Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-12-25

was only charnel-house and the people
had been expanding their sympathy upon
creatures who had been for hours beyond /
it. Among. the, crowd waiting on the
shore Rese Bell had stood close y Yelled.
There had been tears and screams for wait
ing wives aud mothers, but she turned
quietly away, as one in dream, and.
walking blindly, made her way home.
She rang the bell, said nothing to the SER
want who opsned the door, but passed
quickly to her own room, uttering no cry
shedding no tears and threw herself into
a chair before the fire. Mrs Bell so found
her when she camein few moments
her daughter. Uncsnsciousness is bless
ing oftentimes and so it proved now.
With the return of consciousness came |
memory. 80 mamma, the schooner was |
the Merry Bell, and all aboard dead, fro. |
zenl He was to come home on i'll o, |
what shall 1 do?" The blessed tears came |
now and caused the shrewd doctor to nod |
"Shell be alls right now" and quietly
made his exit. When in his buggy he
coLfded to it or his horse, 'tHumphl A
lover at the bottem of this; young Gull
bertsou, too, suppose; he is part owner of
the schooner Good fellow; sorry if he is
gone; miserable way Of dying, too; and
that pretty gil Well, W III Get ur.
tU6TSs DOlly' WudS arc JOo hbOkA- 1uou
thre god doc or logged o. to another
patient and forgot all about it.
That morning, soon after breakfast, lit
tie Jack Bell, an ubiquitous youngster
that would some day make his fortune as
reporter for Chicago daily, ran in briskly
skates in hand, nose and cheeks red with
cold aHdabRolutely bullying with news:
! Say, Sis. schooner out there stuck on
ice; men sticking to the masts, Folks say
its the Merry Ben and. by George, Sis,
shouldn't wonder if Mr.. Culbertson was
one of EN-, Hope be amt though, for he
promised me new sled ifl would say
nothing about the dsy caught him kiss
ing you"
Ali day she moaned and grieved and
would not be com forted. for handsome
| Fred Culbertson was her promised hus-
band, and she hal given all her heart into
his keeping When he babe her goodbye
a few weeks before be had called back at
the last, "I'll be home for Christmas ~
He was part owner of THE Merry Bell"
and had intended coming back on this her
last trip for the season.
"Where is it, Jack; quick, tell me?7
! said Rose in q voice of trembling anxiety.
"Out there; from behind Dick Matt
| lands house you can see her."
Then she had slipped away to see the
| SCuCOUcE anu uodA llOL1
there was for her fears.
The cold continued to increase. The
sky wore a dull, leaden look-nature itself
seemed dead. Rose lay lookiog out, and
thought of other hearts saddened as hers
wac; other homes where the light had
gone out ard made them dreary and
dark.
Mrs. Bell remained during the night
with her daughter, petting, soothiog and
comforting, ard as the sleepiess hours
wore away, mother and daughter grew
nearer together than they had ever been
before Mss. Bell talked of the early days
of Der married life then of the day when
her husband had left her bright and we'll
in the morning, and at evening had been
brought to her still and dead. Rose real.
lied as she had never done before what
her mother had suffered. Poor mamma,
| how sad and lonely you have been," she
murmured as she dropped into tired
sleep.
The next day was Thur day. the day be-
fore Christmas. hose opened her eyes TO
find the maid setting her breakfast on a
Look, look, Miss Rose, see on the
window. Sure its the cars intirely! Sure
its the witches, it is, and Miss Rose, dear.
SURE its good luck it'll bring. Mr.. Cal
bertson I'll come yet. or we'll know tl''
Frightened by the girls words and
. forgetting to be offended at the freely ex'
pressed opinion. Rose jumped up to see ths
a veritable train, locomotive and all. How
strangel'
Il don't know what kind that is. Miss
Rose, but its cars, it is"
"Get my wrapper, Ann. and bring my
} breakfast to the f e, I'll get up" said
Rose, cheered she scarcely knew why:
"Will your ma have the tree. Miss Rose
/ | To- bo 10 tha:r haa6a ahOuf If ~
: Il forgot It," answered Rose, her face
clouding. ASK mamma to come up as
soon as she is through her breakfast"
Its been over this hour! Eli go tell
her. and L shall bring up some more cof
!; fee?"
"No, just tell mammal"
J "And here she is herself" answered
Ann, as she opened the door, and Mrs.
Bell came in.
up, Rose"
~ es, and oh. mamma, look at the win,
dow, Ann says it is good LUCK
Il hope it is, l am sure. It is certainly
strange freak of Jack Frost. l have q
telegram from Mr.. Culbertson, Rose. He
got off at Milwaukee, and is well and
safe"
/ Then hearty cry came to wash away
the last remnants of pent-up sorrow and
| Rose was soon bright and happy and busy
3 talking of the evening and the promised
tree. so surrounded by love and happi
t ness that she forgot the homes which death
, had darkened, or where grim want stared
at the empty hearth, where Christmas was
the saddest day of all the year; forgo
= everything but happiness.
{ Christmas eve great party OF children
3 and older people almost as bright as the
> children were gathered in Mrs. Bell!
front parlor. Presently the gas was low
, cred and the sliding doors drawn
{ back, displaying scene of fairy>like
!, beauty. At the farther end of the room
was a tree lit with tapers and laden witt
9 things of beauty, and in the background
1 of greens and flowers were scattered, The
/ things too large for tho tree, among then
|. Jack sled. How the children screamed
: when old Santa with snowy beard anC
? hair crept from out the green plants abou
Q the chimney, muttering in a low voice
i From Germany I come; as l walk l jim
!. GLE jingle, and the boys call me old Kri
q KrDgle' Pretty notices or messages Q
love were with all the gifts that old Kri
Il scattered among the happy group.
Y A brooch, with It's diamonds shining Ink
d Rose Bells eyes, was one of the many gift
d the gods showered on the tiny maid.
r Later on, when the tree was stripped o
t its gifts the youngest scion of the house
q little Tom Bell. whispered in sepulehrs
It tones to his mother:
y 'tI say, mar, Santa Claus is in there an
q he's got bis arm around sister Rose, and b
d kissed her. Will he take her up to
g chimney with him?"
d 81 reckon not" laughed Mrs, Bel
'come into the other room and show m
s. your toys"