Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-07-23
slonth's Column.
TnE LITTLE MATCH GIRL.

ing fast, and was almost dark the last
evening Of the old year was drawing in.
But cold and dark as it was, apoor 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 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 a
good many more in her tattered apron
no one had bought any of them the
livelong day. No one had given her
single penny. Trembling with cold and
hunger, she crept on, the picture Of
sorrow; poor little child!
The snOwAakes fell on her long, fair
hair, which curled in pretty ringlets
over her shoulders but she thought not
of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights
were glimeriug 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 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 60 home
she had sold no matches, earned not
a single penny, and perhaps 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,
fame, and she held her hands over it.
1t was quite an illumination for the
poor little girl, and she stretched out
her feet to warm them also alas in an
instant the fame had died away, and
the girl sat cold and comfortless, with
the burnt match in her hand.
A second match was struck against
the wall /; it kindled and blazed, and
wherever its light fell, the wall became
transparent as a vail-the little girl
could sec into the room within. She
saw the table spread with snow-white
damask cloth, wherein we're arranged
shining china dishes; the roast goose,
stuffed with apples and dried plums,
stood at one end, smoking hot, and what
was pleasantest of 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, and only the thick, hard wall
was beside her.
She kindled third match. Agar
shot up the flame; and now she was
sitting under a most beautiful Christ
mas tree, far larger, and far more pref
tily decked than the one she had seeI
last Christmas eve, through the glas
door of the rich merchants house. Hun
dreds of wax tapers lighted up the greer
branches, and tiny pointed figures, sucl
as she had seen in the shop windows
looked down from the tree upon her.
The child stretched out her hands to
ward them in her delight, and in tina
moment the light of the match wa
quenched still, however, the Christina
candles burned higher and higher, sh
beheld them beaming like stars in heay
en-; one of them fell, the lights stream
ing behind it like long, fiery tail.
"Now, some one is dying" said tn
little girl softly, for she had been toll
by her grandmother-the only perso
who had ever been kind to her, and wh
was now dead-that whenever sta
falls, an immortal spirit returns to Go
who gave it.
She struck yet another match again
wall (; it hrmed up, and surrounded /
its light, appeared before her that san
dear grandmother, gentle and loving
always, but bright and happy as 81
never looked during her lifetime.
Grandmother exclaimed the chill
"0h, take me with you l know "
will leave me as soon as the match 60
out; you will vanish like the warm f
d in the stove, like the splendid NJ
Years feast, like the beautiful lar
Christmas tree l'--and she hasti
y lighted all the remaining matches in t
bundle, lest the grandmother should d
appear.
And the mate hes burned with such
blaze of splendor, that monday col
scarcely have been brighter. Never h
the good grandmother looked so tall a
stately, SO beautiful and kind; she to
the little girl in her arms, and IL
both flew together, jOyfully and glOrio
ly they few higher and higher, till IL
were in that place where neither CO
nor hunger, nor pain is ever known
they were in paradise.
But in the cold morning hour. crou
ing in the corner of the wall, the p
little girl was found-her lips still ST
ing-frOzen to death on the last nj
Of the Old Year. The New Years