Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-05-25

has never known the holy babe of Bethle
hem: but way down in his cold, selfish hear
are two dimpled hands that keep the fires o
love burning and an angel face, with a pai
of sweet hazel eyes, that fill up the plac,
where God and Maker should he.
The little one at the window is all that h,
has, all that he loves hut his bank stocl
and mortgages, for gossip says that he nnC
his " ie are not suited TO one another. Ii Is
the old, old story You've heard 1t many i
time. But the millionares hard, uncompro.
missing business voice trembles when he says
| 'Aly daughter. and soitened light comes
into his eyes at the sight of her winsome lit
tie self. He Is working for her,-laylng mp
money that by and by shall make her life a
| grand and fortunate one. lie is building
massive blocks and magnificent palaces that
some day he thinks. will add to the COM
| pleteness OF his little ones happiness. He
does not dream that some one else may be
| building II mansion for her too.
Upstairs, i'll her gayly-turnished boudoir,
the mother Is fashionmg small garment of
lace and ribbons OF de licate blue, and she is
thinking the while how her baby will shine
some day in elegant lady apparel and how
society will some time bow down before that
angel face. She had not thought of that
grander society vet than all other, in which
her darling may shine nor has it once oc-
Cured to her mind TO think what flood of
bitter tears may roll between them then.
allow fast the river runs"
never stopping, never resting, always on
ward, bearing something from us every day q.
How the golden sands creep through our
fingers 10 the deep.
"OGod can not grasp
Them with tighter clasp
o God! can not save
One from the ptiless wave p
And the human cry is answered in good time.
But hear the skipping. dancing feet of
Gmcey in the hall Her eyes have espied the
silent, austere man upon the walk, and her
tiny fingers are trembling on the door-catch.
1t Is raised from outside now, and with a Joy
ous shout she springs INTO the arms of the
stern millionaire, and her white arms twine
about his neck. What does he care now for
rise or fall i'll wheat What does he care
for the big grand earth, for God, or the
world beyond? What matters it TO him now
his business cares, or his unl1ving wife His
darling-his all of Heaven, OF Christ, of
earthly happiness is nestled close to his
heart with her beautiful cheek pressed against
his own. She loves him with the purest,
truest devotion. She honors him. She be-
lieves i'll him when others doubt.
All. great man in your strength You, who
scoff at tie Christ-child OF long ago who
laugh at the sentiment there is III religion
who disbelieve in the power of the STRIPPING
David, behold, n little child shall lead
youi
If you had seen the millionaire that eve
ming you would scarcely have believed in his
hardness.-you would scarcely have believed
that he had only that afternoon angrily de-
MED n wan faced, hungry beggar the poor
rittopca ot a f,.w slilliuos II only som, nf
his sad-eyed, discouraged debtors could have
approached him then, / think they would
have struck a lead of tenderness and charity
that would have surprised them. Gracey sat
between the two-the father and mother
with hand upon either heart-strlngs, and
was the connecting link. See the picture
The gas is not yet lighted i'll the room, and
they are sitting before the open CRATE, the
husband and wife listening to the baby-talk,
and now and then joining i'll pleasant chat
together. And happiness. the sprite, III her
sunny robes, is dancing around them on the
carpet ; now and then touching them with
her perfectness, now retreating, now touch
ing them again.
Have you ever been ont upon summer
sea, some time i'll the past, III company with
a friend in another boat, when the gentle
tide carried you farther away from each other
than You wished to go in spite of your row.
ing? Have you seen then slender, delicate
hand outstretched, which drew the one craft
TO the other, and held it there while You
glided peacefully down the stream together
in friendly talk! 1t was so with the boats !
am telling you of. They were moving farther
away from each other on the great river of
life, every day. when Gracey's tiny hand was
drawing them close together |
again. How happily the stream is bearing |
them on its bosom now, as the tide gently |
carries them on to the ocean
Many visitors came to the great house
visitors with elegant dresses and visitors |
with beautiful faces happy visitors, and |
visitors with naughty manners and grand ad- |
dress. They came and went and came again, |
and the lady had always Tor them pleasant |
welcome. But there came one day guest |
who had never called BEFORE II sharp, i'm
perious visitor for whom there was no well |
come, yet who had been expected with fever
lsh dread each day. He had visited mnny |
homes i'll the city, and had been received as
no other guest had been before; he had MEM |
ories more bitter-sweet than can often be |
found For, looking way down the street |
where he has been, We see tfuttering from the |
door knobs narrow wells of something fleecy, 4
white and black mingled together What can
it mean? That guest has entered the great |
house now. He passed up the elegant mar
ble steps, slowly and solemnly, each foot |
striking the stone with Il hollow, reyerhera-
ting sound. and rising again with harsh,
grating noise, as of screws working their way |
into new coflin-lids. Reaching the door, he
drew the long scarlet mantle. that hung |
loosely about his form and trailed behind |
him for n considerable distance upon the |
walk, closer about HIM. Then he stretched |
out a long, tleshless arm and graspcd the |
bell-knuh. As he stood there, eager, cN- |
pc ectant, his eyes glraming bright with fever |
III their dry, bony sockets, he neryously /
opened and closed his dreadful Jaws, sending |
through all his teeth II rattling sound as of |
wind blowing through bits of broken crock
cry. Suddenly he caught the sound of light, |
dancing feet IN the hallway, and sweet |
little voice III "a childish song. With low, |
sepulchra chuckle of satisfaction the horn- |
bic visitor turned the knob aud passed III.
He met her, but who can tell how ? Who |
can tell how he smoothed the downy check |
to hectic flush, nor guess with what insinu-
ating Tenderness he touched the winsome i
head with fever pains These delicate |
things are NINE lac said. And he bore the |
tender, dcnth-smittcn flower IN his unyiclding |
arms up the WIDE staircase, tp her room,
the pleasant sunny room whence. thereafter, |
only SORROW could come out.
The world will 20 ON Iust tlc same To- NOR |
row Other flowers VIII bud and bloom, |
earth be fragrant with their sweetness. Light |
laughs will bc heard and SONGS will he sung, |
hut our little white blossom yondcr is wIltcd |
dying. An the revIying waters OF eternity |
the great rcsistcss tide * slowly luppng |
the shore
Night came Tired and heated from the
,Ncitcmt nt Of a charity" ball, yet flushed |
with her recent triumphs and beautiful IN !
her satin and elegant lacrs, the mother re-
turned. Nns II any wonder that she sent up !
II cry of fear that the blood about her heart |
grew cold when she met upon the threshold |
that dreadful guest And then, IN tnat quiet
hour, with the moon looking calmly down
upon earth, when the NOISE oi pnssers-by had
almost ceased upon the street, and sleep was
visiting the weary cycds oi the troubled |
world, there was II sound of hurrying feet
and aiifiehtcd voices along the halls and
through the high-ctilIngcd Tuonis of the
front ON thenyenuc. The moth
er, whose deathlike uallor We'd with the
white rouge ON her cheeks, glittering with
Jewels, and with roses bushing IN her hair
had forgotten them all the whole gay world
as she wruug her hands IN her unavailng
grief. And great, hot, shining tears rsth-
less things laughed together at their tr-
umph over 1T all, as tncy made deep roads
down through the delicate color that had so
her beauty during the evening
The father was there. silent, speechlrss,
kneeling 10y the CRIB. watching now the
nurse, now the doctor, with eager, pleading
glanccs, helpless, dcspaIring. Now hnldIn:
one of the little hot hands IN his, now pass-
ing his other with n vehement gesture across
his own forehead, where the pcrspnation
stood in beads, and now smoothing tiny curls
nI I,ir 4 ltut