The Republican journal., 1877-01-18
The Red Light.
A STORY OF NEW YEARS. EVE
1t was New Years eve.

the moon is always at the full, the snow
always sparkle like pulverzed diamonds,
and the air always still, and cold and
clear; but q stormy twilight, with the
snow driving steadily from the east. the
wind raw and biting, and the sky-what
you could see of it--as black as ink
But it was New Years eve, all the
same, and Bertha llooper's cheeks were
as red as the bitter-sweet berries in the
woods as she sat, all wrapped up, in the
train that was ateaming northWard, on
her way to spend New Near with her
Aunt lmira Higgins
New Year in The country! 10 Bertha,
who had lived all her lie in the brick
walls and stone pavements of a city, the
very words seemed to convey somewhat
of cheer and ioyousncss And Bertha, as
she sat with her ewes closed, and her little
gloved hands safely nestled in cay
squirrel mut1, beheld in her minds eye
great fires of logs roaring up wide-throat-
poem on New \ ear and ts associations
when the ruthless conductor came along
for her ticket.
Chow far are we from Montconrt sta
ton ?" she inquired as she gave up the
hit OF pasteboard
Next hut one, Miss,' said the man. as
he hurried on, with his lantern under his
arm. "Half an hour yet"
She had never been 50 tar from New
\ ork in all her life before The driving
rain in which she had left her home had
changed ~ they progressed northward,
into the steady fall Of snow, which hut-
tered around them like u white waving
shroud. But Bertha Hooper 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 siXty-tour train New York ,
| And was not Iebedee to have lantern
with a red glass door to it, 50 that she
could identity him at once
She was very pretty as she sat there in
her little black velvet toque, with its curl
ing plume Of cardinal red. and the wine-
red ribbon bow at her throat-pretty with
the bloom and freshness OF eighteen. She
dark, 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 forehead.
"Mont-court-sta- :" bawled the
brakeman, putting in n snow powdered
fur cap, and Withdrawing it again as
| quickly as if he had been a magnificent
edition of the Jack-in-a- box, wherein chill
dren much rejoice at holiday time. And
| Bertha Hooper knew that she had reached
her destination
Stiff and cramped for the Length OF time
in which she had been sitting in one posi-
ton, she rose up, with little steele clasp
ed travelling bag in one hand, and a dainty
silk umbrella i'll the other, and made her
way to the door
All she could see when she stepped out
upon the wet and slippery PLATFORM was
a blur of driving snow, through which the
lights OF the solitary little country depot
CLEANED ittully; but the next instant
something flashed athwart her vision like
a friendly red eye-and beneath the re-
tector over the station door, she saw Il
| tall, fine looking young man. il Il fur
| trimmed overcoat, Il sealskin cap set jaun-
tily on one side OF q crop OF chestnut
curls, and y red-lighted lantern swinging
from his left 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 Zebedee.'' cried Bertha, aloud,
tNt 1ii.t,tt 'liG Pr INV ttb ~ iii' VI
| this blonde whiskcred young giant. For
had not she and Xebedee played domi-
! noes and fox and reese together in the
days when she wore blue ribbon sasIles,
and his hair was Il closely shorn mat OF
carroty red ''OL Cousin Iebedee, I'm
SO glad to see You; and hadn't any i,tea
you had grown half so handsome"
And she gave him u great hug, At the
same time holding up her rosebud lips for
kiss
But, to her infinite amazelnent, the hero
of the seal skin cap seemed little back
ward in responding to her cou5inly ad-
vances
ii beg your pardon" g." sad he, slight
ly reccding, but I'm afraid there is some
mistake My name is not Zebedee, and
the lady for whom | am LOOKING i some
years Older than You
Bertha Hooper started back, colonn"
and confused; and. as see did 50. u fat,
comtortable-l looking old lady came trund-
ling along the platform, i'll an India shawl
and boa of Russia sable worth its weight
| in greenbacks.
" Charley =! she cried, i" | thought
never should find Yon. Il the carriage
here =
"All here, and waiting Aunt Ellie, y re-
sponded the young man; but he still hesi
tated a second, as Bertha Hooper stood
with averted face and motionless figure in
the shadow of the building.
Can | be of any service to YOU ," he
! asked ''lf you are expecting friends who
have failed TO meet YOU"
"Anybody here by the name Of Berthy
Iioo-oo-per !" shouted a stentorian voice
and a tall, raw-looking lad with u lantern
also lighted with red glass-rushed shut
fling around the corner.
Zebedee himself! Zebedee, red-haired
and shambling and awkward as he had
been in the old fox-and-geese days.
"Oh % said he catching up his lantern,
SO that the scarlet birds wings flashed out
like a spit of Enthusiastically more scar
let, alas, than Bertha's own face. 'llere
you be. Pm little late. for the roads is
so alfred bad and | couldn't start the
pony out of a walk. Come on! How de
do? Be you very cold ?"
"Zebedee." f" said Bertha. clinging almost
hysterically to her cousins arm, "who's
that young gentleman with - with the
other lantern ?"
''Eh !" said Zebe,iee THAT feller with
the old lady in q patchwork shawl ?"
eyes ~
" It's Charley Harcourt, the Squire's
son." said Zebedee. Just come from
turin parts'
''Zebedee," said Bertha, with curious
little sound between a laugh and sob,
'put me into the cutler quick; and drive
me somewhere | don't care where. Be-
cause"
"Eh ?" said Zebedee. staring hard at his
cousin, as he packed the buffalo robe
around her before touching up the laggard
old pony
Because" added Bertha, in species
Of desperation, IL took Mr. Harcourt for
you; and hugged him and kissed him."
''Is that all ?" said philosophical Zebe-
dee "He won't care!''
''No,' said Bertha, "but | shall!"
"You amt crying, be you?" said Zebe-
dee, noting the quiver in his cousins
| voice.