The Grange advance., 1874-12-29
TWO OLD ANGELS.
A Christmas Story.
GRANDMOTHER BRIGHT.

"A~AuA'VA0A OA1SAt was juo1 SAo
dearest, Qaeerest old lady that ever
lived. With her sweet face and her
silver hair, her gentle but lively ways,
her love of mirth and her quick SYM
pathy, she moved about the village par
sonage, or sat in her armchair by the
Hire, a blessing and a comfort to all who
looked upon her, down to children
children. She was very old. Hardly
aay body was left in the village who
lneW how old she was and as to her.
self, she had better reasons than most
]a'i'es for not telling her age, for she
hadn't t had any memory for years and
Years. Grandfather Bright had been
tne pastor Of the South Church, and
new his son Benjamin was pastor, and
his hair was getting gray, and the lit
t'e Hrights were pretty we'll grown, and
young Benjamin had gone to college
though Grandmother would still get up
once in a while, lay aside her knitting,
and say, 81 wonder what has become
OF Benjamin. He so still; am sure
the child must be in some mis-.
chief!' And nobody knew, either,
whether she meant the college Benja-
min or the Reverend Benjamin.. She
had seen them both in baby -mischi IF in
her day, and she mixed up the past and
the present very comieally. Yes, she
WAS very old, and her memory was
gone, as said bef"rc--only shouldn't
have said that exactly; for l think, in
truth, she had kept the best part Of it.
All such unnecessary rubbish as we lug
-,h,ut in our ncmorics-dates and facts
aid histories--Grandmother Bright
hal lail aside in her quiet, cheerful
way. Size didn't want them any longer,
and she wouldn't be bothered with
them. But the love and joy and faith
.oi long life she had kept, saving the
be't part of all that had ever happened
to her. Her husband and her children
and their children were all in their
heart, and many other friends. Some
were in Heaven and some on Earth
she did not know the difference, or per-
haps she had found out how small the
difference is. Old. did l say? Grand
another Bright was growing Immortality
young.
She wasn'ta bit solemn or gloomy,
but as merry as maiden. She delight.
cd in innoccnt little practical jokes.
She would slip into the Reverend Ben
ia1n;n's bedroom and double the sheets
i'll such way that, when he had put out
the light he would find it impossible
to get his feet into the bed; and the
arrangement would be so intricate
that he couldn' t straighten it (men new.
er are very skillful in such matters y
without getting up and hunting in the
dark for the matches she had hidden,
70 strike a light and make the bed all
over again. And in the middle of it all
she would rap on the partition and call
out: "What's the matter, Benjamin,
that YOU can't sleep? Hadn't better
bring you some catnip tea e.
\ Everybody liked her little tricks, be.
cause she enjoyed them so much her.
self, and there was no malice about
them. Even Uncle sJames, though he
Pretented to get very angry, used to
laugh at last. He was her brother,
much younger than she, though now
very old too. But age had Affected
him differently. He had kept his mem
ory pretty we'll; but his eycsight was
poor and so was his hearing; and he
was very crusty in his temper, though
benevolent enough at heart. But no.
tice that people who practice impatienct
all their lives don't grow gentle all of a
sudden in old age. Moreover, Uncle
James could not understand how anv.
body could fail to remember things:
and, though Grandmother eyes were
bright and her ears sharp and her foot
steps light, he thought she was broken
down entirely, and felt quite superior
to her, particularly when she kept ask.
ing the same questions over ana over
again. and forgetting the answers be-
fore next morning. He had been mar
rled three times, and his third wife had
died ten years before.
Grandmother would begin conver.
sation with him in this fashion, while
he pored over the newspaper:
Jimmy. let me brush your hair.
What nice hair you have! But it's
turning gray
Uncle James (who liked to have his
hair brushcd): ''Well, we'll; 1 should
think ! knew that
Grandmother latter gently brushing
for few minutes): "Jimmy, why don t
you get marricd?''
Uncle James (sharply):. II did,
Grandmother :. "Who, was she
James! What was her name e?''
Uncle James: "Maria.''
Grandmother (timidly): "James, is
she livin' -
Uncle James (who has been through
this catechism before, and only toler-
ates it because he likes to have his hair
brushed): "No: died o. consumption.
years and years ago.
Grandmother: We'll James, don't
you think it would be- well to marry
again?''
Uncle James: did!
Grandmother: "Why, what was her