The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-12-29

4 crew; .-... ..-y "S,y UiUCfcu ~ con.
tinue straight through to 81. Louis.
Want OF sleep the night before had had
its effect upon their strange passenger, and
not till they were Ggain whirlng away
across the country did a little form rise in
the corner and II little voice come forth
| through the dusk, saying:
rs it Christmas yetY
mo, my little lady" said Jack Burns as
he and Dick turned quickly and looked at
| her who are you, how did you get here,
| and where arc you goingW
81 am Fay" said the little girl, "and the
Spirit Of Steam helped me up ON the engine
here, and am going home.
II am very hungry" she added present
ly, "aud | haven't had anything TO eat
since drank some milk long before ] came
here"
Before she finished speaking the choice
OF Dicks lunch basket was before her. A
good supper was soon finished, and the
cold rain and sloct outside, Joined to the
warm blaze Of the coal inside, caused the
eyes to droOp, and soon she was cured up
in the corner asleep again.
We'll, it does knock me out" said Dick,
What do you think it means anyhow"
II don't know" said Jack dreamilv.
There is something uncanny about it all
She will unfold her wings and quietly
fly out the window before we know It, /
guess"
1t was nearly daylight when little Fay
opened her eyes and sat up. 1t was snow
ing, and the fakes were coming down thick
and fast, and the sight made her heart leap
for joy. The weather was Just like that Of
n year ago, and she remembered overy cir
cumstance connected with that fateful
Christmas eve. On and on went the train.
After awhile they entered the suburbs
of n great smoky city, for now it was broad
daylight, and even the sun was trying to
come up, and she could see the intermina-
BILE row after ROW Of houses, with the
smoke from their chimneys curling up
ward in the still air. Presently they came
up to another station, and she heard
voice back on the train call out Grand
avenue"
"Grand avenuel Grand avenuep whis-
pered the Spirit of Steam rs it came in
through the cab window and wrapped her
in its arms. "This is your place! Come
down the steps and will hold you in my
arms"
And when the old engine pulled out from
the station, and Jack and Dick found their
strange passenger missing, they looked at
eaCh other, but said never q word.
And Fay was standing in snowdrift.
1t was very cold, and she followed two
men going up over the hill She remem-
bered Grand avenue and the kind old gen
tleman who had told her TO run home, but
how could she find her way? And while
she was thinking, and her fingers and toes
were growing cold and her lip was be-
ginning to tremble, she heard the chimes
of the church aud saw the spire that the
kind old gentleman had pointed out to
her, and away she went on the wings of
the wind!
In fact, the wind would have to have
very large wings and work them with pro.
digious force to go half as fast as sha did.
And when she did get into the yard of tho
old house 1t seemed as if she would never
be able 70 reach the door, for Filo would
not let her by, but just pushed her down
and played "tth her and Kissed her and
just barlled and barked till he cried. And
when she couldn't get the door open and
ran and Knocked on the window, and saw
papa md mamma sitting by Christmas
tree just like the one year before, and
they both sprqng up and screamed and ran
10 the door, and she felt their loving EN-.
braces and tender kisses, her heart ran
over with tears of love and happiness.
All, but wasn't that n Christmas! It
would take thousand yule logs to equal
In Fay's eyes the little lighted tapers hang
ing from the limbs of the evergreen tree;
it would take hundreds Of wassail bowls
to compare with the sugar plums and can
dies that delighted her eyes. And then
the dolls, and the wonderful watches with
real hands, and the tin tigers and lions
that looked so fierce you could hardly
recognize them, and the candy mice and
pigs that deserved to be eaten and met
their deserts, and Noah's ark, with so
many animals that you could not tell what
half of them were, and ever so many won
derful things besides!
And when at last she lay so sweetly rest
tul in mammals arms, with papa looking
fondly down, every bell in the city seemel-
to know it and shouted out the glad It'd.
ings as loud as its brtzcu throat could yell,
only gradually quieting down in its excess
OF JOY to join vt the close in the harmonious
retrain-"Reace on earth! Peace on earthw
HARRY w. CoCKERILL.