Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-12-24
CHRISTMAS EVE.

n an Old New England kitchen. where a
warm woOd-fire burned bright
sat good old Farmer Ketcham and his wife.
one winter night.
The wind without was wailing, with a wild
and wOeful sound.
And the fieecy folds of the drifting snow Law
deep upon the ground.
But what earei Farmer Ketcham for the tu-
multi ont of dOOrss-
For he bad foddered the cattle and done the
other chores.
And, snug 10 the chImney-corner, in his easy
Silently smoking his old clay-pipe, and
"pooring" the purring cat;
While, 6usiiy at her knitting, his wife rocked
Humming a hymn and dreaming dream
Over the old-time fireplace a rusty musket
hung,
And a score of strings OF apples from the
smoky ceiling swung;
WINE s;n Sack IN dingy corner, the tall clock
And looked Ike the sagging farmhouse, fast
falling to decay.
The woman dropped her knitting; the old
He took his pipe from his month and slowlv
Knocked the ashes out;
And. after thinking moment, he said, with
"'Tis Christmas Eve, but the stockin's don,t
hang by the chimbley there"
The woman sighed. and then replied, in a sa
and faltering tone:
1.-THE years have come an the years hav
gone, an we are agin' alone;
An nave jest been a thinkin' OF Christ
mas long ago,
When the winders were frosted over an the
ground was white with snow
When we sOt in the chimbley Corner by the
hrelights cheerful gleam-
When our lives were full o. promise, an tn
u,nen Iu dT e but mt dream
to bed,
An we sot an looked, and listened TO the
lovin words you said.
Till home from Benson's store come rollick-
in Brother John,
An, a-peekin' thru the winder, see what was
Then how the neighbors talked and talked
ell over town,
Till you an was married an quietly set
tied down.
While a-rummagin' thru the cobwebs in the
garnet, 'tOther day,
1 found a pile o. broken toys, In a corner
slowed away,
An a lot o. leetle WORKOUT boots a-lying' in
heap.
AS they used To lay on the kitchen floor when
the boys had gone to sleep.
saw the broken trundle-bed, an the cradle
An a-leanin' sgin the chimbley there, I
couldn't help but cry;
T or the faces o. my children came back to
me once more,
An seemed to hear the patter O. their feet
upon the floor.
] thought O. their happy voices, an the little
prayers they said,
AS they used TO gather round me when twas
time to go TO bed.
OF all the earthly treasures we prize in the
world below,
The ones we love the fondest are the first to
fade an go.
OF all the beautiful children that came to our
Preside.
The one we loved most dearly was our little
girl that died.
Her eyes were blue an soft as the hue o. the
clOudless summer air,
An bright as a gleam o. golden light were
her curlS O Sh1n1n' hair.
Her thoughtful face was white as the flakes
n he ayrlu fQl lPn
Too much of leetle saint she was to live in
the world below.
How calm in her leetle coffin she looked in
AS sweet as the fairest lily, as pure as tube
An can well remember, the sadness O. the
When my heart was well nigh broken as they
carried her away.
The oldest of our children was proud an
hansome boy;
He was his fathers brightest hope, an his
mothers pride an'joy.
used TO play with MS chubby hands, an
kiss his leetle feet,
An wonder If ever a babe was born more
beautiful an sweet,
An many a night, by candlelight, when he
was snug In bed,
I've patched his leetie clothes, with weary
hands an an aching head.
We sent him away TO college, and he did I'M
Till he went TO live in the city, an marrieda
city belle.
OF all our earthly trials, of all our worldly
The cold neglect Of thankless child is the
hardest OF all to bear.
His wife is q woman with only high notions
in her head.
She couldn't knit stockin', nor bake loaf
She plays on the pianner, nor works with her
lily hands,
An she talks in a foreign lingo that no one
understands.
They think that our eddication an larnin' is
rather slim,
But We never had the chances that we have
give to him.
Thornley, are proud an worldly, we never
can wish EN- i'll,
For they are our son an daughter, we love
'em fOndly still.
The youngest of our absent boys I never
could understand;
He didn't take to larnin', 10 more'n fish to
land.
altogether bad;
He was strong an rather set in his ways, but
not a vicious lad;
An somehow we couldn't keep him quite
under our control,
But know he had a tender heart, an a good
an noble soul.
A mothers prayers will go with him wher-
ever he may be:
God keep him safe, an bring him home in
His good time TO me-
! miss our children's voices, for all have gone
away:
One has gone to the better land, an the others
Iwonder If up in Heaven, where all is bright
an fair,
If we will meet our children, an they viii
love us there"
There was a rap at the outside door; the old
folks gave start;
The woman sprang from her rocking chair
with a fiutter a her heart,
The door swung widely open, and banged
against the wall,
And into the farm house kitchen strobe a
stranger, dark and tall.
The woman looked at his bearded face mo-
ment in surprise;
She saw a CULVER about his mouth, aud
glad look in his eyes;
And, lifting up her hands TO heaven, she ut
tered a cry of Joy,
And bowed her white head lovingly on the
breast of her JCGylCdrd bog.
THE BOTHER OF GERMAN CURRENCY
Mr.. Warner tells the Courant a mournful
tale concerning his troubles with the money
OF Germany. which, he says, Is "tust now la
beautiful state for a foreigner. The new
system of the empire has been introduced,