New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-24

,o, ,oorping The little gifts prepared TOT
Daddy were also waiting among them NM
LAYER cake with Merry Christmas written
upon it in pink sugar. and quantity OF ever
green from England which some one had
sent to decorate the little dwelling.
It vas a mild December and for the last T."
DAYS the air had been soft and warm as Spi"s'
even after the sun went down. About fnIuhIb"'
on Christmas Eve Waterman passed sd''-
way. The gate closed, and TINS was WEI
otherwise the little old man asleep on the steps
might have wandered in and fallen asleep "h'Ie
tbero wound have been less probability Of find
ing him until he had slept too long. By ms sue
was a bunch Of holly and a book. The watch
man aroused him, led him away ana Sa" '""' ~
was made comfortable for the night. when ne
awoke late on the following morning ne was a'
first unable to give any definite account OF nm
self and presently observed in a cheerful con-
yircfu., manner Il have moments like TINS
lust now / cannot speak my own hai"'' 0u'
shall remember it an course OF time
IN the mean while the description spread
abroad had come to our relief, Found asleep
ON the steps of the gateway at Greenwood an
old man with blue eyes white hair and beard
Faith and went to bring him home. lie was
,,it. himself aeain when We reached MN ana
PM oC solicitudc on account OF the ahA'c''
,au-ad bv his absence. He said that desire
had fallen upon him the afternoon before u
Mace a bit of holly on Hopes grave ana al7'
-, max. orraneemcnts for his own burlal' ho'
that ne was eXpccting to dIe-quite the con
trarv he was feeling unusually well; out II "a9
ALWAYS best to attend to such things "hlle III
health. 1t saved 50 much trouoIe LOT o"'
friends Being late when he arrived the B"'o
was closed He had therefore been oplseu u
abandon the first part Of his project ana ""u
sat down % rest. He was little tlred' ha'"7
stopped on thu way over to visit an acquaintance
who dealt i'm old books, and on WHOSE S"ci''o
10 bad disc,,er.d one needing TO be repaired
and or a nature which Interested him. Acc"'d-
incl, n. had taken it off with him, ana was
HAVING a peep into it when he had fallen asleep
With such explanation he put in my hands a
worn volume entitled THE American YOUNG
Man. H'st Companions" the object OF "hl'h -
the preface stated was to lead the reader ny
easy stages through the difficulties OF spe"'hE'
reading writing and arithmetic. not 10 Wei'oI
short distances in the sciences OF geography anu
astronomy: TO make him acquainted WIN uI'
meth, rs Of carpenters joiners, saWyers' DITCH
LAYERS. masons glaciers and painters to sho"
him how to erect sundial; 10 tell MN WHAT
70 a. IN his garden during the different sea-
sou
color and other shades and to teach him the
art Of letter writing. series Of letters beng IN
sorted as models. dated 1851 and signed by such
names as Timothy Timely Daniel DiliGent'
Henry Hearty. George Grateful and Peter Pitt
f,d As read these names aloud Daddy re-
marked pleasantly that, with the exception oil
Peter PitifuI he felt as II he might have been
all these Young men himself that he considered
the various instructions exceedingly entertain
ing and that he had been studying how to set
No a sundial Wher he had fallen asleep.
And 50 We brought the little old man home
and hung the evergreen from New England
around the portraits the wall not forgetting
a sprig for the Van Amberg tiger and Toasted
on the layer cake and ate the Merry Christ
mas" written in pink sugar
Before the week ended Daddy had fallen into
a deeper sleep than that Of Christmas Eve and
from it one could wake him, unless indeed it /
might be some Waterman at the Gate where all |
the highways and byways of this world meet,
and youd is that country Of which He who was .
the Christ child has given assurance and prom
Use and Of which there is reason for believing
that within its borders the beginnings, the half
accomplished efforts the seeming failures the .
problems Of human life shall find perfect sOlu-
ton.
The low basement room was put into Sunday
dress. There were flowers on Daddys table
and sat in his chair, although all the
other chairs were occupied and also those Dor
rowed from the neighbors and people were
standing by the doorways and in the hall The
clergyman came. and, having read the prayers
of the church, spoke few thoughtful words
upon the text Your labor is not in vain in the
Lord" The dog that had bounded out to meet
Daddy that October day came likewise but
so quietly that he was not observed until he