The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-01-02

Chr,'mos Ganuol white and win-rv.
Snow covered the earth AMI chung lo tAa
bare trees Like Garments of whit" fur The
air was fun OF whirlng crvs.a'a', and tina
earth was ,ull If music II w1s fine i,i0i of
Christmas which nature intends shall he
merry: when cyarv sound Gin IS through
the ai.: when the horses feet are heard
ori ding In, gritty snow half u mile away;
when bells ring ont crisp and r'ar; when
lauahtor is heard far out gpou hn hills. when
Joy is Spontaneous and sorrow forgotten;
when he north wind brings COURAGE anil he
day bru-s peace on earth and good viii to
men.
Davv wa, brighter thnn u,ua .ha' morn.
inc. The hope which had not before been
strong enough TO Tighten his heavy heart
beamoi over his wan face like sunshine. His
eyes were very bright and very eager
'Im going homen were his first words,
spoken with something like gadncsS in his
voice At sight Of John Keller he jumped
from his chair with his old-time alacrity and
handed him the last black bean of the seven
which had stood between him and paradise
He gathered together his small possessions
"a few glass buttons, lame top, the fox
that had not harked since it became an in
mate of the poorhouse, n whitfield wooden
monkey with hollow eyes, and similar gifts
of the sympathi2ing but Impoverished friends
who surrounded him, and placed them in
row on the window sill. Sitting down be-
side them, with Lizzie Ann in his arms, he
announced that he was ready.
How could they tell him that he was not 10
go; that all his patient waiting had been use
less, that he had been cheated with lies; that
the home he longed for had shut its doors
agains him!
At last they told him. AT first he could
not understand and answered everything
with the decisive assertion, Ppm going
home" as though that were the sum of all
wisdom, solved all problems, Strengthened
all misunders andings and settled all diff
culties But when the truth wa, made plain
to him and he understood, he raised his arms
TO his head in sudden agony and with cry
that had in it all the despair of his cheated
soul, slipped from his chair to the floor.
When his eyes opened after he had been
lifted upon his bed they seemed to have lost
all recollection of his disappointment, and
were strangely bright and glad. \ smiling
soul looked out from them in peace before it
started on its noiseless journey. Thos eyes
saw something Others could not see, for
DAVIS sick face became radiant, TRANSPORTED,
expressive, beautiful His lips moved and
he whispered joyfully, I'm going home"
In another moment he had gone-not TO that
home he had pinned for and which had shut
him out; but to that better one, which il
away from all selfshness and above all
cruelty.
Like many wiser mortals his spirit had
gone into its new life loving and trusting
those who had done him to death.
As the Carson family was sitting down to
dinner with the friends for whose sake Davy
had been excluded, John Keller ratified up 10
the gate in the almshoule wagon. He deliv-
cred this message with uncoy cred head at the
door:
"Your brother Davy is dead When we
told him this morning that be couldn't come
home to-day, rs he had expected to, his heart
broke. He was weakened and worn with
bomesickness and the disappointment killed
him"
He spoke with calm simplicity and without
reproacb iu his voice. He knew that tbs