The Red Cloud chief., 1882-01-12
CHRISTMAS SLEIGH.BELLS,
Iu Three Jiu.Ies.
JINGLE FIRST.

II was n of the few DAYS of perfect
slcighlng which could he expected dur
ing h whole winter, and it wa the
day before Christmas. How the sleigh
bells kept carnival in the streets, How
. mad the echoes wcrci How, from
! morn ne til noon, from noon to night.
the clashing melody floated on the air,
then. a you listened, died away like
the trailing OF of u white smokc-wrcath
in the distance. only e grow and grow
again, with the same nearing, nearing,
the same rcccding, ~reccding.
"Sn"wlakc, YOU re too still for -
s~lcigh-ridc. Gou leave Kathleen and
me Ia do all the talking. How can any
body he qu-cL when the bells
jirglc like this? LiStcnr'
The school-bov brother gave a whistle
and a touch which the spirited horse I'M
der>t"od perfectly. With an answering
toss of his head he sprang of al a pace
which shook ont Of the string of sleigh
bells every particle of music they had
in them.
There, now" merry Dick went on.
81 know you'll answer for Yourself
after that" But he bent toward the
tale. pure face with a gentle motion,
and drew closer up the white wolf-skin
around her. Few indeed hut softcncd
thcir voices in speaking TO her, for
Snow lake was blind.
II forgot TO talk, Dick. | believe"
she answered in her low voice, Il vas
really dreaming, i'll spite of the sleigh
bells"
.'Drcamingi Out here in this wide
awake day? Dreaming about what?"
wondered Dick.
"A dream of sleigh bells" said the
blind Girl, slowly.
And Kathleen At her side answered
with a Hash of her great dark eyes:
"Oh, | could dream about the sleigh
bells myself. Don'tthey sound gay and
victorious and successful?: Nobody's
bells are like our bells, the silver bells
that grandpa bought because they
pleased YOUR ear, Snowflake, that Christ
mas when YOU were 4 little girl"
All, grandpa spoiled me-" said
Snowiiakc. smiling. and | was too young
To know how unreasonable | was TO ask
such a Christmas gift. But love this
string of slcigh-bells just as much rs |
did then"
And have them hung the year round
III our ON II iotIll. iilllSiitu Nstlllitti-
"IcS, l know, and no wonder they say
pleasant things To you. Even /. when
they shook and jingled So. thought TO
myself of professions and c~onquerorS
and good fortune and grand suitors
coming home from the a TO claim
their lady-lovcs."
All. and what did Snowflake dream.
! ~wonder?" queried Dick, ~curiously.
curbin@ his horse SO that the bells rang
more softly.
IL was listening to all the bells" re-
piled the blind girl. "Iiark, Dick.
bark. Kathleen! DO you notice how
they cross each other, how they mingle,
how they blend or else disagree?
Sometimes the melody is smooth and
sweet; sometimes il is jangling and
harsh. | fancied-l know it is only a
~fancv-that | could hear our future
lives coming up through those sounds,
irving Il express themselves through
them. There are some merry bells.
like laughter; and again talking bells,
like pleasures; and others that sound
soft and kind like friends voices. But.
then, some make painful discords. and
/ heard-Ohi there il il AGAIN. the
blind girl shivcrcd, lido YOU hear them.
too? How strangely heavy and hoarsc
and slow those bells ring. and what a
creaking, funercal tone they have. New
e. mind: underneath them all | hear our
OWN sweet, steady bells. so dear To my
ear, so true and clear. like one deep,
perfect, sure JOY. underneath the n
fused, conflicting, changing over-cur-
rent always"
We'll done. dreamer laughed Dick.
alhe;t n tribe huskily, whoever would
think of all that but you"
And Kathleen. radiant, willful kath-
lcen, with her bright cheeks, her shin
inc ewes. her half-defant ways, pressed
revcrcntly the blind girls hand. She
was not over-tolerant of other people or
their fancies. and sentiment she de-
clared she despised. But she never
held lightly any word that Snowflake
said; Snowflake was the one ~unearthly
thing that among SAINTS. angels. myths
and roddesses she believed in, h said.
81 p these thoughts she has
come to comfort her in the dark" she
thought.
Dick ratified on. He had a boys hor-
ror of an overdose of sober talk. Per
haps at some ages, indeed, 1t would
prove fatal.
IN swear by the sleigh-bells.
Snowflake, that when I've made my
fortune out in India with Uncle Lane,
the sleigh-bells themselves shall an
nounce it to you. You shall hear them
come jingling madly down the street
and up the avenue to the door where
you have been faithfully waiting for me
like my true little lady-love, as you are.
Then, having thus prepared you, | will