River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-12-27

The moon shone with a winter, brighter
light and wore a mockiDg smile. The
water lying under the trees friuging the
bed Of the brook was completely frozen
and occasionally snapped like the pop Of
chestnut; the evergreens stood out dis
tinct and clear, and the weird music of the
wind, as It stirred the great trees, sounded
as though the very spirit of Christmas was
already abroad. He thought of the happy
homes on which that moon was shining, Of
devoted husbands and wives, fond fathers
and mothers, merry children, ''his fam
ily," home from school, OF happy lovers,
and kind friends.
And he-he stood alone in the world, an
isolated being on that silent country road
on this Christmas Eve.
A weird sensation crept over him as he
stood there. He glanced at the deserted
house. Part OF its roof had dropped in.
ward, and the snow had drifted through
the inlet and piled itself in tho center Of
the flooring. How like his own hearth he
felt that the ruin of that home was an in
animate picture of himself; for the roof Of
his heart had been uplifted. and the chilly
snow Of unreqnited love had drifted in
upon its floor
A strange fascination that house held for
himl IL had never been occupied during
the nine years he had been in Ciderburg.
He had never been inside Of it. 1t bore the
reputation of being haunted; but Job wac
not superstitiOus, and he feared neither
COLLINS, spirits nor spoOks. SO when some
strange feeling impelled him TO jump the
fence, wade knee-deep through the snow
and enter the ruin, he was not frightened
at the noise made by some animal that
AT he m
trusion.
He walked through the several rooms on
the ground floor, then explored the second
story, where he sat upon some broken tim
bers and buried his face in his hands. The
loose shingles tapped as the angry wind
scuf1ed over the dismantled roof and the
dangling timbers creaked in mOurnful
tones that were soothing to the ruffied
feelings Of the intruder.
Hours passed, but he needed not time.
In his sheltered position he felt no cold
he was partially stunned by an almost
double shock He had figured out Dots
embarrassment to be an unintentiOnal be-
trayal of her regard for him and the re-
turn of his Christmas Offering 10 imply a
silent rejection of his unspoken love. To
him it was like getting to the gate of par
adise just in time to have it slammed in
Meanw lille something uncommon took
place at the house Of the hard hearted
Mayor" something that upset the plans
he had laid for twenty years past
When Job Pippin let the volume OF
poems drop from his hand and departed
without saying goodnight" he left
Dorothy Flint equally as speechless as
himself
II was some little time before she re-
covered sufficient cOmposure to gather the
letter the book and its wrapper from the
floor. Her eyes br mined with tears as
she brought them 70 the comfortable. In
spreading the wrapper to envelop the
volume she saw her name in Jobs hand
writing. She opened the work and read
the inscription on the fly-leaf. For a mo-
ment she hesitated. then opened the letter
and quickly read its notifying contents.
One moments pause aud she had de-
cided
Hastily showing the letter in her pocket,
she ran upstairs and returned with Jew
elry casl1et that had belonged TO her
mother; then, after exam ming a number
of deeds and papers, one of which looked
like will she inclosed them in the casket
and locked it.
An hour later she was vending her way
down the moonlit road along which Job
had travelled in the direction of the haunt
ed house
1t took a man of grit TO ride down the
road on such a cold night, and what pluck
must woman possess to walk!
Dot paused on the little bridge where
Job had stood, and, like job she unused On
the grandeur of the scene, the sweet,
white world that lay under the canopy of
the Christmas night sky and It's golden
stars. Soon the silver tonguei bells in
the little church would ring forth their
p9ans proclaiming the anniversary of the
birth of the Saviour and their mus c
would rise and fall over the trees, would
die away across the snow.
Dot had thus far followed the tracks of
Jobs footsteps, which were easily recog-
nizable in the moonlight, for but few per-
sons had Travelled the road since the last
snowfall All the farmers drove to town
in teams Now she missed the traces she
was following, but she soon found the
place where he jumped the fence
When job awoke from ms cramped pO-
sition and gazei about him he was some
what nonpiussed. At first his memory was
not equal to an explanation of how he
came there; but only for a second did no
! fail to recOllect, for something stirred in
his heart and brought tears to his eyes
when the bells bega'. to ring and the soft,
sweet chimes came TO him across the snow
And softer and sweeter than the Christ
mas chimes was the cheek of velvet that
was pressed close TO his own plain face,
and softer and sweeter still were the tones
Of the voice that whispered in his ear:
Merry Christmas, my lOver'
When the village pastor was reused
from his warm bed to listen to their story,
he was somewhat annoyed, but when they
had finished, he exclaimed:
"rll du etl I'll du ct eff CT costs mer pas
sonshlpl"
And he married them then ana there.
Ezra Flint awoke on Christmas morning
and found himself a poor man, indeed
The papers Dot placed in the casket were
her mothers will and the title deeds "a
the property left her by the will. over
which, now that she was Of age and mar