The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-02-28
The Little Match Girl.

1t was dreadfully cold; II was showing
fast, and almost dark; the last evening
of the old year was drawing in. But
cold and dark as it was, poor 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 car
riages.
So the little girl Row walked on, her
bare feet quite red and blue with the
cold. She carried 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, crept
she on, the picture of sorrow; poor little
child!
The snow flakes on her long, fair hair.
which hung in pretty ringlets over her
shoulders; 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 pr' jected beyond the other, she
sat down, drawing her little feet close
under her, but in vain-she could not
warm them. Size 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 out one and struck it
against the wall; bravo! it was a bright,
warm flame, and she held her hands over
1t. 1t was quite an illumination for that
poor little girl, and she stretched out her
feet to warm them also; alas in an in
slant the fame 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 its light fell the wall became
transparent as veil-the little girl could
see into the room within. She saw the
table spread with a snow-white damask
cloth, wherein were arranged shining
China dishes, the roast goose, stuffed
the 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 a third match. Again
shot up the flame; and now she was sit
ting under most beautiful Christ mas
tree, far larger, and far more prettily
decked than the one she had seen last
Christmas eve, through the glass door of
the rich merchants house. Hundreds of
wax tapers lighted up the green branch
es, and tiny painted figures, such 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 that mo-
ment the light of the match was quench-
ed; still, however, the Christmas candles
burned higher and higher, she beheld
them beamiDg like stars in heaven; one
of them fell, the lights streaming behind
it like long, fiery tail.
Now some one is dying" said the
little girl softly, for she had been told
by her granomother-tbe only person
who had ever been kind to her, and who
was now dead-that whenever star falls
an immortal spirit returns TO the God
who gave it.
She struck yet another match against
the wall; it famed up, and, surrounded
by its light, appeared before her that
same dear grandmother, gentle and low
ing as always, but bright and happy as
che had never looked during her lifetime
"Grsndmoiherl y cried the child. "Oh,
take me with you! know you will
leave me as soon as the match goes out,
you will vanish like the warm fire in the
stove. like the beautiful large Christmas
treel' and she hastily lighted all the re-
naming matches in the bundle, lest the
grandmother should disappear.
And the matches burned with such a
blaze of splendor that MONDAY could
scarcely have been brighter. Never had