The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-12-24
THE RED LIGHT.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
1t was Christmas Eve.

1t was Christmas Eve.
Not one of the ideal Christmas Ewes
of poets and romance writers, wherein
the moon is always at the full, the
snow always a-sparkle like pulverized
diamonds, and the air always still and
cold and clear, but stormy twilight,
with the snow driving steadily from
the east, the wind raw and biting, and
the sky-what you could see Of it
Mack as ink.
But it was Christmas Eve, all the
same, and Bertha Hoopsr's cheeks
were as red as the bitter-sweet berries
in the woods as she sat, all wrapped
up, in the train that was steaming
northward, On her way to spend
Christmas with her Aunt Almira
Higgins.
Christmas in the country! To Ber-
tina, who had lived all her life in the
brick walls and stone pavements of a
city, the very words seemed to convey
somewhat of cheer and joyousness.
And Bertha, as she sat with her eyes
closed and her little gloved hands
safely nestled into q gray squirrel
muff, beheld in her minds eyes great
fires of logs roaring up wide-throated
cLimneys, walls festooned with henl-
lock boughs and black green tufts of
mistietoe; and she had half composed
a poem ON Christmas and its cherished
associations when the ruthless conduc-
'or came along for her ticket.
"How far are we from Montcourt
station?' she inquired, as she gave up
'he bit of pasteboard.
Next but one, Miss" said the man,
as he hurried on, with his lantern
1nder his arm. Half an hour yet"
She had never been so far from
New, York in all her life before. The
driving rain in which she had left her
home had changed as they progressed
northward into the steady fall of snow,
which fiuttered around them like a
white waving shroud. But Bertha
Hooper cared little for this. Had not
Aunt Almira promised to send Zebe-
dee, her youngest son, to the station
with the pony to meet her on the
arrival of the six-forty train from
New York? And was not Zebedee
to have lantern with a red glass
door to it, SO she ouldlidentify him at
once?
She was very pretty, as she sat in
little black velvet toque, with its curl
ing plume of cardinal red and the
wine-red ribbon bow at her throat
pretty with the bloom and freshness
Of eighteen. She was dark, with large
hazel eyes, almond-shaped and long
lashed, clear, rosy bloom on either
cheek, and wavy dark hair hanging
in silken fringe over her broad, low
forehead.
'.Mont - Court - station p bawled
the breakman, putting in snow.
powdered fur cap, and withdrawing il
again as quickly as if he had been {
magnilied edition Of the Jack-in-the
box, which children much rejoice at ir
holiday time. And Bertha Hooper
knew that she had reached her destin
alton.
Stiff and cramped from the length
of time in which she had been sitting
in one position, she rose up, with ;
little steel-clasped travelling bag in ont
hand and dainty silk umbrella in tn,
other. and made her way to the door.
All she could see when she stepped
out upon the wet and slippery plat
form was blur of driving snow
through which the lights of the soil
tary little country depot CLEANED cit
fully; but the next instant something
flashed athwart her vision like
friendly red eye-and beneath the re
flector over the station door she saw
tall fine-looking young man, in a fur
trimmed overcoat, scal-skin cap Sc
jauntily on one side of a crop of ches.
nut curls, and red-lighted lanterl
swinging from his left hand, as h
stood straining his eyes in the storm
darkness. as if to catch sight Of som
familiar, face in the little crowd.
"Cousin Zebedee l" cried Bertha
aloud. and she made one spring int
the arms of this blonde-whiskere
young giant. For had not she an
zebedee played dominoes and fox-and