Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-12-26
L Christmas Siory.
TCoNTINUEp FROM FIRST PAGE !

lNS-'~--NSAO E1AOA E11AS1 EAdE
to make money for her and the children, the
numIllatlons lie had undergone; the work
done in over-hours; the clothes, books, little
treasures OF his bachelor days pawned or sold;
the worn-out body and fretted soul-she un-
derstood it all now. She remembered when
he came home at night how quick she had
b-en to take offence: how sharply she had
watched for and answered surly words or Ia
ded looks-sne understood it all, now when i.
was too late.
When the morning dawned, little Phil Law
IN his CRIB, no longer moaning. When she
looked at him her breast throbbed and burned
but his lips would never touch it again: the
dry, burning little mouth, which had made
her fretful and impatient.
Yet she scarcely heeeded it. She heard the
doctor talk TO Ann outside; Joe was sick up
stairs What did it matter? They were all
going-she would be left alone. There had
been deaths all through the town, he said,
some of the guests at thee hall had been taken
home to die, among them, her sister,
What does it matter?' she said to HIM.
Look here,'
If, at the last, he had given one look of the
old happy time. If he had kissed her-smiled;
given her ever so slight sign that, in passing
into that other world, he had gone back for
the moment and remembered their old love
and their old content, it would have been
strange comfort to her.
| But he muttered to the last about q debt he
owed for rent; and that this chain was too
much for him to carry; that his strength was
going day by day, and then what would Mary
and the children do? And it was with a tired
/ sigh he drew his last breath on her breast, and
at last lay dead, and rested.
Two weeks afterward, and Mary Genin
/ alOnO tho oaH tr fha lon
wall about the town graveyard. She held
her little girl by the hand-the one child that
was lef. to her. 1t was clear. cloudless, fro
zen day; the hard, brown ground covered with
thin veil of snow, and the sky soft, flmy
gray, into which the eye could find, or fancy
it found, immeasurable depths, quiet and still.
Along the low wall grew thick bushes full
of thorns, yet hiding in the sheltered recesses
green leaves, even now, late in the winter.
There was pale, December grass over all the
graves, and few cedar and arbor- vitae trees
here and there, on whose dark green branches
the snow lay in starry drifts.
She sat down on the lower of the stone
steps, little Nelly beside her. Her life seemed
to have come to stop here-its truth and
meaning grew clearer to her as If she, too
were dead, and looked back out of some othel
world at it.
1t was very quiet; the child grew drowsy
: in the still, cold air, and fell asleep. She
looked all over the square walled graveyard
with the snow like transparent sheet over it
: an3 then here, close at hand -. The snow
mattered so little, or the heaped wet clay, o.
the coffin-lids! She could see them underneath
. there, all with hands folded on their breasts
and still feet, and the faces to the sky, whicl
,, did not turn to look at her. She came ther
, day after day, and saw them III that piteous
dumb rest, side by side, from which the,
. should never look or speak to her. Side b.
side, the baby and Joe, and her sister Jennie
and the one at her feet, whom she did no
name.
. Their faces were the same as they had bee
/ here; there was the anxiety, the greed, th
0 peevish tempers.
? But she looked Up, and into the pearl
: deapths overhead. She could not look throug
8 them as through the snow and Clay But sh
knew that beyond there was, somewhere, th
one fold and the one Shepherd; that the ar
gers and selfish taiEts had been left in tn
q graves with these bodies, and that yonder the
= were together, pure and loving-she outside
And the door was shut.
She was full of sin, of unclean, selfish in
patience-they so pure and so far away.
they had known before they went away hov
is she loved them! She threw herself on thi
SldNC uCl Will uuuSGr u st
his face, to speak but one word to him. Ifh
e had but known how she loved himl
? There was soft, clear sound of music
7. voices singing an old familiar air of Chris
t, mas carol. She raised her head up from th
/, snow. Its cold cleanliness was about her fac
d and neck, and heavy feeling like sleep. Tb
) cold, gray depths, the frosty. bushes, th
white graves shimmered udsteadily like th
Il coors of dissolving pictures; and instead thei
Ie was heaped red fire, shaded lamp, and Ph
If in his night-gown, in the midst of billow
. mass of blue satin and lace.
"a Mary staggered to her feet with one hand o
D. the table.
'Jennic?' a
D. by that time, and there was pleasant face
20 the midst of golden curls-a smiling face, o
Is which there were tears not yet dried.
D Yes, it is Jennie. found you asleep, Nj
: ry, so turned nurse for Master Phil here
Mary said nothing. She could not com
l. back at once from the Valley of Death t
at common places; her sunken eyes turned fror
r, her sister to the baby, to the children in the
q little trundle-bed in the other room. Jenn
lie laid down Master Phil on the rug She pI
Ie her warm, soft arms about Mary's neck, an
to leaued her cheek to hers. 1t was an old con
3. forting habit she had lung ago, one of tt
ce thousand winning tricks of which the girl WI
l. full.
rs You're worn-out, sis,' she said, 'overworl
y ed. 1t is this great monster of baby her,
)" He's cutting teeth! Of couse babies The
ID she stopped her meaningless chatter, choket
le and drawing back step, looked at Mary, b.
B. eyes growing darker and wet.
)" 1T is Christmas-eJ re, sister. May l CON
es back to you?'
rs Mary kissed her; then she fell into stiflet
e. hysterical weeping; then she kissed her agail
,y and with the baby in her arms carried Jenn
off to the back room, and pulled Joe and Ne
y out of their sleep to kiss, and cry, and laug
1t over them, and say it was Christmas-eve; an
" did they know she loved them; and did the
IF know how far away they had been from b.
n tonight, while the children looked half teri
d fed at her, and the fair, stately lady besiC
p her, and began to cry.
n The old fretful cry; but never was music
: sweet.
!. Jennie looked on little scared, like Il
y children.
4 did not think it would touch you so muc
,s to see me- she said Il have been meaning
n come for long time
n No matter, you are here now,' and Mar
y looked up smiling as she loosened her hair fl
Phil to pull.
Is But it does not matter with slight col
traction of her bros, not meaning to
thwarted in her determination to go down
" the dust.
1r I've been hard and cruel to you, Mary
/ knew you were tOiling, aud George doing
3r hOdman's work, and had ease and plenty.
was that house and lot that soured me.
"a thought grandfather was unjust, and wreah
n ed my spite on you. tell you, Mary, wa
: growing into a miser-yes, youneed not laugh
: can see the very lines of uncle Perrin
face coming out on mine,' passing her whit
finner over the hlnshinr soft cnnnfenanca