The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25

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Which shames the zeal of enmity
And gives the world smiling face.
Yes, from whatever lips they come
We gratefully respond always,
But sometimes hidden springs of joy
Are opened by the welcome phrase.
IT'S when, in hearing it, we know
That old associations hold,
That time and distance have not served
To make new friends replace the old.
A Country Christmas in England
The bright moonlight sleeps on the LONG
range OF hills and the stars glitter in the
clear atmosphere; the window is open, and
as the curtain sways softly in the air that
has nothing OF winter in it, we hear, long
way off, curious sounds of music, that ap-
pear mystic and beautiful in the middle OF
the night. Presently they come nearer. We
can hear that STARRY night, Silly and
bright" is the carol, and we recognise our
pet tenor, and Mary Smiths soprano, and
1 we know exactly where the notes will be too
| high for them, and where they will go off in
a shrill squeak: and as we lie awaiting the
hasco, that no amount of patient teaching
could make them avoid, we feel horribly
| guilty, for to our tuition is due the fact that
they are singing at all. And under our
window. to do us honor, extra voice is put
into the carol; and we feel inclined to shrek
wildly and grovel abjectly under the bed
clothes, when we suddenly realise the dan
ger is over, and the carol ended VIGOROUSLY.
There is pause-a clearing of throats: a
handful of gravel alights on our dressing
table, and "Wish you Merry Christmas.
SIR is shouted: then we hear footsteps
branching away on the gravel; the avenue
gate swings for good ten minutes. aggra-
waiting us immensely; and presently, next
door, uprises "Stilly night once more, and
once more do we await in agony that espec-
| ial high note. So it goes OH all through the
| town. We recognise the scroop of the Rec
| tory gate, that always moves surlilv on its
| hinges. We know exactly when the Doctors
house is reached, for they are not allowed to
reach the second line there, owing to that
hard worked functonary rising in wrath
| and promising them any amount of physic
when called in, as he inevitably will be, to
attend them for bronchitis caught in their
present occupation, if they don't 90 away:
and by the time we know they are safely
shouting their worst at that particular por-
ton of the town where dwells our arch-ene-
my, we almost exult in the harsh note that
by now must be inevitable, and, exulting.
fall asleep, to be awakened once more by
the sound of the bells ringing in Christmas
morning.
1t is now quite dark. The atmosphere
seems tremulOus with cbimes; our own par
ticular peal leading the way, followed across
the hills by another chime and then anotb-
er comes swaying along from yet farther
church standing grand and solitary, gazing
down on the wonderful, unchanging sea ;
then monotonous trio from tiny edifice
in the cleared, stripped wood speaks out
ding-dong bell, d,ng-dong bell; the chapel
of-ease joins it too; and as we gaze across
the darkness, where a low red line in the
east speaks OF The coming da .n, it is easy to
imagine the spirits of Christmas singing ioy-
fully as they float hither and thither on the
chimes, that literally appear to fill the clear.
keen air. The red dawn spreads; splitting
up here great grey bank of clouds, there
soft white line of mist; the sparrows twitter
nneasily; two or three starings emerge
from the chlmneys in the empty cottage OPP
posite; ard down in the garden jolly little
robin is pouring out his jovial little soul in
honor of the day.
LII is green I ule; there is nothing Christ
MASSEY about it, save delicate powder Of
frost that quickly creeps away before the
spreading sun. We find a couple of prim-
roses in the rockerY, and should not be sur
prised to discover snowdrop; but we do
not. and have to content ourselves with a
dozen yioleis and meagre punches of lauris-
tinus not yet out in blossom, and have to
seek IN an apology for a conservatory for
anything brighter-though we cast greedy
eye at our Christmas roses, that. protected
from dirt and wet by hand-light, turn their
beautiful pale face up to ours, looking like
very perfect animated Christmas-card. By
this time the real Christmas-cards have ar
rived; tor we are superior in our country
town to the usual delays, and have our por-
ton delivered TO us at our breakfast-table:
and we are good hour before all those be-
longing to the household are severally adj
mired or criticised. OF course heaps of peo-
pie have sent us cards that are now doubt
less heaping opprobrium on our devoted
heads because we have forgotten them; and
heaps of other people who ought to have
sent them, and who are just now revellng
III ours, are, we hope, conscjence-stricken,
and resolving to make up to us at New
Year what they should have remembered at
Christmas
Then comes the walk to church. made
bearable to the children by the thought of
the decorations, which are always an i'm
mense fund of joy to them-bel ries. unex-
pected string, scissors, and knives being of
ten found in our pew, forgotten in the heat
and scurry OF putting last touches to the ia
brio: and a delightful amount of excitement
being caused by the wonder whether
wreaths will catch fire, or sprigs fall on the
bald heads OF the patriarchs and the fiue
bonnets OF the ladies as they sit through the
service. The pews are very full indeed on
Christmas Day. All the boys and girls are
home from school: strange pale London
faces are visible in the squire's, the rectory,
and sundry other pews, everyone is anxious
to see if other folks children have done bet.
ter or grown more while they have been
away than their own have and most of the
afternoon is taken up with incoming down
the lane towards the harbor discussing these
and other topics of vital interest with
friends, all of whom politely urge the supe-
rority of your children, and are deeply Of
Tended If you placidy accept what you con-
slider bare statement of facts, without in
sisting, in your turn, on their Tommy's SUI
perior stature, or their JAMES extra number
of accomplishments.
1t is an unwritten law in the country that
no stranger is asked to dinner: each family
keeps distinct. Anyone hardy enough to
leave the roOf-tree for an alien shelter
would be considered dangerous Atheist,
or, at least, guilty of attempting to under
mine that sacred insttution-an English
mans nome; for Christmas IS only Christ
mas if all these observances are duly
kept.
Into the somewhat dreary blank of the
evening the mummers break, and are re-
ceived with rapture that must somewhat
astonish them We rush en- mdsse into the
front kitchen, seriously embarrassing the
domestics all arrayed round the fire enter
tanning friends who are allowed to leave
their homes, and, sitting on flour bins, tab
les, or any thing we can obtain, await the
entrance of the troupe. They are preceded
by an ancient person, who strikes awe into