The daily gazette., 1876-01-04
THE RED LIGHT.
A STORY OF NEW YEARS EVE.
1t was New Years Eve.

A STORY OF NEW YEARS EVE.
1t was New Years Eve.
Not one of the ideal New Years
Ewes of poets and romance writers
wherein the moon is always at the
full, the snow always a sparkle like
pulverized diamonds, and the air al
ways still, and cold, and clear; but O
stormy twilight, with the snow driv
ing steadily from the east, the vino
raw and biting, and the sky-what yor
could see of it--as black as ink.
But it was New Years Eve, all tn.
same, and Bertha Hooper's cheekl
were as red as the bitter sweet berries
In the woods, as she sat, all wrapped
up, In the train that was steaminf
northward, on her way to spend New
Year with her Aunt Almira Higgins
New Year in the country! To Ber
tha, who had lived all her life within
the brick walls and stone pavementl
| of city, the very words seemed t.
convey somewhat of cheer and ioy
business, And Bertha, as she sat with
her eyes closed, and her little gloved
hands safely nestled in gray squire
nuff, beheld in her minds eve great
fires of logs roaring up wide-throated
chimneys, and had half composed q
poem on New Year and its associa
tions when the ruthless conducto,
came along for her ticket.
GLOW far are we from Montcour,
station9" she inquired, as she gave ur
the bit of pasteboard.
"Next but one, Miss" said the man
as he hurried on with his lantern un.
der his arm. "Half an hour yet"
She had never been so far from New
York in all her life before. The driv.
ing rain in which she had left hcr
home had changed as they progressed
northward, into the steady fall OF
snow. which fluttered around them
like white waving shroud. But she
cared little for this. Had not Aunt
Almira promised to send Zebedee, her
youngest son, to the station with the
pony to meet her on the arrival of the
six-forty train from New York; And
was not Zebedee to have q lantern
with red glass door to it, so that she
could identify him at once?
She was very pretty as she sat there
in her little black velvet toque, with
its curling plume of cardinal red =,
and the wine-red ribbon bow at her
throat-pretty with the bloom and
freshness of eighteen. She was Clark,
with large hazel eyes almond-shaped
and long shaped, clear rosy bloom on
either cheek, and wavy dark hair
hanging in silken fringe over her broad
low forhead.
"Mont-court urt-Sta-Aont" bawled
the brakemen. putting in snow pow
dered fur cap, and withdrawing it
as quickly as If he had been a magnifi-
cent edition of the Jack in box,
wherein children much rejoice at holi-
day time. And Bertha Hooper knew
that she had reached her destination.
Stiff and cramped for the length of
timelin which she had been sitting in
ope position, she rose up with q little
steel clasped travelling bag in one hand
and dainty silk umbrella in the other
and made her way to the door.
All she could see when she stepped
out upon the wet and slippery plat
form, was blur of driving snow,
through which the lights of the little
country depot cleaned fitfully ;but the
next instant something flashed athwart
her vision like friendly red eye-and
beneath the reflector over the station
door, she saw, tall, fine looking
young man, in fur trimmed overcoat
a seal skin cap set jauntily on one side
of crop of chestnut Seurls, and red
lighted lantern swinging from his lef.
hand, and he stood straining his eyes
into the stormy darkness, as if to catch
sight of some familiar face in the little
crowd.
"Cousin Zebedec!" cried Bertha,
aloud, and she made one spring into
the arms of this blonde whiskered
young giant. For had not she and
Zebedee played dominoes and fox and
geese together in the days when she
wore blue ribbon sashes, and his hair
was closely shorn mat of carroty red?
"Ohl Cousin Zebedee, I'm so glad to
see you; and / hadn't any idea YOU
had grown half so handsomer,
And she gave him q great hug, at
the same time holding up her rosebud
lips for kiss.
But to her infinite amazement, the
hero of the seal skin cap seemed lit
tie backward in responding to her
advances.
"I-beg your pardon. "said he, slight
ly receding, "but I'm afraid there is
some mistake. My name is not Zebe-
dee, and the lady for whom am look
ing is some years older than you"
Bertha Hooper started back, color
ing and confused; and, as she did SO, a
fot onn fnrfa hIa lnok ipu old 10 4 =, 90, -, =,