Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-01-01

tuut uiu HoI hho" """N h""'' -
up by the glimmering OF bette
things, and these gIints OF light
they had fallen across Hiram's path
WAY more than once. Even whel
q child, he had hrarkened to th'
beautiful story, OF that long'ag'
night, when first in the Eastern hori
zOn had shone the Star of the Christ
child. And again, in his youth
Hiram had listened to the story o
that love without compare, aud. a'
he had listened then, almost he hat
resolved to walk in the pathway
guarded by that Heaven-horn Star
which ever, to the eye of faith, goes
before the trusting soul. "a clout
by day, pillar of fire by night"
But Hiram,s youth.tiiue resolve
had been only an "almost thou per
snadest me-" and likc'aS an uncer
tain oarsman, gIides out, and be
yond the pathway Of light that
bridges broad expansc OF water,
so Hiram had glided out from the
starlit way,-for, like the moon
beams path on the ripping water,
it is narrow, narrow way.
Hiram tarried out late on the
Christmas eve night. He was IA
lonely old man, for though ready to
do his slightest bidding, servants
moved TO and fro in his stately resi-
dence, Gt was not lame that great
house where Hiram Nenn lived) {;
there was no smile OF love, no word
of welcome to greet his return. AS
he passed up and down the crowd.
ed thOrOughfares, now and then he
paused to look in the gaiiy lighted
shops, to watch the happy gift-scek-
ers, and the eager statesmen; he
fingered, too, at the street corners,
to gaze on the great piles Of Christ
mas trees and eversreens, that grew
less and less, as one purchaser after
another turned homeward, some
carrying no more than IL sprig of
the dear green, Others bending be-
meath their load of fragrant cedar
and hemlock boughs. And, walk
ing as he did, amid the happy scene,
and yet not ming.ing in it, Hiram
asked himself: "Why all this Gift
exchanging; all this good cheer
keeping, at the Christmas time !"--
and,-sO Overgrown was the old
mans heart with weeds,-no room
was there for Christmas blossom
to spring, and hisper the answer;
"Ihey give, because on Christmas
Day they celebrate Gods uuspeak-
able gift to man. the coming of the
Light, and as the broken words, the
diSjointed sentences of little chill
dren are full of meaning to parents
ears, so these interchanges of tokens
of kindness are full Of meaning to
the Father, who recognizes that by
them his children are saying, though
it is perfectly, that they are try
ing to olive ont the angels song,
Good will to men, Kindness to all.''
When Hiram wcaricd Of the
crowded streets, he had turned into
a broad avenue, and there he found
something to linger for too, for
sounds of gladness rang ont from
many brilliantly lighted home,
through the halfdrawn curtains of
which he caught gimpses of the
happy Christmas-keepers, - and
again, with the dull sense of being
outside of it all, he asked himself:
"Why these family greetings why
the re union of friends; why the
embracing in the Christmas joy
those who have no claim of kind
ness or friendship p And, no an
swer his heart gave, for old Hiram
Venn had long ago silenced the voice
that whispers: "Out of love to
Christ, love to man is born,"-and
love, that is freely received, yearns
to freely give; hence, this reaching
out to embrace in the Christmas Joy,
not only known, but unknown peo-
pie; hence this universal, "Peace
on earth."
From the avenue, Hiram passed
into a narrow street, anti so busy
was he with his own thoughts he
hardly observed where he was go
ing, until suddenly his steps were
by the falling of Il broad
beam of light across his path, and
he stood before an open door, thro'
which men and woman were pas
sing,-plainly dressed men and wo-
men, some with weary steps, some
with pale, poverty pinclled faces.
1t was not such a company as Hi
ram was wont to join; and yet he
passed in and made ore of them.
And the very first words he heard