The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-12-14
A Christmas
Angel
BY DEAN


Nate Downey brought her to the
door, and then went on to his
brother Toms. He had some
business to talk over. Toms
women folks would be at church
tonight; it would be a good chance.
The church was all trimmed with
wreaths of evergreen and festoons
OF cedar, with notices and silver
stars. There was a mysterious
green curtain across one end of
the platform, and now and then a
young lady peeped from behind
it with a very important face.
Rosy a all wrapped up in a
great fur cloak, but, oh! what a
radiant white vision was hidden
under that cloak! Because, as l
said, Rosy was to be an angel, and
it was Christmas eve.
The church was full of happy
people. 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 angels-if they would
come tonight across the fields. She
had q great mind to go and see.
She could slip out 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 shown
down at her; she was not afraid.
The fields stretched away before
her in wide, white silence, and she
went away through the little hol-
low and across a pasture field. 1t
was growing cold and she shivered
under her fur cloak, but she did
want SO to see if the 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
they not told her that 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. 1t must be nearly time
for them to come.
Presently she began to wonder
which way she had come. The
fields wide and white about
her, rising winds lifted tiny whirls
of snow and twisted them into gar
lands and then dropped them gen.
thy. She shivered with the cold.
Somewhere lay home, and the
W arm, 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 60.
1t vas ten o'clock when Nate
Downey started home across the
fields. 1t was nearer that way he
would stop at the church for Rosy,
Tom and he had q%uarreled that
night, something about the river
meadow, and he walked on moodi-
ly, 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 and lis
tened. Some where out in the dim
starlight a voice sang, faint and
far.
"Peace on EARTH" it sang,
"peace and goodwill"
He remembered it was Christ
mas eve.
"Peace and goodwill" sang the
voice, blown a little farther by the
wind. 1t was Rosy's song; what
did it mean?. The fathers lips
trembled a little. Rosy must be
singing her song now in church
what did it mean that he should
hear it hereP Was anything wrong
with the child-his little pc,
daughter? The wind blew the
sound to him again family.
"Peace and goodwill, good.
will to men!" Might it not be q
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