The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-12-20
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW,
a CHRISTMAS STORY.

Before a cheerful fire, in the best
| kitchen of a snug west country home, sat
two persons, man and a woman, both
! advanced in years All around wore an
air of homely comfort. OF mere orna
ment there was little: but the furniture,
though plain as could be, and bearing
| the marks of long service, was good and
solid and It's trim arrangement and
spotless cleanliness spoke highly for the
good housekeeping of its owners. A
| square of Dutch carpet, bound with GRIM
son braid, was spread upoE the stone
| floor and a glazed oak bookcase display
| ed upon its shelves goodly store of def
and ancient china. On the chimney piece
/ a cuckoo clock licked merrily, and in one
| corner Of the room stood an old-fashion
ed, square piano, on which were piled
| considerable number Of well bound books.
Two or three old-line engravings, mostly
ofscriptural subjects, decorated the walls,
/ and the lattice window was half hidden
( by crimson curtain. The whole aspect
of the cottage bet0kened competence and
| modest Independence. Nor were the IN
mates belied by appearance, for few
among the inhabitants of the village
were mere universally respected than
/ David and Mary Holt. In the same cot
tage they had lived fer thirty years ply
! ing their way and asking no favofs of any
man and five and twenty of those years
! David had been parish clerk and school
master, and III TIE estimation of the
younger Pensioners, little, if at all, infe-
/ rior in dignity to the parson himself.
! His wife, with no less respect, won more
/ affection for David Holt was stern,
/ hard man, always just, but seldom gener-
/ Gus while Mary was ever tender-heart-
ed, with kind word and smile for every
body. To her the school children came
with all their troubles, whether arising
/ from blow of cricket-ball or the perplex-
tiles of the rule Of three, and rarely fail
/ ed to receive some measure of console
! ton.
Such were the couple who sat, one
Christmas eve not very long ago, by the
cosy cottage freside. 4 long clay pipe,
a real old fashioned church warden, just
put aside, lay upon the snow-white deal
table, and David Holt was reading aloud
/ from ponderous family Bible, while his
good wife, her hands crossed upon her
| knees, sat reverently listening. As be
fitted their solemn occupation, the faces
were both grave and quiet, but thatquiet
| gravity seemed only te throw into strong
er relief the characteristic expression OF
each; David, square-headed and square
chested, with massive jaw and chin,
heavy, overhapging eyebrows and deep
set, keen gray eyes, hard, proud and un-
forgiving, the embodiment of stern, self
willed and rugged pride; the old wo-
man, gentle and quiet, with downcast
eyes, soft, gray hair and pleasant smil-
ing lips, that told of nothing but love
and charity; and yet, though the faces
we're so unlike, keen observer might
have detected an element of likeness.
There are some events (happy those who
have known none SUCH which, coming
into human life, leave behind them a
shadow forever. 1t needed no second
glance at these two persons to know that
some such event (some great sin, or
shame or sorrow had passed over their
lives But as natures differ, so the scars
left by the fiery trial differ too. In Da-
vid Hollis face the shadow bore the i'm
press of humbled pride in Mary's that
Of wounded affection. The smile on the
old woman's lips, the kindly smile that
had rested there from youth, and that
old age could not wear away, though