Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-04
The Little Match Girl.

1t was dreadfully cold; it was showing
fast, and almost dark the last evening of
the old year was drawing in. But cold and
dark as it was, a poor little girl, with bare
head and feet, was still wandering about the
streets. When she left her home, she had
her mothers slippers on; but they had
dropped off her feet, while she was running
very fast across the road to get out of the
way of two carriages.
So the little girl now walked on, her bare
feet quite red and blue with the cold. She
carried a small bundle of matches in her
hand, and good many more in her tattered
apron-no one had bought any of them the
livelong day. No one had given her a single
penny. Trembling with cold and hunger,
She crept on, the picture of sorrow poor lit
tie child
The snowhakes fell on her long, fair hair,
which curled in pretty ringlets over her shoul-
ders; but she thought not of her own beauty,
or of the cold. Lights were glimmerng
through every window, and the SAVIOR of roast
goose reached her from several houses; it
was New Years eve, and it was of this she
thought.
In a corner formed by two houses, one of
which projected beyond the other, she sat
down, drawing her little feet close under
her, but in vain-she could not warm them.
She dared not go home-she had sold no
matches, earned not single penny, and per-
haps her father would beat her.
Her hands were nearly stiff with cold one
little match from her bundle would warm
them perhaps, if she dared light it. She
drew one out and struck it against the wall (;
it was bright, warm flame, and she held
her hands over it. 1t was quite an illumina-
ton for the poor little girl, and she stretched
out her feet to warm them also; alas in an
instant the flame had died away, and the girl
sat cold and comfortess with the burnt
match in her hand
A second match was struck against the
wall; it kndled and blazed, and wherever
its light fell, the wall became transparent as
veil-the little girl could see into the room
within. She saw the table spead with snow
white damask cloth, whereon were arranged
shining china dishes; the roast goose, stuffed
with apples aud dried plums, stood at one
end. smoking hot, and what was pleasantest
uf all to see, the goose, with knife and fork
still in her breast, jumped down from the
dish, and waddled along the floor TO her.
The match was burnt out, aud only the
thick, hard wall was beside her.
She kindled third match. Again shot
up the flame and now she was sitting under
= .....:f.I f,l-;....a. So g. q. lo ,..,,.
'1osV orau''iul ,;i,i J",,i ,"' ." I
anu ia' 'iio'e p'ev''iS ."a" @ ,h.o,'', 'hu
'he nau seen i'st oHats',nas irh en .'Los h''ssa
me me elass uooi Vi '.e iion h'.'G''i, ,tn 'ouSe
- iu.uteu' y, IaA ape, itpd s,ur. 'n aueb q.
h" Jn""oa, haJ & ""' s'"l ,h shnn ,.indows looLsc
Sne nau seen III tne snoP Mi"uo"S' 'ooAeo
uow,i ,r, ilo'i, ''le ..ee Jpn nea had. .oort
lhe chiiu s',e.eheu guy nei aau'' .an. 'o"a'C
tne'n III hsr ueilsn.' "nu AZ .naI nio n,;,,
.he Hgn' Vi .ne lia!on was qi,' quemo sv',,
however, 'Ie on',i.na aha hahoid ant thau, haa'n
higiitr anu nignei' sue oenTia of ,r ,han ei faii
.ns ;he ,ihe o'a,s ,; !" nen Hnh;,d o !. rta ,aun
She i's'iis S'ea'i'Hs 'e"'''' ~ ''Ae '''s
merry tali' = a,,;o, - s.;d tho ,it,l,
Nomi s',ne m o,e h uy'hs h 't .nId l., i'a ha
GIRL sol..{' ior sue nau peeu vIiu ne
grahuInotherL'iie on,y s pe,son "no "au 49, uie
oeeI hlhu 70 nei' "nt WI an" was n'm ;,n,au,, u
that whenever a s1si ia,ie' an i,'''i'' ~ ="
spirit returns 70 'ne upu "no q, sare 49, -, ~,
1ne s'rsoh Ss' aroan nd srn5sd a,1m ""Iv hv " i,
m man !. I na.A ", - - ho. ttot 80 yaa
lgh' aPpsaieu oelo'e % Ina; 'nav 9a I,a,'' u''
granuhI'nei' gnu anu ,I,'ds "o a,"ds
out oriSh. anu ,.s napPy ~ '"' '"u "e'e' 'o0he
uuri,g heI iilel'iiiie Lnr, I.;.d th. ohu.
.ot "auinio t,i ,s''1 -, w.. ,,', uDS ~;
oh' eaAe nie Wv" {ou .ah ,, you " w.