The record-union., 1891-01-18
ONE CHRISTMAS EVE.

| Written for the SUNDAY UNION by "Lynn. ~
1t was the day before Christmas glad
Christmastime over all over the land
and everybody everywhere was making
ready for the best holiday in the whole
year. The streets of Rochester were gay
with Christmas supplies; the markets
displayed their tempting meats and fruits,
while leaden skies and the first fine
feathery flakes told that Dame Nature
was contributing her usual share of snow
for the merry sleigh-riders of the morrow
From the forests had been borne boughs
oil green, and an aspect of summer was
given to the hard-winter-fact of death.
The color of perennial life swung about
in festoons, and 10! the blooming ever
green tree-blooming with buds of flame
and fruits of all conceivable gifts-stood
| forth in the center of the sitting-room of
| Mrs. Lewis, whose husband was engineer
in the employ of the New York Central
Railway.
The windowblinds were open, the
curtains had been drawn aside and one
could look from the street through the
/ halo of fast-falling snow into the bright
room where all seemed warmth and
plenty. A blazing fire burned in the
| CRATE, and two little children danced
about in eager, restless joy, while the
Oldest son, Harley Lewis, who had just
returned from business, stood by with
his overcoat still on, while the mother
added the packages which he had just
| brought i'll to the already heavily-laden
tree.
While awaiting the return OF Nh. Lewis,
whose train was due at $50, the members
of the household gathered about the fire,
making pretty group of silhouettes on
the curtains in tho background. The
mother occupied the time telling them
the old, yet never threadbare story of
| Daniel, foretelling that the birth of Christ
should be announced by the appearance
of a new star, and that, at the time pre-
dlcted, new star did appear. Faith in
| prophecy led the Wise Men of the East
| TO brave the difficulties of long, tedious
! journey over mountains, valleys, and
deserts, and 10! the new star which they
saw went before them till it came and
stood over where the young child lay"
! Then the Wise Men proclaimed in the
ears of the astonished, affrighted, unbe-
| lieving people of Jerusalem the birth of
its King, in whom was blended earth and
heaven, humanity and divinity-God and
man. That shepherds We're watching by
their drowsy fiocks ut night, and sudden
| ly the heavens azure gates swung back,
and 10! was heard thee angels story of
| good news, and an angel chorus singing
the "Gloria III Excelsis.n
"Hark" said little Alice, who had
climbed in her mothers arms, isn't that
papa's train?"
mo, dear, papa's train isn't due yet for
twelve minutes" said Harley, looking ut
his watch and still holding it in his hand,
as II by doing so he could speed the train
that was to bring papa to them.
Sing something, mamma; that will
shorten the time, and make believe the
train will come quicker" said Clara, the
eldest of the girls. Then the mothers $
sweet, clear voice rang out with:
Brightest and best of the suns Of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thy aid;
Star in the cast, the horizon adjoining,
| Guide where our infant redeemer was laid.
| Twelve minutes went by. Papa's train
| whistled and sped on its onward journey
He will be here very soon now. We
will light the candles on the tree, that
with his homecoming he may realize
moro fully our Christmas greeting" said
Mrs. Lewis.
But no papa arrived. The clock chimed
out the hour of9. A flash of light sud-
denly appeared in their midst and in the
twinkling of an eye was gone, as though
some disembodied spirit had lowered in
their midst a moment before taking its
departure from this world into the un-
known.
Mrs. Lewis and Harley glanced quickly
stt cdtil otIlST, each appTcncnSlNG OF some
i'll having happened to the father.
Harley arose, put on his overcoat and
calling one ofthe servants to accompany
him, hurriedly passed out to search for
the absent one.
The little ones grew tired waiting, but
not . hand would touch the presents on
the Tree until papa would come for papa
had promised to play" Santa SClaus for
them.
''Sing again, Mamma" said Alice, as
she cuddled closer in her mothers arms.
Again the mothers voice, but this time
trembling, sang out:
Hush, my dear, be still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed.
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently fall around thy head.
Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber.
The mother sang it over and over again,
soft and low,
Till the blue eyes binled no longer,
It'll the rosy lids closed fast,
Tired nature proving stronger
Than the witching song ut last.
''I'm so sleepy, mamma" said the little
one as sleep was overcoming the dainty
lids which she had tried, but vainly to
keep open. when papa comes tell him
q Merry Christmas" and the little one
was soon III dreamland.
Mrs. Lewis placed her gently on the
sofa and threw light robe over her, just
| as man ran hurriedly up the broad steps
and rang the bell. She hastened to the
hall to greet, as she supposed, her hus-
band. Clara, who had followed her
mother, cried out, "a Merry Christmas
to you papa, dear" but as the bright light
from the hall chandelier streamed full in
the face of the man, they recognized him
| as messenger from the railroad office at
the depot. He accepted her invitation to
walk in, and as he took the protlered
chair and glanced at the tree and other
indications of festivity awaiting the faith
er's arrival, he shrank, more than ever,
from telling the sad news. But duty,
however unpleasant, must be done some
times.
Levi Lewis, one of the most trust
worthy engineers in the employ of the
road, was i'll the cab of No. 26 when it
stood painting and wheeling in the Buffalo
depot. He had seen to it that every
thing was in the best of condition
for fast run and he took his seat and
pulled the throttle open. The train was
twelve minutes behind time, which he
wished to make up between Buffalo and
Rochester. With bound the steel steed
was off and the long, heavy train dashed
through the country at the rate of mile
a minute. Jason Parker, the fireman, on
the other side of the cab, was kept so busy
during the fast run shoveling coal into
the furnace that he had little time to
notice what was passing around him.
The train sped rapidly through the little
town of Brocllport, and the fireman no.
ticed that engineer Lewis was almost as
pale as death as he sat on his seat, his
right hand grasping the throat of the
throttle and his left firmly gripping the
reversing bar.
The engine groaned and trembled as it
bounded over the glittering rails, and as
the fireman looked at the engineer he
knew that he was suffering. The big en-
n
let of Adams Beach, its shrill whistle
screaming an alarm as il flow. But that