stood in the center of the great room,
towering from polished floor nearly to
the frescoed ceiling, and little white
tables, laden with treasures, We're
grouped around it in scmi-circle.
A lovely fair-haired image Of the
Christ-child flashed high above the
lights and gyergreens With shining
star ON his head; and OH the threshold
stood q very different figure--a tall
figure in gray, with a soldiers cap,
which opened its arms as little Fritzel
sprang forward with the cry, "Papa
Papaw
She never knew how she got there
but almost before Fritzel's joyors cry,
the mother was ont in the dwelling
room In her white wrapper, and safe
in his own strong, living arms, close to
his warm, true heart.
"My Marga," he had whispered; "my
best little wife,"
Sac knew nothing else; desired to
comprehend nothing. She had him,
and was satisfied.
But the children were not. When
the elder ones fillyrsaiized that it was
indeed himself-his living self aud no
other-returped to their midst again,
they clamored TO know what 1t all
meant, and the little ones, half afraid
to approach now, whispered together
as ii they thought he must be an angel
after all.
Attracted and alarmed by the com.