Year: 1874

Little Gretchen, little Gretchen wanders up and
down the street;
The snow is on her yellow hair, the frost is al
| her feet.
The rows Of long dark houses with out look cold


and damp,
| BY the struggling of the moon beam, by the
fickers of the lamp.
| The clouds ride fast as horses the wind is from


the north,
But ne one cares for Gretchen, and no one look
| eth forth.
Within those dark tall houses, a,e merry faces
bright,
And happy hearts are watching out the old year g
latest night.
With the little box of matches she could not sell
all day,
And the thin, thin, tattered mantle which the


wind blows every way.
She clingeth to the railing, she shivers in tie


gloom
There are parents sitting snugly by the fire light
in the room;
And children with grave faces are whispering one
another,
OF presents for the new year, for father or for


mother.
But no one talks to Gretchen, and no one hears


her speak,
No breath of little whisperers comes warmly to


her cheek.
No little arms are round her, ah me that there


shoul be,
With 20 much happiness on earth, SO much of


misery
Sure they of many blessings should scatter bless


ings round.
As ladened boughs in autumn fling their ripe fruit


to the ground;
And the best love man can offer to the God of


love, be sure,
Is kindness to his little ones, and bounty to the


poor.
Little Gretchen, little Gretchen goes coldly on


her way;
There is one looketh out at her, there's no one


bids her stay.
Her home is cold and desolate; no smiles, NO


food, no fire;


tiept sire.
She sits down in an angle whers two great houses


meet


little feet.


colder sky,





on high
And she hears clock strike slowly, up in far


church tower,
With such sad and solemn tone, telling the


midnight hour.


used to tell,


twilight iell
NJ nj ha lu


Child,
most wild


and lone;
And che thought the song had told he was ever
with his own;
And all the poor and hungry and forsaken ones


are his,
How good of him to look on me in such place


this
Colder it grows and colder, but she does not feel


it now,
For the pressure at her heart and the weight upon
her brow;
But she struck one little match on the wall so
cold and bare,
That she might look around her and see If He


were there.
The single match has kindled and by the light it


threw
1t seemed to little Gretchen the wa Il was rent iE
two;
And she could see folks seated at table richly
spread,
With heaps of goodly viands red wine and pleas
ant bread,
She could smell the fragrant savor she could hear


what they did cay,
Then all was darkness once again-the match had


burned away.
She struck another hastily, and now che seemed


TO see
Within the same warm chamber a glorious
Christmas tree.
The branches were all ladened with things that
children prize,
Bright gifts for papa and nam ma, she saw them


with her eyes.
And che almost seemed to touch them, and to
join the welcomt shout,
When darkness fell around her, the little match


Was out.
Another yet another, che has tried, they will not


light;
Till all her little store she took, and struck with


all her might.
And the whole miserable place was lighted with


the glare,
And she dreamed there stood little child before


her in the air.
There were blood drops on his forehead, and a
spear wound in his side,
And cruel nail prints in his feet and in his hands


spread wide.
And looked upon her gently, and she felt that he


had known
Pain, hunger, cold and sorrow, aye equal to her


own.
And he pointe to the ladened board and to the


Christmas tree,
Then up to the cold sky, and said, Twill Gretchen


come with mey'
The poor child felt her pulses fail she felt her


eyeballs swim,
And ringing sound was in her ears, like her dear


mothers hymn.
And che folded both her thin white hands, and


turned from that bright board,
And fror. the golden gifts, and said, with thee,


with thee, o Lord ~
The chilly winter morning breaks up in the dull


skies
On the city wrapped in vapor, on the spot where


Gretchen lies.
In her scant and tattered garments, with her back


against the wall,
She si tteth cold and rigid, she answers to no


call.
They have lifted her up fearfully, they shuddered


as they said
'It was bitter, bitter night the child is frozen


Dead"
The angels sang their greeting for one more re-


deemed from sin;
Men said, 'it was bitter night would no one let


her n -
And they .hivered as they spoke of her and they


sighed, they could not see
How much of happiness there was after that


misery SGrgentS Reader.