The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-12-26
The Little Match GinI.

1t was dreadfully cold; it WAS snow
ing fast, and almost dark; the last even
ing OF the old year was drawing in.
But, cold and dark as it was, poor lit
tie 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 a good many
more in her battered apron-no one had
bought any of them the live, long day.
No one had given her single penny.
Trembling with cold and hunger, crept
she on, the picture of sorrow; poor little
child!
The snowfakes were on her
long, fair hair, which hung in
pretty ringlets over her shout
ders; but she thought not of her
own beauty, or Of the cold. Lights were
glimmering 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 9th
er, 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 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 il
against the wall; bravo it was bright
warm fame, and she held her hands
over it. It was quite an illumination
for that poor little girl, and she stretched
out her feet to warm them also; alas
in an instant the flame had died away
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 it's light fell, the wall became
transparent as veil-the little girl
could see into the room within. She
saw the table spread with snow-white
damask cloth, wherein were arranged
shining China dishes; the roast goose
stuffed with apples and dried plums
stood at the end, smoking hot, and
what was pleasantest of all to see, the
goose, with knife and fork still in he1
breast, jumped down from the dish an6
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 sit
ting under a most beautiful Christmas
tree, far larger, and far more prettily
decked than the one she had seen las
Christmas eve, through the glass dool
of the rich merchants house. Hun
dreds of wax tapers lighted UP the greer
branches, and tiny painted 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
behell them beaming like stars in heav
en-; one of them fell, the lights stream
ing behind it like long fiery tail
/ Nov some one is dying" said 9Th