Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-12-22
THE MAN ABOUT TOWN.

N
THE MAN ABOUT TOWN.
The meadows are brown, the hills are
all bare.
And up through the valley, the clear,
crisp air
Is singing Christmas song.
Like the song of the sea in the purple
shell,
If We list to its notes it Will sweetly
tell
The secret it's kept so long.
1t tells of time so sunny and fair
When we watched the clouds OF the
snowy air
For the reindeer's tiny form.
And saw in our dreams such pictures of
light,
As we Jay through the hours of the
long, dark night,
Away from the clouds and storm.
Such pictures as glow in fairy tales
When told at the hour that daylight
pales
And the crimson west grows gray.
When We list for the chime OF tiny
bells
That are hung in the shade of haunted
dels
And are rung by goblin and fay.
1t rings Oh the heart fearful change
OF darkened time. so sad, SO strange
When our dreams had lost their light.
1t whispers and sings TO the leafless
trees
One secret that signs in every breezs
Till the day wears into the night.
o, Christmas chimes Ye are merry and
sad,
Ye wound the heart and ye make it
glad
With the music your ringing makes !;
And the weary heart that has dreamed
so long
Takes up the thread of the broken song
And sings till it, quivering. breaks.
TX Xxx Xxx
Before another issue of the INDIE
PENDENT reaches its readers, Christ
mas morn will have dawned upon the
earth-Christmas, the childrtns' fes
tai day, wien their young hearts fill
with love ard mirth and happiness.
Before the great red sun paints morn
in the East, the dear little folks will
be up, and the hats and stockings
turned wropg-side-out, in their eager
ness to see what old Santa Claus has
brought from his beautiful snow home
in the far North My! my! how
kind he will be TO his little friends.
Willie will dance with glee, when he
sees standing by the mantle post
red Yankeejumper, with deer and
running hounds painted on the back
the identical one he asked Kriss
Kringle to bring him. Jennie will
find a beautiful doll, nesting down
by her stocking, dressed in blue silk,
with pale pink ribbon tied around the
smooth neck. Little Tot, too, will
be remembered, and will COO and
clap his tiny, chubby hands together
in merriment, when he sees the tin
rattle, and little wooden cows, horses
and sheep. And-oh dear, jolly old
Kriss must have shook all the can
dies and nuts off his trees Good,
kind hearted old fellow The chill
dren will bless him over and over
again on next Tuesday morning.
Xxx *** Xxx
In some homes, Christmas will not
bring presents, however, nor will the
merry, romping children rise with
morn, to see if Kriss Kringle has re-
lmembered them. In the low attic
room, nesting in, aud half covered
by rags, the poor mans child will
shiver and rub his blue fingers to.
gether to keep them from freezing.
Christmas will bring no joy to him.
Passing along the street with the
night wind stealing through his torn
clothes, he looks with wistful eye in
the bright store windows, filled with
Christmas toys and candies, but they
are not for him; and he hurries on,
cold and hungry, to his attic home.
Kind parents, think of the poor chill
dren about you; think how cherries |
will be their Christmas try to throw |
a little sunshine in their homes, by |
such little gifts as you can spare |
them. Your Christmas will be two.
fold happier after performing such
deeds OF kindness.
* Xxx ~
There will be other cherries
homes, wherein poverty does not !