The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1879-12-26
HOLLY.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

And the holly-boughs whispered each TO eacb
" The world may talk and the world ma,
preach,
But the grandest labor in life we say
Is, mid sunshine, frosts and vapors grey,
Preparing to shine on Christmas day.
tits Christmas Eve, and only the fire
light reveals a girlish figure leaning
back in chair, the while she stead,
fastly hides her face with her thin white
hands. The door opens, and another
figure, gliding in. kneels down by the
first, and piayfully withdrawing these
same hands, says, Elizabeth, darling
you will come down. For my sake
dear.n
Ell hardly know
you shall come down the back
stairs with me, love, and go into the
back drawing room by the door at the
end of the corridor. Nobody need sec
you, or know you are there-nobody
but John. and darling, it is cruel to dis
appoint him."
$. Very well," and then Elizabeth
rises to do even as the other has said.
But the other lights the candles on
the table first, ane gives just little
tender touch here and there to Eliza
beth's dress and hair-the former is
black lace with a. scarlet bow or two,
and the latter lies in tiny soft rings all
over Elizabeth's head Time was when
she would have never dreamt of looking
like this, and then she leans forward to
take strangely earnest gaze at the face
which the dressing-glass reveals
face, thin, dark, and disfigured, but
which was once fair and bright as lov-
ing eyes could wish. Tears. great pas
sionate tears, drop on 10 her dress as
she turns away, for the girl believes
she has a lifelong burden laid upon her.
" Darling. you will break my heart. .
eNo,r Pauline, not that. and YOU
must forgive me- Besides, tits Christ
mas, too, and we must try to be happy !
And she laughs little, for all her tears
of a minute before.
Then they go down stairs together,
and Pauline takes Elizabeth to the
back drawing-room as she had said,
where she stirs the fire to a brighter
blaze, lights the branches, and then gees
away, for she has some little order to
giver especting tea, which is TO be served
somewhat differently to the usual way
tonight And Elizabeth sees, when
she is gone, that the door between the
two drawing-rooms is slightly ajar
obeying sudden impulse, she therefore
deadens the fire by beating 1t little to-
gether; then, putting out the lights,
crosses over all tremb blingly to the door.
which she opens wider still; so wide
indeed, that, sitting in the dark corner
opposite, where the fire light cannot
come, her eyes are able to traverse the
whole space beyond. Pauline has not
yet returned, only the ladies are there,
and these do not interest Elizabeth; and
as she sits and waits her thoughts travel
back into the months which have come
and gone.
1T seems but as yesterday when she
stood in the sweet spring sunlight, with
the lindens whispering above and the
myrtles signing below, while the old
postman assorted his letters, arranging
them after his own slow fashion before
giving into her hands the one which
had hidden her come to this home, this
home in which she was so much prized
and beloved. For they-Pauline and
she-were orphans. They had lived
too, till the former married one of the
fashionable English visitors who fire.
euented the place in Germany where
they were, with relations who loved
them none too fondly. Therefore it was
arranged that so soon as Pauline ha6
settled down in her English home, Eliza
beth should be sent for to share with hel
the sunshine of her new, fair life. Ant
glad, free. and loving, she had come.
No matter what bright dreams had in
terwoven themselves into the summer
months Elizabe b hurries past them
on to what she believes has changed hel
whole hfe-current from its course. II
some way, toward the end of thes,
same bright months, smallpox becam,
rife in the village, and Elizabeth's maid
who had come with her from. the father
land, was among the first to sicken o
he complaint. Sne was very i'll, ant
craved for Elizabeth the whole tim
through; therefore, for very love, al
though a trained and proficient nurs,
was from the first procured, Elizabetl
came and went continually from her Owl
room to that of the sick girl She woult
hold intercourse with none of the other
she even begged them to go and leave
her, but all bravely stayed on; and
strange to say none took the infection saw
Elizabeth only. The maid died but he
mistress soothed her to the last; then sh
herself sickened, but knowing what wa
upon her. she had strictly enjoined fo
Pauline not to come near her. which
order the nurse had carried out--for i