The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-12-21
A MERRY CHRISTMAS.

"Only three days, now, to Christmas"
said Mary Pruyn, joyfully; 'to Merry
Christmas. Ah it seems as if l could
scarcely watt
The ''click-click" of the machines was
keeping up noise like the descent of IA
gigantic haistorm along the narrow aisles
Of the factory. the steamboats, that sup
piled the motive power were Whirling
swiftly, and the operatives, ranged in a
row, sat guiding the long strips of cloth
under the glittering needles.
Outside, the December sky was already
darkening for the storm clouded sunset,
and the pines and ccdars that fringcd the
mountain-sidc were tossing their arms
wildly in the wind.
Ruth IIarper's machine was next to
that Of Mary Pruyn. She glanced up at
the words
merry Christmas is it, then, so merry
to you" she repeated, with a slight smile
"Oh, | forgot; you have home.n
up in Vermont" nodded Mary. GAN
our people are coming back to the old
homestead to spend Christmas We are
to have a tree, just as if we were little
children, and grandpa is to hang 4 pres
ent for each one on its branches And
were to have straw ride over the hills,
and dance Oh it will be such fun
But. Ruth. why don't you 90 home for
Christmas;' she questioned, eagerly.
i have no home," said Ruth, shrug-
ging her shoulders, except at Mrs. Lif
ferts'.'
- Christmas at a boarding house :"
said Mary, with arched eyebrows. "Oh,
that wouldn't be pleasant at all"
just then the foreman came striding
past.
"We're going to turn off steam, di-
rectly." said he. at don't fairly pay to
light up the place at night. and our hands
like to get home afore dark"
W hich was natural enough, for Ben
field mountain was a wild and desolate
place in these chill winter twilights, and
some of the girls lived several miles
away, and presently the sixty or seventy
hands were dispensing in all directions,
some laughing and pelting each other
with snew-balls; some striving against
the keen northwest wind; some clus-
tered in little knots-others all alone.
Among these last was Ruth Harper,
and as she descended the steep noun
tain path, where the cranberry swamp
below, cruSted over with thin rim of
ice, reflected the red tints of the stormy
sunset, and the monster pines rustled
mysieriously in the wind She repeated to
herself
Merry Christmas. 1t is merry to
every one but me. Why should | be
shut out from the general rejoicing of the
world! And / will not be- I'll make a
Merry Christmas for myself I'll go to
old Mrs. Cappers, the loneliest and most
iorsaken creature, except myself, that |
know of, and we'll spend our Christmas
together. Perhaps some human kindness
and comranionship may cheer her up a
little am quite sure it will do me
good, and keep me from fossilizing into
mere lump Of sclfshncss."
Ruth Harper went home and counted
up her slender stock of monev-not very
much, We may be sure and in her own
mind she apportioned it to various kindly
uses.
She had been alone all her life, this
dark eyed, Spanish complcXioned fac
tory gin. Her earliest associai ions had
been the high, bleak walls and blue
checked uniform of an orphan asylum.
From the very beginning, life had
been Struggle with her There was
one time-when she kept the district
school at the foot of the mountain, be
fore the factory wheels had begun to
buzz, and the spirit of commercial enter
prise had entered INFO their lonesome
glens-when she had fancied that John
Capped, the handsome, restless grandson
Of this very fnendless old dame with
whom she proposed to spend her solitary
Christmas, cared little for her. And
then life seemed to assume Il more roseate
hue, and all the world was different, for
awhile.