The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1875-12-18

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rsyefed rsasd heysnd Few .'lsa ~ r
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raid gfgsslax mofr iafense. ne f9e'
faughers nn,se pfeclpifDwa. fhs hars
s~yidenfiY risinw pwff n8t tha kpJ tats
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agoa hfs fsAe. ne eheefy VOID ag~n n
tspaaaa. ~~issaakAye. hS assd. ~ ~
msa IL fha da~5rswsg
The fsfa sfsr~f ~ sn lnffl8f N ~.
door wty k,okIax 4fssr ~ "f~s~tb ye, +
~ stid.
W. wens IN slong ne fpsd that finn
tho bsgiaainx ~ Inns n wts ordained
~ we're y Eo cfspt back into ~
corner
"Do not ~ ~ sleep.r The pleasant
voice warned me from Ire front.
Thank yau, " I replied. eheered md
warmed Ny NJ hearty giow. ~ VII
not ~ a. sleep"
Then followed a Iong silence. in which
7 had Views ~ the falling snow, ths
white hills abose a., the white bills stii
below o.. IN which I heard sounds from
cracking, grooming branches, from the
wind sweeping savagely past ~. Then
uneonquerable drowsinsss, fast coming
darkness then night.
felt o hand IN my face, then on nv
shoulder, shaking me roughly; q sweet,
cheering voice ia my ears, calling me
back to life.
"If you go to sleep now, You won't
wake up again." II said.
/ woke with a sudden start, for an in
slant, to a full consciousnesso OF time and
place. | was not cold, only sleepy. IL
am quite awake" ! replied. Have
we far TO goPr
"Five miles," and the voice was still
the same CHEEKY voice that | had heard
from the first. He spoke to me often
after that then | saw him as in q
dream, fixing 4 blanket hat he had
taken from the horses back, to the
hickory bows overhead, to keep the
snow from driving in upon me, for |
was covered with it to my knees. As
God is my Judge l did not then clearly
know what he was doing, or | would
have stopped him. did not feel cold,
though l knew afterward that | was then
freezing, and | did not think he was
cold. | did not think at all. | was far
past that. / had begun a longer
journey than | had started upon.
In THAT longer journey | dreamed of
home, of the wondrous Christmas mira
Gle, the lighted tree; of the glad faces
of children, whose voices ] heard. /
heard one of them repeat two or three
times, with startling distinctness, ave
are lost" | was conscious that the
child who said it had thrown herself in
to my arms, and was lying there a dull,
heavy weight. But aside from the cry
it was all bright and pleasant-this real,
terrible journey through the snow, over
the rough dangerous mountain road, in
that far off December. The dream
lasted a long while, through all that
night, and the day following and the
night following that.
When | awoke from it | was in large
room, which | had never seen before.
There were piles of the softest blankets
upon me, there was a great wood fire
blazing on the hearth, and | had never
felt 50 warm and comfortable in all my
life. There were two strangers in the
lOOIu, u lid ufiu ~ WOuitu, WilOoC idCGo
were kindly ones, but sorely troubled.
When | stirred, and they saw ! recog-
nized them, they came and stood by my
bed.
"Where am I?n / asked Of them.
"At nium, in the house of the Metho-
dist minister
"How long have / been herepn
"Since night before last. You came
in the stage, and the horse stopped be
fore u door," the man said.
"What day is thisp"
ait is Christmas day." the woman
taking my hand in hers.
81 have been i'll, thenp"
"Yes!n
"There was a boy brought-me here.
Where is hep"
"He is here, too" The voice that
,aid it was husky with tears, and the
land that held mine shook.
elias he been ill, too"
"Yes!"
aIs he better nowpn
"He was never SO well. He will
never be i'll again"
/ looked into the face of the woman
who said this, and / saw that her eyes
we're red with weeping.
| disengaged the hand she held, and
urned my face to the wall.
The woman laid her hand upon my
"You must not feel like that. 1t is
,etter SO. He had only one friend, and
he is with Him tins oeatii6tl. Christmas
morning. He had no home here. 1t is
Christmas day, and he is at homethere."
/ took in mine the comforting hand
that lay upon my arm.
al would like to see him." l said.
ale gave his life for me-"
They took medown afterward to what
had been the family sitting-room. There
warm, red curtains at the win
lows; a bright, glowing carpet on the
door; there were punches of holly and
laurel scattered here and there, and
over all was the atmosphere of home.
They left me at the door. L went in
md stood by the side of the couch on
which they had laid him. The eyes of
ender blue were closed forever, and the
hair was parted over his boyish
,rows, and still about the brave, sweet
mouth the bright smile played as it did
t that first moment of our meeting,
When my implied doubt of him called
t there. He lay before me dead, in all
he glow and promise of his youth.
But the smile, which triumphed above
ruin, rebuked me, and as |
to kiss the lips of the beautiful
oy, | knew, as well as mar could know,
hat he was not dead; that He who had
iven more life to the dead girl and the
-idow's son had given it also to him; f,
md that he had only gone farther upon ,
is journey than Into a sweeter, full +,
r, more gracious life than he had ever ,
nown. And l also knew that ! should
ee him again if l but made my own life F,