Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-12-22
A CHRISTMAS IN l843,
An EngIishwoman's Recollection of her
GIrlhOOd.

GIrlhood.
CHI istmas has not only personal flavor
it has a national one, derived from some
event which at that time fills the public
heart On Christmas. 1913, was at Broom
Hall northumberland a girl of nine years
old, precociously observant and sympathet-
ic: therefore trembling and weeping TO the
great interest of the day-the sutferings
and dangers of the women and children
with the British army in Cabul l had
heard the thrilling story of the struggle
through the frozen pass of khoord- Cabul
| had followed in Imagination the heroic
death of the army who persisted to a man
there amid its hunger, cold and treacherv,
and of the women and children who as
hostages and prisoners were hurried from
fort TO fort, willie Generals Sale and Pol
lock and Sir Richmond Shakespeare were
forcing the Khyber pass for their relief
And Just before this Christmas had come
the news that they had been saved-that
husbands and wives and children had met
again, while soldiers cheered and the
mountain train guns roared out royal sa-
lutes. and the English flag was once more
set blowing from the Balt Hissar of Cahu
All the talk was of these events. and
strange stories were told of dreams and
omens aud presentiments relating to them
And / liked this better than the old cum
brous ceremonies which were still kept in
tact in that lonely hall, ard which indeed
greatly weared the squire, though he wuud
not forbid them But soon as dinner
was over he escaped TO his private parlor
where he proposed to 90 comfortably to
sleep as usual over his evening paper
But this night something awakened his
heart and he could not shut his eyes and
forget Twelve years before his son Willy
had left him in passion. His mother had
hoped and watched and died calling him
home, but Willy had never answered the
call-and he had now been forgotten At
this dav his father seldom remembered the
face that had been so beloved, and his
sisters sighed and spoke Of something else
This Christmas night, the squire told Us
afterw ard, he could not get Willy out of
his mind He kept reminding himself of
the lad-how he could run and wrestie and
ride and hunt, how the men envied him
and the women loved him. and how proud
he himself had been of his beauty and clev-
erness. He became nervous with the tier
alton of the same thought, and finally took
the handkerchief off his face and stood up.
The room had grown dark and the fire low.
He rung for wood and man entered with
an armful of ash logs The squire said,
is that you, Badly and the fellow an
swered MY name is William. be new
man, sir
The logs began to blaze, the squire look
ed at the stranger, and when he raised him
self from the hearth he said: "Who are you.
William: Where do you come from
Then the man looked at his master. looked
straight into his eyes, and the squire trem-
bled and went closer Let me see YOU.
he said, hoarsely. Let me see your face
and the new man said softly:
Father
And the squire told us that something
within him laughed joyously, and that he
felt as if it was growing dark, but that in
the shadows he heard a voice saying,
Father, forgive me- and that then h. had
to speak. and the words the only word, be
could say, were: Forgive thee. Willy, ]
forgave thee many year ago and with
that he came to himself fully, and he was
sitting in his chair and fine young caval
ry officer was kneeling at his knee and the
servant in the smock frock had disappear
ed, and he asked, quickly: where Is my
Willy"
Then he found out that Willy had only
put on the smock frock TO see if Willy
would be welcome for WHY'S own sake;
for he had become great soldier, and had
been with Sale and Pollock, and had taken
his full share in all the brave deeds that
had been done that famous year in India
The company were dancing Money
musk under the holly and mistletoe
boughs when the squire and his handsome
son came into their presence again. And
all the lovely young girls looked at him,
and some of the married women, remem-
boring his face, broke the dar ce up with
glad cry, and surrounded both the father
and the son with noisy Joy. But ! noticed
that Willy very soon passed to the side of
the beautiful Adelaide Plessy, and said
something to her in whisper, and she
smiled at him for reply and gave him her
hand. And after that hristmas really be
gan, and the singing and dancing and
feasting and frolcking that had been only
a social necessity before became something
very much different and very much hap
pier
Then on one happy night, when it was
furiously stormy outside and delightfully."-
peaceful and radiant inside, Willy Broom
told us all over again the glorious story of
the taking of the passes-told it with such
fire and passion that every man was feel
ing for his sword, and every woman was
listening with flaming cheeks and tears ike
dew drops on them. And ] know il was
that night, when this martial story was
finished, that Willy told another story to
Adelaide Plessy, and the end of that story
was the grandest wedding that had ever
been seen by Fallowlees or Otterburn.
1t is forty-nine years ago and vet but a
few months since l met ray-haiTed wom-
an who had been my companion at Broom
and she recalled with me every emotion
and event. and added:
YES, they were married, Willy and Ad-
alaide, and though some of US have been
but poorly used since, as far as l know they
lived happily ever afterward '-Ametd T..
RTf,.,, "a, he n Y TT9ryII