Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-24


1t is the night before Christmas. Outside the
air is clear and sharp; no wind stirs the
branches; the nails in the house walls snap and
start with the frost, and there seems an uplfted,
exalted feeling, a sense of nearness and divine
presence In the silent, starry night.
Within doors the big blaze on the hearth has
died down, and the red cmbers glow in the
darkness. The children sleep snug and warm.
The stockings hang IN a row above the sitting
room hearth. There is an air of expectancy
here also, and in the later hours forth steals
Santa Clans ard fills the stockings to the brim
over the brinl to tho floor flows the full
ncss of good things. Then loving, generous,
weary Santa Claus seeks his bed.
MENoRIEs OF 4 BYaoSE TINE.
We who we:e but yesterday the children are
the Santa Claus Of today The years have
slipped away like beads escaping the string and
are lost TO our sight Gs we approach the birth
night OF jesus. Tender memories throng about
Us. ''wunISIhooda years have been only
dream, or hearts are full of the old-tlme
Christmas feeling and We merge ourselves in
the universal childhood. With loving hands
and perhaps touch OF inconsistencies. we 10 for
DER little ones what the dear Unes did for US
such short while ago, not only placing the
GIT, but enwrapping 1t III such Il wealth OF
"olt4ACss iONc anu VIAL DtcSuic-
tor inexpressible gees with ii. Verify the gilt
without the Giyer is bare!
EXPECTANCY OF THE LITTLE ONES.
Already little thrills of ecstacy are trucking
through the hearts of the little folks the
possibilities Of Santa Claus pack fire their
imaginations. and dreams OF the most astonish-
ing mGnificence fill their brains. Even the
careless mention of Santa Claus or Christmas
crowds countless little hearts full 20 bursting
with joyful hope and woiul fear-hope, that is
almost too great to bear, that certain coveted
treasures will become thoir own or Christmas
day, and fear lest the misdeeds OF the PAST year,
the broken toys or some other unknown catas-
trophe should make the mysterious Santa Claus
pass them by urnoticed.
How the days seem to lag. Who cannot re-
member the painful degree of hope and tan
talizlng uncertainty to which he or sho attained
as the day or days drew near?
CHRISTMAS MORNING.
Did you ever stay in bed quite as long as you
had promised on Christmas morning? Did You
ever wait for full daylight to come? No,
know that If you were a genuine child you
scrambled out Of bed and at least three times
before dawn and had to be sent back to await
the light, and when at las. the first faint
gllmmer tingtd tho east you rushed into the
sitting room, became craZed with delight at .he
sight of your bullying bis stocking and the
wonderful things heapcd against the fender be-
meath II. not even stopping to breathe until you
had reached the toe. All of that precious.
shapeless. knobby, knotty bundle was yours
and Its contents a mystery that you FASTENED
to solve. Squeals and shrieks of rapture and
exultation filled the air each long wished for
or unexpected treasure dragged to light.
Oh. the jog of it all! No gift in after life can
awake the wild enthusiasm that we felt i'll those
childish days.
PERHAPS IT WAS TREE
e. L
of mystery and secrecy. As the time drew near
the parlor was closed 10 US and the locks of
numerous closets and drawers thereby loosed.
At last the day came-all day long we were tax
ing or trying to take stolen peeps into that
mysterious closed room, whence sounds of
voices and the most intoxicating, delicious.
hope-lnspiring fragrance of pine issued the
door was hastily opened and closed. The air
was heavy with the odors Of sage and turkey
hearth, and ground pine and scarlet
holly were everywhere. Such joyful
rushing to and fro, mysterious express pack
ages and bundles, and last the family arrivals,
until the little heart seemed to be suffering a
permanent enlargement. much and so con-
stantly had the hasty glimpses and tremendous
anticipations caused it to swell A bursted
paper and a pair of exposed feet-an ungusrded
wOrd-the faint bleat of some suppressed
lammie-or the winding of main spring, had
driven US daft with longing.
At last the door of the forbidden room is
thrown open, the first wild rush subsidies into a
sudden timidity the threshold is reached
and the vision OF the tree with its star flowers
Of fire and its beautiful trimmings bursts upon
our enraptured gaze blaze of glorious light.
II takes some moments to overcome the feel
ing OF awe and approach close enough to see
any one particular gift. but then, oh. then
bashfulness takes flight and gives place to the
most uproarious rejoicing and joyous self hug
gings and caperings about there's my dollie.
here's my hobby-horse, and SO on We've all
lived it many times over, that bissful, never-to-
be-forgOtten day.