The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-12-31

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their brain refuses to respond at call that
their nerves are all 'unstrung-F Fire Jour
nal. ssA aAs7 s IT,
MARv's sIDNEa.Y CaaRasTMAg.
Mary Anderson, in little sketch pub
lished III the Cleveland HHAdeutsr. tells
of lonely Christmas in her life, SAYING !:
With my company | was travelling
through the interior with special car, in
which we slept and din-d and lived, a lit
tie colony. The morning of Dec "a found
us speeding through country smothered
deep with snow, and more coming. Dur-
ing the day We rolled into thriving city,
where our car was detached and run on to
side track. The wheels, muffled with
snow that had fallen miles away, came to
a >tandstill in the midst Of lumber ward.
All about us was snow, snow,
snow. The lumber piles were mounds
Of pure white, except where,
on sheltered side, the brown
| edges of the boards grinned through
the dowuy stuff, like lath in a break Of
| plaster on a wall. There was" no earth be-
low only the buried timber heaps and Us.
At The end Of journey you have felt
that coming down from the excitement of
railway travel, the commonplace "platter
and knife sort Of feeling that comes with
the last roll of the wheels 1t means that
the great engine has brought you safely
through; now do something for Yourself
while he rests. There is to me something
dismal in this, and l felt it more than
ever on this day. Everything was so still
We were alone, with no soul or sound
about Us, and at this distance of time I
may own that l felt homesick on the
verge OF Christmas. In the afternoon
each of the company received his or her
presents; but when this little pleasure
was done began to realize that nv own
accustomed membranes were not
forthcoming. The short afternoon dead
ened to twilight, while for moment the
sun found rift in the clouds and-well.
while | sat looking through the window
L thought of those lines in Whittier's,
some place in Snow Bound" where:
The sun, snow blown traveller sank
From sight beneath the smotherng bank
began to realize that l was about to
spend the first Christmas eve in my life
without the gifts that children look for
that night. Somehow the jollity of the
company at the dining-room end of the
car, which had been lighted, did not in
spire me. L guess there came thoughts of
other holiday seasons. Indeed, Pm pref
ty sure of that And then saw through
the dusk, in the shadowy snow banks, jol-
ly gatherings Of friends in other states q
good many miles away. And so thought
and thought, as l started out at the Inm-
Der heaps t'at were getting TO be but dim
outlines on the rapidly deepening twilight.
l don't think heard the laughter Of the
others, and [ was more alone than ever I
was, as child, in the empty house. The
solitude exceeded that Of the chamber
where | did solitary penance for my
youthful impudence or disobedience, and
those childish days seemed then as but
mist to the rain. was isolated, though at
tended; by myself, though surrounded
alone, yet with friends.
At length the sDowdrifts were lost In the
night, and, Withdrawing my gaze, / saw
my own face reflected OH the window.
behind which the darkness thus rendered
it mirror. was startled by shout
from the party at the end of the car. and
a call to join them. told the face on
the window pane that it did not look very
cheerful or much inclined to the effort of
facing the lights or attempting to interest
an audience that night.
Then | went forward and joined the
Others. As did so, some one began to
make speech, and they presented me q
horseshoe, set with diamond nail heads.
and expressions of regard. Nothing of
similar Importance ever did me 50 much
good. Spirits went up at bound, and
that night we felt too good almost to play
in earnest.
The next morning the express train
rolled in, and, after little wagon drove
alongside our car, and my Christmas was
unloaded in boxes and packages, large
and small. That wagon brought me
friends that / had pictured in the snow
bank that Christmas eve. Alone no lon
ger-that was a holiday, indeed! The
tables were set in the body Of the car.
and each lady taking four gentlemen to
wait upon, we served them to the sum-
mon of Peggy, Bridget and Mary Ann.
Then the order was reversed, and they
danced sharp attendance to the wants of
the ladies who demanded full return Of
courtesy. Newspaper men came up to
our lumber yard to look after us, but we
would have none Of it-that day. We
were showed in our castle, far enough
from every body, SO that we might, sing
and laugh and scream, If it suited, 10 the
hearts content Of company, as happy as
any that ever saw Christmas day.
started out to convey the impression
that, when most surrounded, persona may
at times experience the most utter loneli-
ness. If this has been done, ;hen my end
has been attained, and l ave but to add
as personal opinion that John S,eriingA
s'-black min wheel With Rrass o,sr s.uwn
That heard no water Tickle BY"
may stand as . picture of loneliness but
Byron knew what lhave meant toexpress
when he affirmed that
| .Midst thr crowd IL Inn. ths shoek q msm
To hear, to zee, to3eel and 70 possess
Win noue Nhe b1eoa - nomeuho0 10 ean 49,.
This u 70 b sloAe this. this II solltnda."
------npsss-ep------- tas
| -Seeue-s sub-editoras room. Sub
editor has evidsntly heen1 dining. Small
boy from. irate proprietor HI. Mao-
Finnegan wants 10 see you Immediately.
sir.n
Sub Tell'm I'm out
Small Boy 1 told him that; en- and
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