The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-02-18
\ CHRISTMAS STORY ALWAYS
RSU ESVU

n CHRISTMAS STORY ALWAYS
FRESH.
1t was terribly cold it showed and was
already almost dark and evening came
on--the last evening of the year. In the
coid and gloom poor little girl, bare
headed and baretooted, was walking
through the streets. When she left her
own house she certainly had had slippers
on, but Of what use were they They
were very big slippers, and her mother
had used them until then, 80 bic were
they. The little maid lost them as she
slipped across the road, where two car
rlag yes were latling by terribly fast. One
slipper was not to be found again. and a
boy had seized the other and run away
with it. He thought he could use it very
we'll as "A cradle some day when he had
children Of his own. So now the LITTLE.
girl went with her little naked feet.
which were quite red and blue with the
cold. In an old apron she carried a mum.
b"r "t matches and "A bundle of them in
her hand. No one hal bought ANYTHING
"i her all day anl no ome had given her
farthin1.
Shivering with cold and hunger she
rfFrl aI"ng, picture Of misery, poor lit
'Ie girl. The >nnwti ,keS covered her lonr.
t'iir hslr winch fell in pretty curl,
over hcr neck, bur she did not think OF
that now. In all the windows lights were
SHINING and there was a glorious smell OF
roast goose, for it was New Years Eve.
Yes, She Thought of that
In a corner, formed bv two houses, one
of which projected beyond the other, She
sat down covering. She had drawn up
her little feet, but she was still colder,
and She did not dare to 90 home, for She
bad sold 40 matches, aud did not bring
a tarthing Of money. From her father
She would certainly receive IA beating,
and besides it was cold : home, for they
had nothing over them but roof, through
which the wind whistled, though the
largest rents had been stopped with straw
and rags.
Her little bands were almost benumbed
with the cold. All. a match might do
her good, it she could only draw one
from the bundle, and rub it against the
wall aud warm her hands al it. She drew
one ont. R-r-atch. how it spattered and
burn'd 1t was warm bright flame,
like little. candle, when she held ner
hands over it; it was a wonderful little
light. 1t really seemed to the little girl
a. II she sat before gr" NJ polished stove,
with bright brass feet and brass cover.
How the fire burned how comic. table
it W ;. but the little flame wet out, the
sto.e vanished and sfe had only the re-
mains Of the burned match III her hand
y second was rubbed "a ainst the wall.
1t burned up, and wnen the light fell
upon the wall it became transparent, like
Il thin vel, a III She could see through it
into the Dom. On the table a snow white
cloth was spread upon i. stood shining
dlnAer service; the roast goose smoked
gloriously, stuffed with apples and dried
plu .iS. And what was still more spI m
did to behold, the goose hopped down
from the dish and waddled along the
floor, with knife and fork in lis breast,
to the little girl. Then the match went
out and only the thick, damp, cold wall
was before her. She lighted another
match THEN she was sitting under a
beautiful Christmas tree; it WAS greater
and more ornamental than the one she
had seen through the glass door at the
rich merchants. Thousands of candles
burned upon the green branches and col
ored pictures like those in the print shops
looked down upon them. The little girl
stretched forth her hand toward them;
then the match went out. The Christ
mas lights mounted higher. She saw
them now as stars in the sky; one of them
tell down, forming d long line of fire.
"Now some one is dying" thought the
little girl, for her old grandmother the
only person who had loved her and who
was now dead, had told her that when
star fell down a soul mounted up to
God
She rubbed another match against the
wall; it became bright again and in the
brightness the old grandmother stood
clear and shining, mild and lovely.
Grandmother :" cried the chlld, "oh
take me with you! | know you will 60
when the match is burned ont You will
vanish like the warm fire, the warm food
and the great, glorious Christmas tree -
And she hastily rubbed the whole bun
die of matches, for she wished to hold her
grandmother fast. And the matches
burned Win sucn glow tnat IL became
brighter than in the middle Of the day;
grandmother had never been so large or
so beautiful. She took the little girl in
her arms and both flew in brightness and
joy above the earth, very, very high;
and mp there was neither cold nor hunger
nor care-they were with God.
But in the corner, leaning against the
wall sat the moor GIRL with red checks
and smiling mouth, frozen to death on
the last evening of the Old Year. The
New Years sun rose upon little corpse.
The child sat there, stiff and cold, with
the matches, of which one bundle was
burned. She wanted to warm herself"
the people said. No one imagined what
a beautiful thing she had seen and in
what glory she had gone in with her
grandmother to the New Years Day
Hans Christian Andersen.