The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-12-09
SeasOnable StOrp.
A WHITE CHRISTMAS.


Mrs Holt, comely bat sonewha, dis,
outraged booking young woman, sio,i by
/ the eas, window Of her roomy farmhouse
/ kitchen and zAzed doan the long VISTA Of
sugar naples a, the CLASSY, fFoEea pond,
the quaint old mill, with the white foam.
ing water of the rapld brook shooting cat
from beneath its messy walls. and stand
ing oat wildly agaius, the picturesque
bach gruuud Of eyergreen trees Oh the near
mountain side Il was charming view
to which she usually turned with ressful
I pleasure, bu, tgsiay she did not see il a,
ali She only noticed the leaden sky that
SEEMED TO be 4 reflection of her 0sa heavy
heart, and the struggling prvmonisoFy
snow fakes that Ike cungealcd part a
the dull. cold morning air we're lighting
ike white winged insects here aud there
On twig and vine and dead gras- land.
We shall have a white Christmas
after al, she aii aloud to herself, or
rather the world and the other people in It
viii have 4 white Christmas never eau
help feeling Of sladness at the thought
that the brown old earth i to be covered
with a spotless Carmen; for it, deares, fes-
tiyAl but this year. 50 far A. all outward
Observance goes, Christmas viii be Just
ike any other day to me and mine. am
sorry for the children, poor things-and
fer Albert. be Is a good husband, and it
seems pity that il should be ms lot to
l. 4
can do Poor father is,-as he Is, an
Invalid and must have home, and care
and If il Is ~ ordered that | must neglect
my own family for him, Why then il must
be right How differently sister Harriet :
HE Is or.ered; she aud her boys have every
wish graiihed. there Is nothing that money
can buy that they have not at command
They will have a white Christmas in every
sense Of the phrase There will be a
Christmas tree, no doubt, and the boys
will invite their little friends for a grand
frolic, but they will not think Of sending
for my children. They could not 90 II
they were asked for the very good reason
that they have nothing that is 6i to wear,
and are not likely to have at present, for
with my many cares have no time to sew
for them, even had material to make up
They will have 70 stay at home from church
and from school for the winter, there Is no
help for it as | can see, and | shall accept
the fact as it is and not burden nv mind
any further with it.
When the mail comes tonight am
sure to have loving little note from Har-
riet, telling her plans for tomorrow She
will send some dainty trihe for Us all and
a silk handkerchief for father; always a
silk handkerchief for father Ii makes
me mad there I've said it out now,
and it is the truth, but must pass it over
and keep it to myself lie has silk hand
kerchiefs enough ON hand now to make a
bed-quilt if they were pieced together
patch work fashion Always gift of
silk handkerchief for father on his birth
day, at Easter, on Valentine day. at
Christmas and New-year's and Thanks
giving, and even on Fourth of July, with
the children fireworks, and on their birth
NaN anu iiAhtf AtA ciiC hthSA ldiiN ~ lG-
member us by some little token and always
in the package, whatever else there NAV
be, is the inevitable silk handkerchief for
father. have joked her about it, and
Albert never fails to banter her upon her
weakness in that direction, but she takes
no offence She is the strangest mortal
never to give me so much as penny to
help me out with father, and she with all
her money, and We with nothing but the
farm and the mill; but Albert would starve
before he would hint word about it-and
so would for that matter, for if there is
anything that | am thankful for it is for
will to do. To hear her say, Poor faith
er : or to see the words written SO often
in her dainty notes, one would suppose
that she had real solicitude for him. OF
course she is sorry he is i'll, but it is in her
easy way; she has no real anxiety.
fancy she would feel differently did she
hear his hard, dry cough ringing in her
ears hour by hour. Dear me There it
is again | had forgotten to give him his