The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-12-21
One Christmas Eve
Floyd X. Royce.


Gar we near the church, Christie?'
Yes, gran'pa. I can see the light in
the high round window"
IT fear you are getting cold, Chris .ie.'
"No, gran'pa, my shawl is well over
my head"
but your hands felt like ice when YOU
turned my COLLAR"
'If you are weary, gran'ra. VIC will turn
back
"My strong limbs are not weary, and I
must not be selfish. You would hear the
sweet singer who win be at ST. Paul's
this Christ mas eve
Not if you would that we again watch
by the concert hail.
my heart turns toward the concert
hall, for she might pass that way"
"My mother. gran'pa?"
"Why, your mother, Christie?'
Because, gran'pa, you have for the
whole year been watching there"
"A year It's true; but why think OF your
mother, child? You have no mother
Say not so, gran'pa. ! have a sweet,
beautiful mother"
Better say you had once a mother, but
you have no mother now"
us she dead, gran'pa p"
Dead to you and to me, chilI."
AND 1t was so many years ago she
went away. gran Pa. Why did She 20?
Ano why Tor the last year you have
watched for her by the concert hall?"
Best you do not know. child
Il am no longer a child, g"an'pa; am
taller than your shoulder; | was 1G ves-
terday."
80 you are. Christie; so You are. Have
the carriages commenced coming?"
see two or three, but the snow IS so
1ast railing, more are not in sight"
linen turn under tha cb,l+,r 49,
ana / Will tell you that which ! think vol,
now should know" SN0
Here is a tree, ~gran'pa. We car wal,
a rev minutes, then when the DcopIn have
entered we may creep inside tht base
ment doors. for Jean, the ianitor, is our
good friend"
"A true friend to the blind and the ia
t~herless, Christie.'
true and generous, Eran'pa,"
you asked of thy mother, child !
VIII tell you all while we wait. Twenty
years ago leftSweden for America. yo1r
,notnsr was then just your age. Our first
year IN America was filled with hearfochn
because amongst strangers il, q stronro
lana we all the time longed for thn oId
hume across the seas SO far away Than
l played the violin as a teacher yonr
mother also played and far better Than r
VINO hau oeen her teacher. She could 90
higher If only she could have onnnrtrni3v
such as is found in the large civ W.
came 70 New York. To the home of 2
tady where I instructed on the VIOLIN har
SON. a youth fair of face. but false Of
heart, your mother came one dav lie
sa" her, was infatuated and in the end
LnaHneu an clopement. My little girl be-
HeVeu ms Wild professions of undvinp
love and left me for him. In = vear che
returned to her old father broken hearted
bringing you with her. She found an old
ollnd flddler instead of the violin in
structor. a sickness following her fight
had lett me blind. She only once smoke
~ tle MAJ Who had Wronged her, because
inc hrst mention of his name made me
crazy with anger at memory of tho
wrong ne had done my child. Together
we lived. She played and sang at the mu-
scum, and remained at home with Won
For two years we were happy. Then one
turned."' tV
60 on, gran'pa' She was taken j1lq,
Alas, no, my child. She had cruelty
deserted you and her cid blind father"
Not my mother, gran'pa! She could
not be SO cruel. Why in my dreams, /
sun see her; gentle, loving, and OH. so
But she left this letter, which lean
he %janitor, read for me-"
"A letter, ~gran'pa? You never showed
1t to me. Where is il, the last letter
from my mother?"
a these years it has been under the
10th in the back Of the violin box"
on, gran'pa, give il to me Quick!,
NOT 50 nasty. child. Youth is too i'm
'etuous. ,tere is the letter. Faded, /
Yeen, and quite tattercG by age"
mo, 1t has been carefully preserved.
my, eran'pa. 1t is not in the handwrit-
1g OF my mother such as is in the fam
y nible.''
Not the writing of thy mother. child:
ny never thought
No, it is the sprawling hand Of a man
no wrote with t e left hand like Pastor
udson-'
"fhe man with whom she rsi went
say wrote thus. What d"-e II mean?