Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-12-29

emotion which la, caused his weak eyes to
shed tear Of joy, father and mother
proudly survey the treasures OF their hearts
and home as they approach the hallowed
tree not hastily, not impaticntly, but do
uGrely aid decorously- hlnting III q lows
sweet whisper the message Of joy ''Glory
10 God in the highest, and on earth peace;
goodwill toward mon" Grandfather.
whispers a solemn Amen" and then rises
to real q prayer from the old and WE'LL
wcrn family prayer book, while the othefst
with folded hands, surround the tree and
listen with wrlpt attention to the words of
thaYkfuine5s anl supplication uttered by
the noble old man Thea the children re-
ecive rifts brought by 'Christkinichen, ~
tokens of love whose pitiful intrinsic value
would cause a wording to smile, but which
are dea-er to those remembered than tho
most gaudy and expensive ba1bles can be
to those "hlgh 'y-civilised" unfortunates
who know not the value of love.
While this touching distribution is taking
Place in the cottage, q sweet chant is heard
on the street, and in few moments dozen
voices, lowly singing ''Glory to God in the
Highest" seek and gain admission. The
spokesman of the twelve young men and
women repeats the story of the 'Christ-
kinds" (Christ-childs birth, and asks in
simple verse for gift FOR the poor and sick
and needy for whose sake the Son of God
was born in a lowly manger, suffered and
was crueified; and while the sturdy youths,
clothed in leather knee-breeches and shc:
jackets with huge brass or silver buttonss
a, Il the pretty young women, waose pictur~'
esque attire adds to natUral charms sing
another appropriate song the PEASANTS
wife Ills i basket with fruit and cake and
u jug with apple cider, thus practically roI
spending 20 the melo1ious petition of her
visitors, who leave the house chanting ones
more the joyful message ION earth peace.".
From house TO house they wander, filing
heavy cart with the contributions Of tho
cheerful and charitable, ever repeating
their songs and their stories and their
legends, until every one able to do so has
given his or her mite And when the work
of collecting is finished, the distribution
begins. The novels of tho poor and sick
are visited, and at each door basket is
left, together with n word of cheer and the
never-cea ing "Good-win toward men"
The sleepy old night watchman of tho
village toots the hour of eleven on his mel
ancholy horn rs the chc orful band Of young
people reach tho last cottage whose owners
are to be made happy through the generos-
ity of their neighbors. Their glad chant is,
however, not answered by words of well
come. Instead of the care-worn face of the
to Tighten, they see the benevolent face of
the village pastor. Quietly they file into
3 dingy room, dimly lighted by single
tallow candle. A distracted mother, ,wrapt
in gloom aud sorrow, stands at the head of
miserable bed watching every motion on
the face OF little sufferer whose frail body
is buried under the weight of heavy feather
bedding. Slowly the child opens her CLASSY
eyes and raises her weak body. A thought,
of the present seems TO fit across the
fevered brain.
Mamma" she whispers, "has the
'Chr,st-child' come?'
ayes, my darling" sobs the heart-brols-
en- mother, 'fand it has brought you such q
gay little frop!t'
'Oh, manGa --lispingly-" give it to
neighbor's Barbele, they're poorer thar
we"
Kneelng Mt the bedside, the worthy pas.
tor wipes away tear, tho almost par
alyZed mother suppresses a heart-rending
sob, the sub1ued roysterers weep tears of
sympathy. Silence, broken only by the
slow tick of the old cuckoo clock on the
wall and the heavy breathing of the dying
child, is at last interrupted by the patient
sufferer.
Mamma" she whispers, hoarsely, oven
in death preaching charity, "rm going.
Give me a kiss. Pm going. Let me seo
the dress Yes, yes; give it to Barbelc.
Give it to Barbele Yes, mamma"-start
ing up-''see the Christ-child. 1t beckons
me to come, to come. Yes, yes, Pm COM
ing-Tm coIning-Glory TO God in the 10y
One last gasp and the pure soul OF the
widowed mothers cnly treasure has joined
the ''Christ-childr in His homo on high.
Tho.good pastor offers fervent supplica-
ton for the bercaved woman, and as tho
frr1
silently leave the house of death, the
watchman toots the midnight hour, the
church-bel rings the advent of Christ's
natal day, and over hill and dale, FRI IN
every neighboring village, sung by young
voices, come the words of hope: "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace,
goodwill toward men,"