Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-12-24

A Chime Of Christmas ReIls for Children

It is as bright and nose hipping a
Christmas eve as any boy with the pros
pect Of bran new pair of skates before
him could look forward to, and be glad
of when it came.
A thin eruet of snow snaps spitefully
under foot, and sparkles on busy trod
den highways and byways with mill
lion diamond sparklings. The stars are
winking at all the world and his wife,
as if they were the angel eyes of little
what Santa Claus was doing in the
homes that once had Christmas trees for
them. Bright angel stars, twinkling in
such wonderful glee, peeping through
the blue on the diamond crusted snow
beneath, and singing this carol: "Join
with US. beautiful diamond snow let us
clothe the world with grander splen-
dor on this night of ell nights of the
Christian year, for nineteen hundred
years ago one of0ir starry number burn
ed brightly over the angel child lying
Graded in the manager
Everybody knew Joe Pogglesby. That
is, everybody in the rolling mill, for
outside, of that world ofgrime aud clang,
Joe had not much of world, except that
of two rooms peorled by little wife and
child
Joe Pogglesby is coming out of his
world of mill with his tin dinner bucket,
and is ON his way to his world of home
He steps off briskly, taking header a.
gainst the sharp north wind, and starts
with good strong whistling accompani-
ment. Joe is in rare spirits tonight.
For the miil-master has called up all
the old hands-Ioe being one-and has
given them a weeks wages to buy Jolly
Christmas turkey with, and to drink to
''the Works." and has said, quietly,
"Joe, there's parcel in the Office for
Little Dipper, and you go and get it."-
| There it is. too, snug and safe under his
arm, and his fellow puddlers have said
"Joe, my missus has Christmas some
thing for Little Dipper," and, altogeth-
er, Joe is in great heart to night, you
may depend on it.
| Why, if here isn't Little Dipper. As
Joe Pogglesby goes up the Stairs a door
opens, and there, Standing ON the land
ing with cutstretched arms, lis fair
haired child, and about five years old
All light and life and happiness, anc
with merry, growing laugh that runs
all up and down the spinal-column O
the puddler.
"Father's come" cries Little Dipper
All light and life aud happiness? No
Not light, by Little Dipper ia Blind.
How did she come to be Little Dip
per? Stricken down by a deathly feve
at two years old, and blind from tha
time forward until now. In her infancy
Little Dipper cut her teeth oD a door
knob, and was otherwise raised on al
| old boot and poker. After her poo
little eyes closed, Joe and Sally gave he
star to play with. Joe was out of work
and stars came cheap. Joe didn't know
much about stars, but enough to tel be
about the seven in Charles. VAIN, whicl
Joe called the "Dipper." So, by de
grees, the child game to think more o
the first star in the handle Of the "Dip
peri than of any other, and more thai
she did of the door knob or the poker
and as for Joe's old boot. that was no
where by comparison. From the child
love ofthat star and her looking toward
it out of her poor blind eyes, and her de
sire to hear Joe tell of it, she came t
be called in pet way by all who knew
her Little Dipper."