Barbour County index., 1905-12-20

l
and festoons Of cedar, with notices
and silver stars. There was q mystic
riouS green curtain acrDss one end of
the platform, and now and then a
young lady peeped from behind it with
a very important face
Rosy was all wrapped up I'm a great
fur" cloak, but. oh! what q ra.iant
white vision was hidden under that
cloakr Because, as I said, Rosy was
to- be an angel, and it was Christmas
eve.
| The church, was full of happy peo-
pie. She nestled down quietly in a
corner, her part would not come for
a long time. BY and by she fell to
wondering about the, Christmas an
| gels-if they would come tonight
across the fields. She had great mind
to- go and see.. She could slip out of
the little door behind the curtain and
nobody would know.
So she gathered her fur cloak around
her and slipped out into the snow. 1t
was so white and still out there; the
stars shone down at her; she was not
| afraid The fields stretched away be-
fore her in wide, white silence, and
she went away through little hollow
and across pasture field 1t was
| growing cold and she shivered under
| her fur cloak, but she did so want to-
! see if t.e angels came.
She wondered if there would be any
little girl angels like her, and if she
would hear them sing. She wondered
which way they would come, and which
was the star the wise men followed.
Maybe if she knew she might follow
it, too, and find the little Christ-child,
for had. not they told her hat He was
on earth still? That one great star
in the east, could it be the one? It
was so bright she would follow it and
see. It must be nearly time for the
angels to come.
Presently she began to wonder
which way she had come. The fields
were wide and white about her, rising
winds lifted tiny whirls of snow and
twisted them into garlands and then
dropped them gently. She shivered
with the cold. Somewhere lay home,
and the warm, bright church, and she
| could not tell which way. She looked
up at the stars, but they seemed so far
away, and the Christmas angels did not
come. She would sing; maybe they
would hear, and tell her which way
to go.
1t was ten o'clock when Nate
Downey started home across the fields
1t was nearer that way; he would stop
| OF hn oh I,
had quarreled that night, something
about the river meadow, and he walked
on moodily, forgetting all about the
blessed Christmastide, and the baby
Peace that came to earth on Christ.
mas night so long ago.
All at once he stood still and lis.
tened. Somewhere out of the dim star
light voice sang, faint and far
Peace on earth" it sang, peace and
goodwill"
He remembered that it was Christ
mas eve.
Peace and goodwill" sang the
voice, blown a little farther by the
wind. 1t was Rosy's song; what die
it mean? The fathers lip trembled q
little. Rosy must be singing her song
now in the church; what did it NEAR
that he should hear it here? Was any
thing wrong with the child-his little
pet daughter? The wind blew thu
sound to him again family.
Peace and goodwill, goodwin tt
men!" Might it not be a message tc
him? Perhaps after all he had beer
rash and hasty with Tom; Tom was .
good man. He would see him agafr
tomorrow.
The voice came again, little near
er; surely it. was voice, child.
voice, and there was the sound of
) sob in fit was Rosy's voicet
; Nate Dewney hurried on The wint
tossed the snow in his face, Clouds
) were drifting up from the west. ant
b1ottfng out the stars.
, He called finally across the field
, Rosy. Rosy." the wind caught tn
. name as it left his lips and tossed
, away. xst
, The little voice sang no more. Onl,
, the wind kept up it's swift minor swell
!. and went on heaping little mounds il
, the corners. A great fear was in hi
heart. He called again. Oh there
whence came the little voice that criet
sobbingly: Papa. oh, papa!"
He sprang forward eagerly, callin
, again and again, and each time the Lit
tie voice answered, till at last he ha
his own little daughter in his arms
the little Christmas angel who ha
come through the snow to him witt
her message Of peace.
Nate Downey stopped a minute q
the door Of the church to let then
know. Rosy was fast asleep in hi
arms; she stirred a little, half wakene
by the lights and voices, and mur
INJURED drowsily the words of he
! Christmas song:
Peace and goodwill, goodwill t