The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1879-12-25
SAVED AT LAST.

A cDll Christmas night in farm
house. Father comes in from the
barn. knocks tho snow from bis
shoes, aud sits down by the fire. The
Lmbther sits ut tho stand knitting
/ she says to him D. yoI romembar
/ that 1t IS anniversary to night Tho
father is angerel lls mover wants
any ullusiDn to tho flct that one had
gone away, AMI ths moro suggestion
that it vas tho anniversary OF that
sad evont nude him quite rough, nj.
| though tho tears ran down his
7 checks. Tao oil hou3c,loS, that
Ihi! played with the wandarcr wh,n
she was chilli, came up and put
/ his hoal on the oil m,ua tuae, but
~. ouyhly repnlsei the dog. II
wants nothing to remind him Of The
anniversary day
A c,ld Wllter's night in y city
church Il is CIris,mb night.
; Nney have bn1n decorating thu sLnc-
tulIy. i lot wtudarcr Of tho
street. With thin shawl ab,rt her,
l'trlr,el by tn, warmth aui lisut,
'r3nns Ia gal sits u,W tio tI,.
. iae minisir, of rh,l-l)n isp-e ching
I ,. jIn vh) WIS NlInial for - N
. tnls.,t4li,1u' aul bruised or unr
.imrmot ana the poor soul by tha
i.or .ulf " u ~. tILt mn-t mean
+ ma; mercy tnr ,lt '..,i Jf aunlg-
hru-a / i,G pi'.rt ,.'t,j wlJlhi
for oar -Eirsa.pu, . Tho music
illt might IL tue sanctuary brought
btck tne oil hymn Yti,l ahe u,el TO
-in5 U1ru VITA tt.L,t nIl mDth'r
she wprslippel Gpi in tho village
church rlr sarylc1 over, tho trln-
.,,er went dDSu the aisle. Sh> sal
tl MIN "Wara tn $50 words for na
'Nounlel for our tans3rcssion, :
Was that for mo = The nan of Col
M ierst0ul her not. H5 knew not
now to cIlntJrt ship Sfeck1 | spul.
mi no ptsse | on aul ho plsse ont.
rho poor wanderer followed into
the street. "W What are you doing
here. Meg /? said tho police "What
are you doing here tonight "Oh -
she replied, Il was in to warm
myself :" aud then the rattling cough
come, and sho held 30 the railing
until the paroxysm was over. She
passed Oh down the street, falling
from exhaustion recovering herself
again, until after while she reached
the outskirts of the city passed on
into tho country road, 1t seemed 30
familiar, she kept on the road, and
she saw in the distance light in
the window. All that light hal
been cleaning there every night
since she went away.
On that country road she passed
until she cauio to tho garden gate.
She opened it and passed. mp the
path where she had played in clill
hool, Sac cana to the steps and
looked in ut the fire on the hearth
Then sha put her fingers TO the
latch. GA, il the door had boen
locked, she would have persisted on
the threshold, for she WAS near to
death. But that door had not been
locked since the time she went away.
She pushed opsu tho door. She
went in aud laid down on the hearth
by the fire. The old house dog
growled as no saw her eater, but
there was something in the voice he
recognizsi, aud he frisk1l about her
until he almost pushed her down in
his joy. In the morning the
mother cams down, aud she saw a
bupdle OF rags on tho hearth but
when tho face was uplifted, she knew
it, and it was no more old Meg of
the street. Throwing her arms around
the returned prodigai, she cried
"Oh Meggie. The child threw
her arms around her mothers neck,
and said "Oh (! mother, and while
they we're embracing rugged form
lowered above them. 1t was the
father. The severity all gone out
from his face, he stopped and took
her up tenderly aud carried her to
mothers room, aud laid her down on
mothers bed, for she WAS dying,
Then the lost one, looking up In her
mother face, said Wounded for
our transgressions and bruised for
our iniqaities I" "Mother, do you
think that means me r. sob, yes.
my dariing,' said the mother. III
a. other is so glad to got you back,
d,n't you think God is glad to got
you back = And there she lay dy-
!us, ssl all their dreams and oil !