The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-12-25
CHRIS TWAS OF THE soRRowruL
Even Those Who Mourn Have Sources
OF Comfort at Yule.Tide.


Twenty express wagons. hacked up
against the curb awaited the arrival OF
the Limited - twenty express wagons
and hearse. IL was Christmas day
and Sunday. and the drivers were add
ing a sabbath days hard labor 10 a
week the daily tasks OF which had ex-
tended far into the night Ts@re were
none too many wagons. as the wire had
assured the Office. for a vast bulk Of de-
iayed Christmas matter was coming on
the Limited.
ON the Limited. too. was TO arrive the
body OF good man. who had gone
away In search Of health and had found
u In the land where pain is no more.
his son awaited the arrival Of the be-
lated train and choked down unhappy
thoughts which seemed the sadder be-
cause all the world was happy. while
he and his household We're IN grief.
He arranged the preliminaries with the
express company and waited in its
freight room with the undertaken. ex-
pectlng every minute that the train
would arrive. But the train was late.
and Il seemed impossible TO get word
OF H. So there was nothing TO do but
wait and think sad thoughts.
Forty exPressmen and drivers waited
also. exchanging. as they waited. their
tales OF hard service and late hours.
and grumbiing little AT the work be-
fore them
Still the train delayed An hour. a
half hour more passed. and the time
dragged slowly The hard-luck stories
had all been told. The temporary sense
Of relief in an hour Of rest gave place
10 restless desire on the part Of the
expressmen 70 get al their work and
nE-ish IT, A period of silence succeeded
the noisy ciatter. Then one Of the men
began 10 sing;
Joy TO the world, The Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King,
Let every heart prepare Him room.
And heaven and nature sing,
Several voices Joined and al the 9th
ers listened The tune was Antioch"
with its adaptation OF the opening
strains OF the Messiah" and the bass
voices came in full and strong in their
response, And heaven and nature
sing"
What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
followed. and then a number OF other !
gospel hymns The sad-hearted man |
felt himself strangely moved and drew
imperceptibly nearer 70 the group OF /
singers Al last they sang. shall We |
Gather al the River2~ and he looked /
swimming eyes and saw that /
the undertaken, too. was wiping away 4
the tears
II lost three little ones Just a year
ago" said the undertaken ~Diphtheria
They all went az once. all had I've
been thinking a good deal when I saw
other men going home with Christmas
things
He choked and moved away. but
nearer TO the singers and when they
sang the last verse he was singing with
them.
Then the mourner forgot his own
grief. He. too. had a voice. and in the
next hymn he joined the steadily grow
ing chorus Half an hour they sang
together. and when the train came in
hey all felt that they had been joining
IN A Christmas service and that some
d the Christmas spirit had come 70
hem
Death keeps no holidays No season
: exempt from his dread visits The
homes 10 which he comes are often the
adder because OF their pathetic con-
rast with the JOY Of the world. But
wen 70 the sorrOwful there are sources
Z comfort Happy are those who find
hem. even through their tears. =
Youths Companion.