Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1884-12-27
A Christmas Message.
Il was Chriatmas eve.

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!. Twas Christmas eve. n
The streets were full Of people all
rushing homeward with packages in
their hands; some were carrying turk.
eys tied, upsin paper parcels. fheirsfierce
feet sticking out like weapons Of. de.
tense. One man had q little rocking.
horse, and another q drum, while a wo.
man.to iled along with q! go-cartS big
enough for, her crippled boy, and two
little girls carried ahigh-chair between
them. They were going to have it at
the breakfastytable in the morning fol-
their beautiful, baby.
One whole family mother, father and
children, were hurrying up. the avenu
with their arms loaded full. They were
all a little anxious.
"Grandpa will be so lonesome" the
children said. A.,
81 expected. to be at home tan hour
sooner, !" the mother said. II know
Christmas eve must be a lonely time
for father. I'm, sure it used to be for
me after poor Sam was gone" +
turkey Tomorrow" chimed in:the
brave boy of six, who was almost lost
in u small forest of celery he was car.
rying.
IAN. plum puddin' an'-an' cram
berry sauce" echoed his little sister.
1--we got grandpa's present." said
Rob, the "big brother" Of nine years.
"He'l be lookin' out'n the window
an rsayin' what -keeps.them schilder so
long" said his little pet, Barbara.
Hell be SO lonely" .sighed his
daughter ;hurryiihgt the group as she
Was grandpa lonely-let us see.
He was an old, old man, with thin,
shrunken cheeks, a back bowed by
care. ndttrouble and with long, float
ing locks of lint-white hair that was ias
fine as silk. He had drawn his arm.
chair in front of the window so that he
could see the '''children''. when they
came across Under the street. lamp,
which was lighted so early that it
shone like a taper in the yellow and
red atmosphere of a setting u. sun,
and a young moon blended with the
fading daylight" The old sman' fixed
bis eyes'ons. the STRUGGLING Elight;a but
they wavered from that and sought
the sky, where
In the dim and distant ether
The first star gas shining through,
i Trembed softly.infhsiblue.
\ Soon he had unseen company and
was no. longer lonely. A sweet,~ypung
face, radient with the bloomsof immor.
tally, and that lightwhich never. was
on sea Of land, eamejclose to his; and
he could lee lthe verythrill Of her,kisses
on his dull cheek. Then she brought
him their first-born, that lovelypbabe-
his first and ~only-son:s~Then tworchil-
dren,were: at HIS knee, and the~iyoung
mother lay with a-sweet smile on her
lips, where the weary are at rest. But
lie only saw his boy-his dear, dear
boy--now a merry youth-then the he'll
met of a soldier shading his frank, blue
eyes-thenoa soldier s. record. PRONE o.
motion-the epaulets of a brave officer,
and so proud to. wear them and have
his father walking with him, and hear
ing how he fought this battle and won
that, and what5he meant to do when.
the wal was over. .
"Apd they he 1 ha ~ unseep company j..
But they knew it not; and the proud
young victor rode away to his death on
that dreadful battlefield from which he
never returned.
The old man saw the troops in the
sky, he saw their gay banners, he saw
his son-the General--proud, hand
some, unspoiled by the admiration of
q world-7he saw-ah, Heaven! he saw
him dying alone on the field of battle,
and it was Christmas eve. No hand to
give him eve q drink of water, to raise
that beloved head, to wipe the death
foam from the pallid lips, only the pitt
less stars and the cold moor to note
bis dying agonics! j..
But stay. HE shall give his angels
charge concerning thee" His peace
nasseth all understanding. Who knows
that he died aloncp Who can deny
that his young mother leaned wei him
and whispered words of sweetest COM
fort-that the pain and memory and
longing of earth were not swallowed w
and forgotten in the foreshadowing o
the bliss of Paradise.
The sky changed; the" old man saw
only tho tinted field of Heaven. =
chime OF bells rung out soft and clear:
Light on thy hills, Jerusalem, -
The Savior now is born"
But what is thisp A little child AGAR
"a child with radiant brow, crowned
with a wreath of immortelles, and above
his head a bright and shining star.
"'Tts the star that shines on Bethlehem,
Shines still and shall not cease"
"Grandpa, grandpa! Wake up.
grandpa" cried the children.
"Dranpa, I've got sumthin' for 'ou,"
said pet Barbara.
Then the children all went crying tc
their mother and said they could not
wake 0randno