The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-12-15
THE RED LIGHT.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
It was Christmas Eve.

1t was Christmas Eve.
Not one of the ideal Christmas Ewes
of poets and romance writer's, wherein
the moon is always at the full, the
o always a-sparkle like pulverized
diamonds, and the air always still and
cold and clear, but a stormy twilight,
with the snow driving steadily from
the east, the wind raw and biting, and
the sky-what you could see of it
black 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 az 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 countryl 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 a gray squirrel
muf, beheld in her minds eyes great
dlres of logs roaring up wide-throated
'chimneys, walls festooned with hem
lock boughs and black green tufts of
mistletoe; and she had half composed
a poem ON Christmas and it's cherished
associations when the ruthless conduc-
tor came along for her ticket.
Show far are we from Montcourt
station p she inquired, as she gave up
the bit of p%asteboard.
"Ncxt but one, Miss" said the man,
as he hurried on, with his lantern
under his arm. "Half an hour vet"
She had never been so far from
New York n 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 futtered around them like a
white waving shroud. But Bertha
Hooper cared little for this. Had not
Aunt Aimira promised to send Zebe-
dee. her youngest son, to the station
with Ii pony to meet her on the
arrival of the six-forty train from
New York !. And was not Zebedee
to have a lantern with a red glass
door to it, so she could identity him at
once?
She was very pretty as she sat in
little black velvet toque, with it's 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
lasned, a clear. rosy bloom ON either
cheek. and wavy dark hair hanging
IN silken fringe over her broad, low
forehead.
"Mont Court station - bawled
the breakman. putting in a snow
powdered fur cap, and withdrawinpi it
4uAShAy nS IL ITO Hau De0Q q
magniiied edition of the Jack-in- the
! box, which children much rejoice at in
holiday time. And Bertha Hooper
knew that she had reached her destin-
alton. zl f41 sl,-
Stiff and cramped from the length
OF time in which she had been sitting
an one position, she rose up, with a
little s~teel-clasped travelling bag in one
hand n a dainty silk umbrella in the
other, and made her way to the door.
Il All she could see when she stepped
-ont upon the wet and slippery plat
form was q blur Of driving INC
through which the lights of the solt-
tary little country depot CLEANED 1T
fully; but the next instant something
flashed ath wart her vision like a
friendly red eye-and beneath the re-
ahec or over the station door she saw q
tail a~ne-looking young man, in a fur
trimmed oyercoat. q seal-skin caps set
jaunttly on 0ne side of u crop Of chest,
nut clrls, and q red-lighted lantern
swinging from his left hand, as he