Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-19

on the. thick, white frost OF the win
dow pane.
Almost instantly the song was ended.
The curtain fell with the slow, DISC
bedient movement of tyros' curtains
everywhere. and the children rushed
from the narrow stage to seats by their
parents in the crowded house. Then
came the evenings great event. Ora
pcries which reached from the ceiling
were parted and drawn aside, revealing
the Christmas tree. 1t was Nora
work, and she knew the whirlwind OF
cheering down there in the house held
something OF compliment to her. It
was noisy and rude: she knew that.
But she knew as we'll that her labor
was rewarded, for she had added an
hour Il enjoyment to scores of lives.
From that time on she had no mo-
ment to herself. The presents were
distributed, each pupil of the Sunday
school was we'll remembered. and 81
lent charity did there, as it does in the
laced and lowered churche of the city,
its silent mission Of blessing. Time
and again, as the girl passed mere and
there deity directing her clumsy Mer-
curys, who carried common messages,
she saw the black eyes of Eliza Raines:
saw the lifted, proud face, and fancied
she read some lesson of trouble But
she could not rise to the level of sympa-
thy. She had lost so much to the gau-
dy woman, suffered so much at the
shrine of the buxom beauty, that she
could not quite lear the echo of that
midnight mandate:
"Peace on EARTH"
Fortunately, as she saw, moment after
moment, with womans swift vision,
that rising cloud of disappointment in
her rivals countenance, she thought it
was because no present had been be-
slowed. Never thinking that Eliza
might be mourning thrall's enfran-
chisement, Nora almost came to the
point where she wished some present
might be found on the bending branch
es Of this woman whose Christmas was
surely not a season of Joy. But that
brought with it the fear that such
present might mean too much. And
every strange parcel handed up to the
Superintendent that he might read
the name Of the favored mortal, gave
Nora the happiest pain. How easy for
Ed to have humbled her and exalted
Eliza by the simple device Of sending
to the tree wide silk handkerchief,
box Of candies or toilet case?
The busy moments were over at last,
and Nora turned again from the Uttered
stage and passed into the dressing
room. There seemed no reason for it.
but her heart was crowded full of most
untimely sorrow. She came close to
the cold window and tried to forget the
tumult out there in the house, the ex-
hausting heat; and the flavor not quite
OF the poorest. But what was this on
the window pane? Her name? She
had not written her name. She had
written-she had written ed Morrow"
up there in the mellow soil of the
Christmas frost. And here above it
was her own--his in the fair, round
lines OF girls chirography, hers in
the strong, rugged sweep Of mans
swift hand. She turned with start
and little scream, and there was Ed
Morrow, with his arms about her and.
his lips on her brow-Ed Morrow, who
said nothing, but comforted her with
the slow, quiet pressure Of his left hand,
while he took up the tuning fork from
the widow sill and swung a circle clear
around both names engraved on the
frosty pane.
Nora had flown in an instant from the
last day of the Christian year quite to
its first, then back again. And on the
way she gathered something of the
spirit which had always armed her.
What made you write my name above
yours, Ed?" she asked, as she stood
alone before him. because it belongs
there, said the young man quickly.
Lets commence tonight and never
quarrel any more"
That was their compact and they
passed together out through the house,
trading swift compliments with hun
dred friends, till they reached the
door. Then, just as they stepped from
the battered threshold to the creal1ing
snow, woman turned upon them,
flashing face that was rich in its
beauty but married by its hate. II
wish you much joy" she said, with jeal-
Gus bitterness 1t was Eliza Raines.