Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-01-03
The Light OF / New Year /.
OR, THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL.
NEW YEAR fantasy BY HANS CHRISTIAN AN

! 4 NV hEAR FANTASY HANS CHRISTIAN AN
| DERsEy.
1t WAS very cold, the snow fell and il
was almost dark; for it was almost evening
/ yes. the last evening of the year. Amid
the cold and darkness, a poor little girl
! Win bare hoad ari uaaed feet was roam
ing through the streets 1t is true she had
q pair of slippers when she left home, but
they were not Of much use. They were very
large slippers /; so large. indeed. that they
had hitherto been used by her mother be
sides, the little creature lost them a. -he
hurried across the street to avoid two car
riages that were driving very quickly past.
| One of the slippers was not to be found. and
the other was pounced upon by boy who
ran away with it, saying that it would
serve for R cradle when he should have chill
dren OF his own. So tho little girl went
along. with her little bare feet that were
red and blue with cold. She carried a num-
Der of matches in an old apron. and she
held bunch of them in her hand. Nobody
had bought anything from her the whole
| livelOng day: nobody had even given her a
| penny.
Shivering with cold and hunger. she crept
along. a perfect picture of miserY-poOr lit
tie thing The snowflake. covered her
flsxen hair, which hung in pretty curls
round her throat but she needed them not
now. Lights were streaming from all the
windows, and there was n savory smell of
| this she did heed.
! She sat down. covering in a corner iOrm-
ed by two houses, ono of which projected
| beyond the other. She had drawn her little
feet under her, bat she felt colder than ever;
get she dared not return home. for she had
not sold match, and could not bring home
a penny. She would certainly be beaten by
her father and it was cold enough at home,
besides, for they had only the roof above
them, and the wind came bowling through
it. though the largest holes had been stop
ped with straw and rags. Her little hands
were nearly frozen with cold. Alas SIN
gle match might do her some good, ii she
might only draw one out of the bundle, and
rGb 1t against the wall. AID warm her
fingers.
s. at last she drew one out An how it
burIs IL gave Out a warm. bright flame.
like a little candle, as she held her hands
Oyer it--trGly 1t was q wonderful little
light Ii really seemed to the little girl rs
II she WIS sitting before largo iron stove.
with polished brass feet, and brass shove.
and longs The fire burned 80 brightly and
warmed so nicely, that the little creature
stretched out her feet 10 warm them like
wise. when 10 ! the flame expired, the stove
vanished, and left nothing but the little
half burned match in her hand.
She rubbed another match against the
wall. 1t gave light, and whore it shCne
upon the wall, the latter became transpa-
rent H. veil and she could see into the
room. A snow white table-ciOlh was spread
upon the table, on which stood Il splendid
china dinner service, while roast goose,
stuffed with apples and prunes, sent forth
p he nd urh
more drlishtful still t. see. tho goose Jump
ed down from the dish, and wa1 He'd along
the ground. with knife and fork IN its
breast, up TO the poor girl. The match then
went ont, and nothing remained but the
thick damp wall.
She lat yet another match. She now sat
under the most magnificent Christmas tree. |
that WAS llrgor. and more superbly deckei |
than even the one she had seen through the |
glass door at the rich merchants. A thou
sand tapers burned on its green branches, |
and gay pictures, such az one sees on shield, |
seemed to be looking down upon her. She |
stretched out her hands. but the match then |
W mt out. The Christmas lights kept rising |
higher and higher They now looked like
stars in the ky. One Of them tell down and
LETT long streak of fire. Somebody is
now dying, thought the little girl-ior her
old grandmother, tho only person who had
ever loved her. said that when a star lell-.
1t Is u sign that soul il going up to
heaven.
She again rubbed match upon tao wall,
and IL was again light all round and in the
brightness stood her old grandmother. clear
and shining like a spirit. Yet looking 10
mild aud loving. GRANDMOTHER, cried
the little one, 'Oh, take me with YOU |
know you will 90 away when the rnntch
goes Out-y0u will vanish ike the warm
stove, and the delicious roast goose. and
the fine. Large Christmas tree - and she
made haste to rub the whole bundle of
matches, Tor she wished to hold her grand
mother fast. Az d the matches gave q light
that was brig hter than MONDAY. Her
had never appeared 50 bsaut-
lul nor 50 large. She took the little girl in
bel arms. aud both llew upwards, and radI-
ant and joyful, far, far above mortal ken,
" here there was mother cold nor hunger nor
care t. be found where there was no rain,
no snow, or stormy wind, but calm. sunny
lay- the whole year around
But IN the cold dawn, the poor glrl
nigh: he seen, leaning against the Wall,
= Ith rcd checks aud smiling mouth she
rad been irug'n on the last day Ut the old
iear. The new vcnr = san shGnc upon the
itIle dead gnl She sat, still holding the
matches, one bundle OF which was burned.
People SAID 'She tried To warm herself "
Nobody dreamed oi.the fine things she had
cen, nor in what splendOr she had entered.
long with her grandmother. upon the j)ys
# the New Year.