New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-30

Mus set at naupntl
II had Mt first been absolutely incredible 10 had
never entered into the heads either OF the chuDpy
darlngs themselves, or Of their paenh ,itn
communion that dire and terrible chaIiiy
could actually befall them. IL Is true that they
had readily understood and accepted the idea thao
their guests might not arrive punctuany 10 u!yIi
time 7" We cannot expect young ladies' anu g'ntic,
men who have gone a-skating to be very c'ireiui
about time my dears,' Jem and Molly had oeeh IN,
structed as they trotted restlessly oackwara ana
forward between window and fireplace when
O'clock had long struck Look again Ann
would suggest presently. " Look again, now iou
are sure to see them now You are sure 10 ,a seS
the wav. and then Miss Ethel, perhaps she VIII
come next and then all the others Will ioiow laso
behind her Such a number OF them MISS mohy;
All so hungry, and so thirsty; and 50 astonisheu
10 see the beautiful tree. We shall hear them
come running up our stairs. but she never dd
hear them
BY Jovel / cannot bear 20 think OF those
poor children said Roger to himself
He did not indeed know anything oil the three
weeping figures crouching round the neglected
hearth 70 find consolation in each others arms, he
did not know all that had been hoped for and was
now ,,espared Of but he had heard enough 10 MAKE
him unable to forget as Others had forgotten Ills
own time moreover, had not been too happily
passed. 10 have chased the sorrows of others com
pIetely from his mind She has hardly had
word for me today" said he TO himself again
he knew TO whom the =" she" referred, only too
we'll YOU understand But still' but still he
felt he did not want himself TO leave the Ice
Was it of any use trying, once more TO Persuade
The recalctrant schoolboys and girls? No
the shouting, the. testing, the flying mther
and thithcr In long strings with endless.
disastrous results all provocative OF mrth, was at
its height: the original party had been reinforced
bv newcomers equally brimful of the pleasures OF
skating by moonlight If it had been impossible 70
move them before, words now would simply Dc
II wonder what she would sayp' qnoth Roger
I,Fstrange. pursuing his soliloquy wonder, L
wonder" And then an inspiration seemed to come
to the young man. By Heaven ths snai h De Tue ,n
test" cried he There is not a skater here To-
night that can compare with Dorothy, eyeing from
under his brOws a slender figure that SKINNED
hither and thither athwart the smooth surface IKE
a swallow She is 10 take part in hgure pres
entity; a figure that fool Brddecombe is busy get
ting dp If she throws Briddlccombe over ana
goes into the house with me- it means-lt shall mean
that all is up with his chance, If 1t means nothing
more But why should it not mean something
more? Dorothy would never play with me- She
would never grant such a request unless-unlrSS
she were prepared to give more, much more III
risl, il any way I'll risk it," cried the poor young
fellow. with the trcmor Of true lover: u" If she
refuses I'll 60 in by myself and take her reiusai Tor
an answer. but if she agrees And at mat
moment she drew near 49,,
We must Just sit down by ourselves, dears,'
said Ann. az last, when she could no longer even
feign 10 hope
shall have your tea, Miss Molly, daring ana uo .
fret Master Jem: YOU shall have your tea ana !
shall LIGHT up the Christmas tree, all the same
and she rose from the fresde, and two wet
little clIet-handkerchicfs were put back INTO
two little pockets
To have their tea, and to have their tree, wns
something. To see Ann begin to light the many
lights was faint sad consolation. 1t was better
than waiting, waiting for nothing to happeh' look
ing for no one 10 come
The kettle had long been boiling, so Ann pro-
nounced the water unfit now 10 make good tea
and a fresh supply had 10 be obtained ana poured
in: next, the tapers had to be got into their
MI aCoin and would not uElt. ana
some twisted and turned over in spite or all
Ann could do, and some lay up against the next
support handy. and at last long silver strcamer
took fire and few up in a hame-,so that altogether
there was quite a cheering little hustle; ana ~
was only when once more all was complete, ana
nothing remained but 10 seat Their three forlorn
selves at the loaded board, and contemplate all
the good things which they could never eat at
one sitting and say their grace just as they
said il on any ordinary night with no accom-
paniment Of great gala occasion, such as thee
should have been-that fresh fountain Of tears
rose from each little heart, and once more the
little sorrowful cry was set up, They might
have come; oh, they might have come
"Hush' whispered Ann, with a start
Is it them p whispered Jem and Molly back, in
accents almost of awe But no, it could hardly
be them, could hardly now be them.
1t was, however some one.
Some one-and more than one-was certainly
ascending the little staircase trampng up, talk
ing up, hurrying up, just as Ann had predicted.
"Oh, # is thcm-it is them" It was almost
II
the elder child " IL is them,' echoed his baby
sister, the tears dripping from her dmpled chin.
1t is them announced poor Ann, with some
thing very like lump in her own throat and
she threw open the door.
" Here we are" cried a gay voice outside.
Here we are, nurse rather late you see. but
long lines of plates and cups, the frosty, sugary,
spicy delicacieS ana last but not least, the festal
Christmas tree, oh, | sayl7 And there was no
installing the wrathful sympathy of tone. Why.
Jem, my man, this is mag nl-ii-ccnt,' cried Roger,
catching up the child in his arms. Stop mo-
ment,7 setting him down again. an idea oc-
CURED, Dorothy" turning TO his companion, no
less person, than the Dorothy Of the ice,
moment ? Wait but few minutes, little ones
tpoor little chap, he has been crying as well as
she' aside yes, you get on her knee, Jem
now that Dorothy has come, isn't itP7 with a
certain Proud and tender ring in his glad young
voice. and then he watched the afiectiOnaee little
fellow lay his head on the kind shoulder, and
nestle his round the soft neck, and finally
the big brother stopped to whisper in her other
ear, All right for some one else as well as for
him !" whcrcat she smiled, and blushed, and
Rugged the child still closer than before. I'll
just run down. and tell the rest to hurry up"
continued the. SPEAKER aloud You can make
tea, nurse and please make oceans, for we shall
want it all They are only in the drawing-room, I"
and off he clattercd at the top of his speed.
The drawinR-room? Ann thought he mis-
taken but still here were two kind, CHEEKY gncste
at any rate, and Frightening up under the genial
influence She filed another teapot well as
the little common brown one which had been
deemed sufficient for the deserted board, and
almost before it could have been believed possible
steps were heard again upon the staircase, for
whether it were the picture Roger drew, or the
words in which he drew il, or his own treathleSs
Indignation and eagcrness, together with n Ger
tain eXaltation in his eye and tone which none
had ever marked before certain it is that he had
swept his audience before him straight up from
their sofas and lounQng chairs, and books, and
work, and that not single person of those Assem-
bled in the great saloon below had grumbled al
having 10 90 Pat, pat, rustic, rustic, up the
little flights Of stairs they creakcd and sailed
papas and mammas, unclcs and aunts, cousins
and friends 20 the number Of good round dozen
and when the now once moro iubllant httie pan
FASTENED forward. expecting al best only to see
The original guests, imagine their feelings when
they bcheld all the Cranacst Of the grand people
the noble danes and courtly Squrcs whom they
would never have dreamed Of asking but who