Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-05
ROSE BELLS CHRISTMAS.

~ luLII1uS, IIdlH6u III bA1o 1oa1 le1Oo VI q
girl. who stood tapping drearily on the
window-pane and looking at the storm
and the people hurrying by outside.
Her face was clouded and her gray
eyes had grown a shade darker with
trouble.
There was snow everywhere-under
foot, overhead and all around, hurrying
and scurrying into peoples faces and
lodging in the folds of every garment.
The traditional old woman must have
been plucking an extra quantity Of
geese-for the feathery flakes were fly
ing hither and thither, hiding all the
ugliness of the street under their dainty
coverings; making beds of down of the
freshly-raked piles of dirt still on the
street; spreading a snowy sheet over
sidewalk and giving ermine-like edges
to door-frames and acknowledges; pat
tering softly against the glass in the
prettiest and most provoking way to
to the girl looking through them. 1t
was sudden storm, stealing swiftly at
the heels of Indian-summer-likew weather
that had made every one quote the old
saw: "a green Christmas makes full
graveyard" and no one was ready for
it. With thoughts miles away, the girl
stood looking sadly and dreamily on,
noting everything, from the old woman
bending under a load of wood on her
back, which she had literally fished out
of the lake, and which caused the girl,
enshrined amid comfort and plenty,
to shiver and whisper, "God pity the
poor this wretched night" The
poor old creature with the burden
on her weary back, and a bur-
den in heart that would never in
this life grow brighter, passed out of
sight. A portly, warmly-clad business
man briskly followed, wrapped in fur
coat and gloves, his heart, perchance,
colder than the shivering form of the
tiny blue-veined child that jostled his
footsteps as it was hurrying through
the binding snow, vainly drawing the
threadbare shawl closer. Weary-eyed
working women, tired business men,
sleek-looking young America, and
naughty danes, hurried along in the
gathering dusk; millmen whipped their
horses, glad that the days work was
over, and snow-covered police left the
city to take care of itself and sought
the warmth of a bar-room fire. Night
closed in, the lamp-lighter was running
about with his ladder and presently the
lights began to CLEAN like stars in the
darkness. It was growing colder, but
still Rose Bell stood peeping out on the
night. Presently couple under an
umbrella sauntered slowly along, and
as they passed in the light of the lamp
she saw the tall form of the man with
beard so full Of snow that he looked q
veritable Santa Claus bend toward the
girl leaning on his arm, and though the
girls face was merry, and her answer a
laughing one, Rose knew that they
were lovers, scarce conscious of the
snow or the cold, or of anything but
that they were together, hidden as it
were by the storm, and all the nearer
for it. The sight made Rose draw the
curtains and sigh as she turned away.
shivering, to the fire, throwing herself
down on the rug Ond burying her face
in her arms.
Out on the lake the storm was fiercer
than on the land, and a cold, cutting
wind was blowing. The cold waters of
the lake heaved dark and merciless, as
disabled schooner drifted helplessly
about, every now md then the floating
ice grating as inst her hull and making
she tainting hearts of her crew quake
WITH fear. Every hour the cold became
more intense, and the ice was getting
closer and thicker near the shore. The
crew were freezing almost in sight Cd
home What dreams of warm fire.
sides, of loving, faithful hearts waiting
their coming, must have filed the
houE of the dreary night-watch. What
night it was to cling to rigging Is the
schooner became wedged and half sank
be&xeen the ice the stilled voices viii
never tell.
The next morning the snow had
csaesd to fall, and the helpless schooner,
with its crew still clinging to the rig
ging, could be seen from land AZ
soon rs possible sturdy tug was gos
under way and went putting fercsly,
but slowly cutting its way through the
ice. Intense as was the cold, crowd
socu gathered on the shore, watching