Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-22
JOHN HOLLANDS MERRY CHRIST
MAS.

The day before Christmas every store win.
dow was Wreathed in green, every rare and
beautiful thing exposed to tempt the passer-
oy was labeled christmas gift" Even the
corner groceries and baker shops had green
boughs and generous display of ginger
preaa horses and white-sugar hearts enriched
with gilt beading. and impossible pink fowls
popularity supposed to be doves. There were,
| lnyrlads OF dolls and hundreds of sleds, with
names taking in the whole animal kin gdom.
The streets We're crowded with fur-clad, smil
| ing women, who were making the last select
IONS OF pretty things with which to swell out
| the ialr proportions Of many little stockings.
| John Holland, leaving his Office earlier than
| usual, made his way slowly through these
waves OF happy womanhood, carving his
aching head a little forward, watching with
| sulien eyes the JOY about him, until the tide of
bitterness in his heat rose high, and forced
from his lips curse on the morrow that
would bring SO much happiness to others and
SO much misery to him. A lonely man was
| John Holland, over whose dead past stood no
monumental marble with name and date
thereon--a weary man by his dropping shout
ders ard uncertain gait an unhappy man bv
the Wlsttul look that crept now and then into
his sulen eyes. And so in weary, lonely
fashion he walked on, leaving the city far
behind, and coming at last upon country
road that wound its rough, Snow-p powdered
length through shrubby hollows ana no the
hills between ieatiess gray bark I'd trees Now
ana then thin sheet OF OF ice cracked beneath
his feeble did not hear 1t; above his head,
close to the soft, gray clouds, fat, iukY crows
sailed round and round, caWing companion
ably--he old not heed them: while here and
there the bare, brown fingers Of some shrub
or tree held out to him bunch Of scarlet
berries, which he did not see. All the grays
and browns. touched here and there with Green
,I-, ,tst 1lNI4 l.
morn oW was Christmas Day. Ee stood alone
he made no ones happiness; therefore TO
him the world could no. be fair He remem-
bered how, not many years before he and his
Vile stole tip-1oe through the house, to cram
with candies and many wonderous toys the
little wooden stockings hanging near the fire.
He remembered how the Christmas SUNLIGHT
striking through the frosted window pane,
turned into Furnished gold the rudy locks of
their strudy baby boy; and now he stumbled
up the hillside, blind with rage and pain
Now two mounds of chill, cold earth
held all that made Ii e dear and
precious thing to him. At the TOP of
the hill he paused invoIuntarily to regain his
breath Up there the wind blew keenly, the
ghastly CLEAN ice could be seen in the riv-
er winding far below. The wood was dark
ened by many slender pines and stunted hem
lock trces-a Wintry scene--and Holland
thrust his hands deep in his pockets and turn
ed 10 rctrace his steps, when sound broke
the silence all about nina sound that set his
heart a throbbing, a sound that drew his feet
from the beaten road and sent them strding
through the dead brown leaves until tfey
brought him to the very spot where little
Ruth sat sObhing.
a strange place to find a child, yet there she
sat, fiat on the ground, her we'll worn, copper
toed shoes stretched out before her, ne little
hand doubled under her arm, as a bird ORA rs
IFS foot under lis VIM he other
ing with all its childish might a branch of one
OF the many small heinlOck trees CROWN u
about her. SO notified with cold were her face,
her hands, and her lit e bare knees, she might
have passed for figure carved in good old
CASTLE soap.
John Hollands sudden appearance did not
startle her in the least She seemed to accept
him as one accepts things in dreams, without
surprise or fear
''Whatis the matter?n he asked
Pm cold"
How strange the childish voice sounded up
there in that chill, bleak place!
"What are you doing here?''
Poor baby' thought John Holland, "you
are learning the great lesson early. | should
like to know the brute who left You sitting
here while he or she drinks or gos5ips in the
town beOw.'
"Who are you waiting for, child?'
~
smiles as she whispered:
pm waiting for Santa Claus"
The answer smote him with establishment
AS a boy he had heard much of the genial old
man for whom little Ruth was waiting, but
he had never heard or his paving q visit
or transactlng any business in the day time
So he told her; but she, looking sorrowfuily
wise, answered:
Eyes, knows he goes down the chimneys
at night, Aunty says SO, and Santa Claus
must come here o,day to get his trees"
TO get his trees" echoed Holla d, sitting
down by the side Of that bit of childish gray
ity.,
Why, yes; his trees like this. you know
and after a slow, numb sort of search for
something in the depths of her pocket, her
col': little hand drew out o leaf of a child's
story book, torn and soied but bearing o i
one side q highly-colored picture of the good
Santa Claus.
There" she continued, eagerly. "see the
tree he has on his arm they don't ROW in
tthe city; see, he must come up mere to get
them"
81 understood; bat why wait here in the
cold for him when tonight be will come
down your chimney with all sorts of pretty
toys:"
But he won't come; he Goes not know the
,house is here; he thinks all the boys and girls
i've down. there in the city; SO when he comes
Claus, live here on the hill Aunty says Pm
pretty good. Can't have doll, baby and a
picture hOOky'
Johr Hollands voice was very tender when
he spoke again to ask her name, and then he
lifted her to her feet and said:
"Ill tell you what we will do, Ruth You
go home before Aunty misses you and thinks
you are lost, and III stay here and watch for
Santa Claus"
She shook her head.
You'll get tired and 20 away"
NO won't; II! wait until see him"
"Fruly@
"Truly."
Lit le Ruth raised her face ana Holland
kissed her baby mouth
Where do you live, child?'
Comfy litIle ways back in the woods -
there is the path" And running across the
dead leaves she struck into FAINT, narrow
path, and foIoaing it disappeared behind the
trees. Holland watched her out OF sight,
then tying his haudkerchefto the top branch
of that tree which Ruth had selected as the
very one Santa Claus most wanted, turned
his face cityward and strobe down the hill.
Low down in the west he noticed a ing
gotten rift in the duil gray sky, and it evinced
and broadened until the golden glory burst its
bonds and flooded ali The scenes with wntry
sunlight. Even so had the chill faith of
little Ruth forced its way through clouds of
loneliness and grief to fill his heart with sun
light. More than one woman smiled that
night at John Holland as he stood in a crowd
ed store. examining with supernatural gravity
dolls dressed and undressed. A light wagon
carried him and his books and toys out from
the city and up the woody hill to kuth's poor
home. After peerng into the window like
an amiable burglar he summoned Ruth's
aunt. few words outside the door, gentle
little laugh, a tear o. two, great rustling Of
paper, and then the door was closed, and Hol-
land, whistling softly to himself, mad. his
way to the tree from which waved a white
handkerchies,and after much hacking,pulling
and digging, succeeded in removing it. Driv-
ing home under the starry sky great tears
filled his eyes as he thought
of ''the wife and baby boy