Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-12-24

j. none 10 nope from; moving III that blaC
cloud which wraps those vii, have no A
!. mighty frien 1t hail to h.lp with tn
l sense o. an upholding love in every il
) wretched with a new desolatlon: for the
: she had only lost her chill. but now sh
had lost her child and God too!
She was dimly aware Of this new calam
ity that had befallen her sometimes ia
from dimly; for m 're than once, when he
arms ached for the child, she fell on he
, knees. after her old .abit, to pray. Blu
the relief Of prayer was not for her. 'Oh,
can'tl' she cried, up m her fe.-t again. 'H'
does not hear me; Lean Not find iii q! 90,
I have f'rsaken Him, and He forsakes M
THERE'S present lielp in tina Of troubled
And in defiant anger she aband med her
lself to her despair, tried to bear hel
burden alone, anl harden herself to its
pressure. Clarence's heart WIS sore to sec
her; hp longei to take her in his arms aha
bid her rest there, with "a passionate long
ing. She grew dearer to him with every
pang she suffered; he suffered them with
her. But she had not a look to give him
not thought; her whole soul was lost in
her trouble. She would sit down and talk
over the cliid's beauty and art.essness, all
her little ways and words, her tears pour
ing, her hands trembling; would turn over
proposed methods Of recovery with eager
breath; but, that done, Meth II he nor any
bndy else existed for her. She turned the
beggar from the door; she listened un-
moved to the tale Of want and pain. LET
them want" she would cry. They cannot
suffer the h"lf Of my hourly torment!''
And giving up effsrt and expectation, she
lay with her face to the wall motiohless
for hours together.
! So the long, hot summer vanished, in
which none Of those " 10 loved the little
Georgina left town; Sept mb.r came
to crown the year, October burned ont his
glories, the dreary November days blew
| their winds about her; and when she took
her late walk, AS twill hit came on, she
used to run quickly by the black waters of
the pond lest in another moment she
should seek rest beneath them. what
better can d.? she would ask herself
when safely ly. NV " should l live ii,
such worthless world ~
1t was Christmas weather at last but
there was no Christmas cheer in Mrs.
Strangman's heart. the frosty stats spar
Killed. in their crystal depths Of darkness AZ
il the distant chimes might be only the
sound Of their tinkling; the air WAS crisp
the bells of the horses were gay; people
went and came up and down the street
with smiles upon their faces rosy childr Ii
went by with their arms full. Mrs.
Strangman turned from the window to
her dark room again, and thought it all a
utter farce. The wreaths were in the
neighbors' windows. the holly was over
the doors. Maud stole in the back way
and hung wreaths in the drawing .room,
and laurel leaves round little Georginl's
picture, and had the chandeliers lighted,
SO that if the wretched mother came down
something might BE- less cherless. Up-
stairs, Mrs Strangman paced the fo0r in
the half-dark. and wondered what her
darliny's Christmas was and recalled the
last one. when she came down with such
impatient ardor and confronted in amazed
delight her loaded stocking, and went to
sleep after breakfast with the mere fatigue
of j.'y. and said 50 many times that day,
"Ol what merwy Christmas we is hav-
ing I"
There was no darling in the house now.
no gay keeping of secrets, no enchanting
hanging # stOckin rs, no on ) to m ,ka mer-
ry with-not even any oIe to grieve with :
for Clarence was gone on Il j,urney-had
heen gone this three weeks. This hous
Aas Il grave. AS she walked she recalled
all the happy days re hal had with her
Child. "Oa, if only knew she was deal -
not in pain and trouble and wretclesln' SO
could take such ,mfort in the remam.
brance ~ she cried. TT would bs u sort
of rapture then IT, talk ove.-" An | sui
denly Mrs. Strang nan thought she W uli
like to see her mother 81 never should
have had her, anyway-to remember even
but for IN ther!' And, obelient to the
impulse, she rang the bell imperio,sly. and
sent messenger to bid her mother and
the girls be with her Oh the m)rr0s. II
don't deserve tkem," she exclaimed to her
self; "bnt they will come all the same.
Oh, if GAorgina ha lived to treat me- as
have treated mother! But no, no, Ishould
never have treated her as mother treated
MEL Aud then she went to one OF the
drawers where she kept little Gaorgina's
clothes, and filled her arms with them and
lay down upon the bed. ''Oh, she will new
er com ~ she cried, wetting them with
her scal,iing tears. ''How d.rk, how dark
it is how lonesome! Why does Clarence
stay so? Why does he leave M, to bear it
all alone on such nig''t rs this? Tim ,r-
row is her birthday; she Was born ON
Christmas. If could only find God, and
believe she was with him, or believe he
would take care IT her wherever she might |
be! On, how dreadful, how dreadful"
she said, shuddering, Ito live in the world |
without God ~ Aud for !. moment or two i
her sobs drowned all other noise.
But there was another noise in the house
strange noise in that still house. Sleigh
bells were shaking of their music at the
gate; doors we're banging; voices were ex-
claiming; and then running and patter-
ing on the stairs, a tapping at the door, a
turning handle, IA food Of light from the
hall, and sanding in that light-was it a !
spirit? was il child from the other world? i,
She gave wild scream, and stood with !
her hands clasped on her temples. Had
she gone mad, indeed. as she 80 often
feared she would2 or was it-,witk her fair,
flowing hair; her big blue eyes; rosy and
radiant and dimnled and full of smiles |