The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-03-16
Nellie's Dream.

One Christmas Eve our little Nell,
Stated with sweets delectable, r.
And longing for n little quiet,
Away from all our madcnp riot, .H
Stole quietly to another room,
For peace within its gathering gloom;
And, with a shawl wrHpt closely round heIi
No maiden's sleep was ever soundcr:
At least / think so; she AYERS
CTake which you like, my word or hers)
She saw and heard In wakeful state,
Inc mnrvelS that / now narratp.
First, looking through the window, she
BY the fast-fading light can sec
some stragglers only, wading slow,
YET cheerfiy, through banks of snow. ?
But-hocus-pocusl-soon the scene
is as by a Fairy Queen.
The street, erewhile so dull. is rife q
with sights and sounds of merry life.
Mis-shape snowballs boys bad made
Are all alive, with light arrayod:
Like turnip-lnnterns urchins make,
To cause the little ones to quake.
And oh the ~aucy FRANKS they play: :
Apoor girl filling with dlsmay
who crouchcs, on our Doorstep sitting,
With all these snow-iInps round her littin2
ihey DcIiit to her with oourtier grace,
And, archiy smiling In her face,
They wink md blink, nni d nee about.
III" n1isiest, merriest, maddest rout.
fon never saw such funny creatures,
Ani MI with the grotesqIest featrres:
Straight frCm their heads, like little pesg-
They have no bodics-come their lcts.
IEis strange icc-pudiing, Luibuus race
49, - FtE hafN AOlh II ttESt.
Wac feel their feet on suddeu fan them.
Nor know what trcuchcruus foes u SAT.
item;
Nor h ar tho clGsh laugh hysterfca'
Outhoast ing from those gublins spherical
Zen icirlei slip from OF tho roof,
AMI from eives-d oplins hold alpof,
DisIOrtiug en- their own nohoOt.
AMI boys and elrls they foliow after,
VT tiny sric'js Of tinklin: laughter;
ANA Join in many 81 Maynard freak
Now making neck WITH moisture rcex,
NOW CIH1lInO On ngf q. a ff,t. ,taT .H.,tr-
VI, greatly daring, taking sips
" nectar STRAIGHT from maidens' lii y.
And strongest music everywhere
Is ~permeating Ill the air:
The owb goblins hum n tune
As deep as that of the bassoon:
While castancts family Played by fcicles
bound like the JinglinS bells OF bicycles.
Blu suddenly the scene takes flight,
More quickly than ie came TO light:
Nell RIBS her eyes with some surprise
As thus the fairy vision dies;
She looks into The quiet strco.-
No maiden now Il on the scnr.
Inc moons mild rays are s,Teeuy slrcpini
"here linps their cantrapj late wcre keep
Ing
And not a sound IS ouder heard
Than hirp II Nellie's little bind,
Or Polly on the hob susurrinV.
Or Pussy on the henrthrug purriu", -
OF now and then the clinkiny flli
Of red-hot cinders-that Is ALL
What was the tAlismnn thar hrnk,
The charm her fancy did yokrY
The c%onjuror was her brother Freddy,
Loud-screaming-"Nellie, tea Is re4dy!'
thoughts of the girl vexed Nc'ie's breast:
Was she u phantom like the rest?
Or some forlorn one, doomed to roam,
such bitter night without u homo?
Nell threw the front door M
There lay the child, half-swathed in snow;
Stretched at full length, inanimIte,
Like some fair corpse hid out in STATE.
Nell lifted, bore her to the hall:
where soon. in answer 10 her cnu
blocked ready hclpmatcs to her side,
Who prompt rcstorntives applied.
One brought hot soup within Il minute,
With Just II dash of brandy I'm IL;
Another for the warm bath rnccI,
IN which the fainting girl WIS pl,ced:
Nor vain our efforts, for again
The lifeblood coursed through every vein
30, what might else have been right trag.
zeal,
Was turned to joy by Loves mlgh t magic
AND having snatched from Death lis prey
Made sweeter still our Christmas y ",
London Illustmt.d News.