Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-12-19


secured h,m at least so much pleasure. But
it was a bard task, and her heart was very
heavy
"Oh Peter, Peterl" shs cried bitterly.
"Hadst thou ever loved me, thy little Unes
bad not been left to receive the bread OF
charity !" Aud Christmas Eve dawned sadly
enough in the little house on the hillside.
Vainly the mother strove to be cheerful.
Tears would find their way down the worn
cheeks, tears that not even baby's oonsterna.
tion could suppress, as the child in her arms,
awe.struck at the sight of mothers sorrow,
struck up her own little cry There was no
help for II this time. Polly's distress was
too keen for concealment The day dragged
on, how drearily and slowly only those who
have lost hope can know. The children
we're too listless and weak to be actively
troublesome, but they moped about and each
in her own way repeated little Hanschen's la
ment over the faitbless Christ Kind. Even
the fact that through the doctors kindness a
hot dinner found its way to the little family
could only cast passing CLEAN Uf brightness
over the hours. The day seemed all too long,
and the dark dreary mistiness Of the rain
was but too fully ECHOED in Polly's heavy
heart. But time wore away ss time will, and
the little ones were put to bed one by one,
and Xmas Eve was almost thing Of the
Paht' L OHgf tho 1881 Cullu hlbHtu hnu RuQu
nights all said, sat alone in her little kitchen.
The fre still smouldered on the hearth she
put out her candle and sat musing sadly
enough on troubles past aud present, when
she was startled by hearing a step upon the
threshold followed by a hasty turn Of the
handle Of the door. She started up, and ran
to open it., wondering who should come at
such an hour on such a night, when cry
that came from the very bottom of her heart
would have startled any but .hose who slept
the deep sleep Of childhood.
Peter! Peter! Z" she cried again and
again, and her husband, throwing down the
bundle he carried, caught her in his arms.
'Peterl my own Peter oh, how l have
wanted you Now all will be well again l
thought you would never come back !"
Peter sail nothing, but his very hold Of
the little wife was eloquent, and when with
one rough hand he wiped the tears from her
cheek, bright drops Of his own kept them
company.
You ne,er wrote" sobbed Polly, "and l
thought thought-oh, Peter"
81 deserved it, whatever you thought, Pol
ly but it WAS not my fault this time alto
gether I've been sick, Polly, sick almost to
death, and
But Polly stsid to hear no more.
Sick, Peter? aud away from us all Oh,
my dear husband, my GEAR husband, I've got
you back alive aud well !"
'Aiive and well, and a new man hope"
said Peter, and he told of the fever that bad
oyertaken him too, and of his stay in the
city hospital, his slow recovery, his determ
instion not to return empty handed, to let
his wife think bim indeed dead, rather than
become heavier burden to her than ever.
And then when luck turned and things
frightened, his longing to surprise her, to
get home in time for Xmas Eve, and not
without some token of remembrance for her
and the chidren-and here it was, in his bun
die "And all my own earnings, Polly, for
l had work in shoe factory, and thought
it would keep me steady, old girl, il l took
my wage in kind instead of money and so
it did. Aud here are the shoes for the little
oues, Polly. ready for Xmas day, for could
not get back as soon as l thought"
Aud now Polly had her tale to tell, sad in.
deed, but how much less sad in the recital
frightened by hope! What matter now IL
Xmas Eve had been lonely aud sad ? The
children's hearts might yet rejoice on the
morrow, and as for her own =
Peters hand was in his pocket. "Only q
lew dollars, wife, but-the stores are not
shut"
mo, the stores are not shut, and the chill
dren may STILL have a Christ Kinds VISIT"
And SO indeed they bad. How often in
after and happier days Polly told the story
How she and Peter went of then and there
aud laid out some of the precious dollars in
pair of warm stockings for each child, how
they could not resist the purchase of tiny
FIR branch, a few bright candles and apples.
How they hurried home with their treasures
and set up the fir bough in an old pot. placed
beneath it the shoes aud warm stockings,
d cked it with the candles, and sat up talking
the whole night, ready before the children
awakened in the dark winters morning, to
light up the tree and rouse them from their
sleep to hear that Christ Kind had come, aud
had-oh, joy of sll joys-brought beside all
else, the father himself.
The chlldren's bewilderment, their intense
delight in the shoes father had made for them
himself, the deep content of his wife at his
return, only strengthened the impression
which absence and illness, sorrow and pain
had made, and years sfterwsrd Peter &C.
kuowledged to his wife that never had he felt
the degradation of his conduct so deeply as
on that happy Xmas morning when his chill
dren's delight at his return bad seemed like
dOubl edged reproach, and when from Pol
ly no kind of blame was heard. only a well
come, (which Indeed, indeed l did not de-
serve and in very truth the NOllekens'
| Christmas day was the dawning of happier
things.