The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1877-12-20


gled through the drift, for the stage had
: frozen fast where it stopped.
1t was 3 O'Clock now, the light in the
west growing DINNER and dimmer-the
: gloom of the mountains and the bare
: woods coming nearer to Us, making their
| meaning felt in our souls, filling mine
with an awful dread of the snow-covered
road beyond. Ten miles to go vet, the
night coming quickly on, the cold grow
ing more intense, the road rougher, more
percipitous, the horse evidently giving
OUT But the boy took up the lines,
the bright, frank smile upon his face,
the CHEEKY word upon his tongue.
Goodbye" he said, to the man in
the doorway.
The man stood for au instant in the
doorway gazing after Us. Goodbye"
he said
We went on along the road that from
|. the beginning of time it was ordained we
We're to go. l crept back into my cor
ner.
"Do not go to sleep" the pleasant
voice warned me from the front.
Thank you" l replied, cheered and
warmed by its hearty glow. Il will rot
go to sleep"
Then followed a long silence, in which
had views of the falling snow, the
white hills above us, the white hills still
below Us, in which | heard sounds from
creaking, grooming branches, from the
wind sweeping savagely past U.s. Then
unconquerable drowsiness, fast coming
darkness-then night
| felt hand on my face, then on my
shoulder, shaking me roughly; a sweet,
cheering voice in my ears, calling me
back to life
I" If you go to sleep now, you won't
wake up again." it said.
] awoke with a sudden start, for an in
slant. to full consciousness of time and
place. | was not cold, only sleepy. a
am quite awake" | replied. "Have we
far to go%'
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 dream,
fixing a blanket that he had taken from
the horses back, to the hickory bows
overhead, to prevent the snow from driv-
ing in upon me, for was covered with
it to my knees. As God is my judge, |
did not then clearly know what he was
doing, or | would have stopped him.
did not feel cold, though | knew after
ward that | was then freezing, and | did
not suppose he was cold. did not think
at all. l was far past that. | had begun
a longer journey than had started upon
In that longer journey | dreamed of
home, of the wondrous Christmas mir
acle, the lighted tree; of the glad faces
OF children, whose voices | heard. I
heard one of them repeat two or three
times, with startling distinctness, awe
are lost" Twas conscious that the child
who said it had thrown herself into nv
arms, and was lying there dull, heavy
weight. But aside from that cry it was
all right and pleasant-this real terrible
journey over the snow-Over the rough,
dangerous mountain road, in that far-off
December. The dream lasted through
all that night, and the day following,
and the night following that.
When L 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, and | had never felt so warm
and comfortable in all my life. There
were two strangers in the room, a man
and woman, whose faces were kindly
ones, but sorely troubled. When | stir
red, and seeing | recognized them, they
came and stood by my bed.
"Where am I?'' asked.
AT llium, in the house of the Metho-
distminister."
" How long have | been here?"
"Since night before last. You came
in the stage, and the horse stopped be-
- l,n
"What day is this?'
at is Christmas day" the woman re-
piled, taking may hand in hers.
~ have been i'll, them"
"Yesi"
"There was a boy brought me here.
Where is hey"
"He is here too" The voice that said
it was husky with grief, and the hand
that held mine shook.
" Has he been i'll, too?"
"Yesl"
" Is he better now?"
" He was never 50 well. He will never
be i'll again"
| looked into the face of the woman
who said this, and | saw that her eyes
were red with weeping.
| disengaged the hand she held, and
turned my face to the wall.
The woman laid her hand upon nv
arm.
You must not feel like that. 1t is
better so. He had only one friend, and
he is with Him this beautiful Christmas
morning. He had no home here. 1t is
Christmas Day, and he is at home there"
| took in mine the comforting hand
that lay upon my arm.
would like to see him." / said.
"He gave his life for me-"
They took me down afterward to what
had been the family-sitting-room There
were warm red curtains at the windows;
a bright glowing carpet on the floor;
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. ] went III
and stood by the side of the couch on
which they had laid him. The ewes of
tender blue were closed forever, the vel
low hair was parted over the boyish
brow, and still about the brave, sweet
mouth the bright smile played as it did
at the first moment of our meeting, when
my implied doubt called it there. He
lay before me dead in all the glow and
promise or ms youth.
But the smile, which triumphed above
deaths ruin, rebuked me. and as | stoop-
ed to kiss the lips of the beautiful boy |
knew, as well as man could know, that
he was not dead; that He who had given
more life to the dead girl and the widows
SON had given it also to him; and that
he had only gone farther upon his jour
ney than Into sweeter, fuller, more
gracious life than he had ever known.
And | also knew that | should see him
again if | but made my own life as
brave, unselfish and true as his had
been.
Nothing Like 1t.
There is nothing half so sweet in life
as to sit in the second story window and
hear echoes from the first society in the
I SnatcheS of conversation between the