The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-05-07
Published by request
NEW YEARS EVE,

Little Gretchen, little Gretchen wanders up and
down the street;
The snow is on her yellow hair, the frost is al
| her feet.
The rows Of long dark houses with out look cold
and damp,
| BY the struggling of the moon beam, by the
fickers of the lamp.
| The clouds ride fast as horses the wind is from
the north,
But ne one cares for Gretchen, and no one look
| eth forth.
Within those dark tall houses, a,e merry faces
bright,
And happy hearts are watching out the old year g
latest night.
With the little box of matches she could not sell
all day,
And the thin, thin, tattered mantle which the
wind blows every way.
She clingeth to the railing, she shivers in tie
gloom
There are parents sitting snugly by the fire light
in the room;
And children with grave faces are whispering one
another,
OF presents for the new year, for father or for
mother.
But no one talks to Gretchen, and no one hears
her speak,
No breath of little whisperers comes warmly to
her cheek.
No little arms are round her, ah me that there
shoul be,
With 20 much happiness on earth, SO much of
misery
Sure they of many blessings should scatter bless
ings round.
As ladened boughs in autumn fling their ripe fruit
to the ground;
And the best love man can offer to the God of
love, be sure,
Is kindness to his little ones, and bounty to the
poor.
Little Gretchen, little Gretchen goes coldly on
her way;
There is one looketh out at her, there's no one
bids her stay.
Her home is cold and desolate; no smiles, NO
food, no fire;
tiept sire.
She sits down in an angle whers two great houses
meet
little feet.
colder sky,
on high
And she hears clock strike slowly, up in far
church tower,
With such sad and solemn tone, telling the
midnight hour.
used to tell,
twilight iell
NJ nj ha lu
Child,
most wild
and lone;
And che thought the song had told he was ever
with his own;
And all the poor and hungry and forsaken ones
are his,
How good of him to look on me in such place
this
Colder it grows and colder, but she does not feel
it now,
For the pressure at her heart and the weight upon
her brow;
But she struck one little match on the wall so
cold and bare,
That she might look around her and see If He
were there.
The single match has kindled and by the light it
threw
1t seemed to little Gretchen the wa Il was rent iE
two;
And she could see folks seated at table richly
spread,
With heaps of goodly viands red wine and pleas
ant bread,
She could smell the fragrant savor she could hear
what they did cay,
Then all was darkness once again-the match had
burned away.
She struck another hastily, and now che seemed
TO see
Within the same warm chamber a glorious
Christmas tree.
The branches were all ladened with things that
children prize,
Bright gifts for papa and nam ma, she saw them
with her eyes.
And che almost seemed to touch them, and to
join the welcomt shout,
When darkness fell around her, the little match
Was out.
Another yet another, che has tried, they will not
light;
Till all her little store she took, and struck with
all her might.
And the whole miserable place was lighted with
the glare,
And she dreamed there stood little child before
her in the air.
There were blood drops on his forehead, and a
spear wound in his side,
And cruel nail prints in his feet and in his hands
spread wide.
And looked upon her gently, and she felt that he
had known
Pain, hunger, cold and sorrow, aye equal to her
own.
And he pointe to the ladened board and to the
Christmas tree,
Then up to the cold sky, and said, Twill Gretchen
come with mey'
The poor child felt her pulses fail she felt her
eyeballs swim,
And ringing sound was in her ears, like her dear
mothers hymn.
And che folded both her thin white hands, and
turned from that bright board,
And fror. the golden gifts, and said, with thee,
with thee, o Lord ~
The chilly winter morning breaks up in the dull
skies
On the city wrapped in vapor, on the spot where
Gretchen lies.
In her scant and tattered garments, with her back
against the wall,
She si tteth cold and rigid, she answers to no
call.
They have lifted her up fearfully, they shuddered
as they said
'It was bitter, bitter night the child is frozen
Dead"
The angels sang their greeting for one more re-
deemed from sin;
Men said, 'it was bitter night would no one let
her n -
And they .hivered as they spoke of her and they
sighed, they could not see
How much of happiness there was after that
misery SGrgentS Reader.