Year: 1870

do for cradle when he had children of hi


own some day. .~


And there went the little girl, with hei


little bare feet all blue and red with the


cold. She had lot of iucifer matches in
an old apron, and a bundle of them in heI


hand. That whole long day she had sold


none, and no one had given her penny.


She crept along, shivering with cold and


hunger, the picture of misery-poor little


soull


The snowfakes lay thick on her long


fair hair, which fell on her shoulders in


beautiful curls, but she never thought of


them. All the windows were bright with
lights, and there was a glorious smell of


roast goose, for it was New Years Eve. She


did think of that. In a niche formed bv


two houses, one of which stood little more


forward than the other, she crouched down


with her feet under her; but it only made


her colder. And yet she did not dare to


go home; she had sold no matches, and


had not penny: her father would be sure


to beat her, and at home it was cold too.


for there she had nothing over her head,


but the ro6f, and the wind came whistling
In through it, though the biggest rents were
stopped up with straw and rags.


Her little hands were almost numbed.-


4
match out of the bundle, strike it on the
wal, and warm her fingers at it, She did
SO. Sahtl how it splutters and flashes. as
she holds her hands over it, Such a warm
clear lame, like a candle-a wonderful
name! 1t really seemed to the little GIRL as
II she were sitting before big iron stove
with polshed brass edges and feet. The
hre burned so gloriously, and sent out such
heat The child stretched out her feet
10 warm them too; but suddenly the fame
was gone, the the stove had vanished. and
she had nothing but the little burned stick
OF the lucifer in her hand.


Then q second was struck on the wall. il
lit, and inst where its light fell the wall
seemed to become transparent like a veil
and she could see into the room quite
plain. A snow-white cloth was spread on
the table; all the bright china dinner-ser-
wee stood shining upon it, and the roast
gooses stuffed with apples and dried plums,
was sending forth the most heavenly od-
ours. And, what was still more delightful,
the goose jumped down from the dish with
knife and fork in its breast, and came
waddhng across tne room towards the poor
child; but at thai moment the match went
out, and there was nothing left but the
hard, damp, cold wall.


She lit another. And now she was sit
ting under the most splendid Christmas
tree: much bigger and finer than the one
she had seen through glass door in the
great shop OF the place. Thousands of lit
tie tapers burned on the green branches.
and bright pictures, like those in the shon
windows, looked down at her, She stretch
ed out her hands towards them. but inst
then the match went ont; the lights rose
higher and higher, ill she saw them ike
stars III the sky, and then one fell. leavino
long trail of glory behind il. Some
body is dyingp said the little girl: for her
Did grandmother, the only ;ceing who had
ever loved her, and who was dead now.
1sed to tell her that when star falls a
soul goes up to God. She struck another
match on the wall; and again it grew bright.
and IN the brightness stood her old grand
mother. so clear and dazzling, so gentle
md loving. "Oh, grandmother cried the
hid; ''take me with you. know that
7ou VIII go away when the match goes ont:
1ou viii disappear like the warn, stove.
Ike tle delicious roast goose, like the great
Splendid Christmas-treer" And she ouick
y struck the whole bundle of nhtcBes. for
he wanted to hold her grandmother fast
Ind the matches burned so bright that r
vas lighter than mid-day, and the grand
mother had never before seemed so great
ND so beautiful. She took the little Girl
lp IN her arms, and away they few H. light
nd JOY, higher and higher; and there was
neither cold, nor hunger, nor sorrow up
here they were with God.


But in the cold dawn, leaning against the
7all. with frozen cheeks and smilinp Inns.
at the little girl-frozen on the last night
4 the year. The New Years sun rose over
er little corpse. There sat the child mo-
loniess, with her lucifers, and whole bun
lie OF them burned up. ''Sbe must have
7anted to warm herself" they said. No
ne guessed what splendours she had seen.
nd in what glory she had passed away
nth her grandmother into the bliss of a
Tey5 Nearf -