jGIIISON PEACOCK. Editor. VOLUME XX1.,P1 . 0: 219. 00.81*As.,.SUPiLENENT... 1 . for a week oftwo Wore Christmai; and after it was put in service, they had a way Of hauling it off the coals and sprinkling the log each night after the seniors had gone to bed. Hence .the back-log ceased to be the measure of how long Aright!! - Christmas=Tales, Christmas Christmas was to.last. • ' • • ; Int course of time the American Wickertons Legends, Christmas Pastimes and got mixed up through , inter-marriage with some- Games Christmas Faro and Christ y body with a hard name, whose ancestors hailed from the land of Luther, and is they,' also, were nip Hymns, Carols and Ballads, I devoted observers of Christmas, .and believed Christmas in History Christ- Implicitly in Saint Nicholas as first and worthiest • on the saintly calendar, the Christmas-observing 'MSS in England and Christ- propensities of the descendanta of the blended mas in America, Choice Dutch and English roses were intensified. But, as we before - labserred, it. was Christmas Heading for the Christ- eve at the Wickertons, at'Mr. Godfrey Wicker mas Season, eta,, ton's, who by right of seniority and' for some considerations of convenience and general pro f:4o." etc., <otos priety, 'was conSide.*d the head of the f,ently, at least to,theexte4ollumbig itdevOrre upox him to keep.up gorni old customs and:; bete the great Christian holiday celebrated at:his honse with the accustomed family gathering. ,On. this par ticular Christmas eve Mr. Godfrey Wickeiton felt . particularly happy and blessed. His little prat tlers, and his older olive branches who were just Soplring to the wearing :orlon skirts or thinking Of forcing the growth of the incipient mcnuP taehe, had listened to the annual reading of Mr. Clement's " Toss tho eight before Christmas. &4." and retired to their beds. Mrs. Godfrey Wicker. ton had got through: with her accustiomed rou tine of domestic duties and the pleasaAt work of active preparation for - the holiday had com rnenced. "Willing hands make light work." Evergreens were speedily twined, presents were. arranged where they would meet the eyes of the loved dues for whom they Were intended when the dawn of the blessed day should appear, and the thousand and one details of a Christmas eve et the Wickertons, were at IsstArranked. However horrifying it may be to some of our readers we are constrained to confess that it was the, invariable habit of the Wickertons to have something warm and comforting on Christmas eve. Mr. Godfrey Wickerton, unwilling to de part' in the slightest particub; from established castorn, brewed this "something warm and com- 1 forting," and Mrs. Wickerton in her " kerchief" and sang in bed,soon after "settled her brains for a long winter's nap." To Mr. Godfrey Wickerton, who iingered in the 'sitting-recut there was something almoit weird In the Chriiitinas preparations by which he was surrounded ; somethitg that brought home to his mind and heart the memory of many Christmases that had , sped away with the learn that 'brought' them, - and that had' gone forever, leaving . -nothing but Iheir, memories..-whether sweet or bitter—behind them. He picket:l'u -l a. romance of Le Sage's and tried to divert his rabid by Its` grotesque pictures and fancies;'but the memories of the past were doe strong to ber , thus easily driven away, and closing the beok he re siigned bi %Pit'. to reverie. He.thought of the Old joyous days when the back-log was a reality within his own experience ; of how Christ Church bells had chimed sweeter innate to his ears on each succeeding Christmas eve than had ever reached the*, through _ant other eba;niinl since those days. Ile thought of Us implicit faith in Kriss-Single, of his joy and wonder irent over toys and well-filled stockings;' he thought of the family dinners at Christmases of yore, long, long before his gray locks had lost their chestnut hue. He thought, too, of the loved ones who, one by One had left vacant their places at the family Clristmas table, and who he hoped, and. believed, had gone to realize time priceless blessings that are typified in the great festival TRIPLE MILTON'S HYMN ON THE NATIVITY. No'war, Or hattle's sound,-- _ Was heard the world around: The idle spear-and shield were high up hung; Tlle hooked ebariot stood Unstainetvrlth hoidlle blOncir - • - • The trumpet epake not to the armed throng, And kings sat still with awful eye, As if they surely knew their sonata Lord was by, But peaceful was the night, Wherein the Prince of light His reign of peace upon the earth began: The winds, with wonder whist, Smoothly the waters Met, Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, Who now hath quite forgot to rave, While birds of calm sit brooding on the chanted wave. - The atarawith deep amaze, Btand fixed in steadfast gaze, Bendir; one way , their precious Influence; And will not take their For all the , ' morning light, Ot. - Lucifer, that often warn'd them thence; But in their glimmering orbe did glow - Until their Lord himself beapake, and bid them go. And, though the. shady gloom Had evert day her room, _ The sin himself withheld his wonted speed; And hid ills bead for shame, As his inferior flame The new-enlighten'd world no more should need: lie saw a greater sun appear Than his bright throne or burning azietree could , bear. The shepherds on the lawn, Or e'er the point of dawn, Bat sitnpl &lath:lg in a ruatlek row; • Fall little. *. .ght they then, • That the :bty Pan Was kin • y come to live with them below: Perhaps their laves, or else their sheep, Waa all that did their silly thoughts so busy keep; When such zonalek sweet Their hearts and ears did greet., As never wee tip' mortal Anger amok; Divinelp4rartiltd voice. Aniswerit the stringed noise, • - AA all their souls in blissful rapture took The air, such pleasure loth to lose, With thousand echoes still prolongs each hear - cut) , cimae; • , At litst, sttrzotutdo their Wed. Alobe of elinalar light, _That with long beams the shamerat.wl night , arred; The heime ay d Cherubim, And swordeil CersPhirt4 Are &coin glittering rinks with wingi play d Harping in loud and solemn Quire, With =expressive notes, to Heaven's new-born Heir. Such musick, 'tie said, Before was never made, , But when of cld the eons of morning sung, While the Creatcr great His constellations set, ' And the well-balanced world on hinges hung; And cut the dark foundations deep, And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep. Ring out, ye crystal spheres, Once bless our human care t If ye have power to touch our senses so; And let your silver chime Move in melodious time; And let the bass of Heaven's deep organ blow, And, with your ninefold harmony, Make up full consort to the angelic symphony. For, it'snch holy song Enwrap our fancy long, Time.w4l,rpuback, and fetch the age of gold; And spwklM Vanity - Will sicken soon and die, ' And leprous Sin will melt from earthly mould; And Hell itself will pass away, , And leave her dolorous trunnions to the peering day. Yea, Truth and Justice then Will down return to men, 6 Orb'd in a rainbow; and, like glories wearing, Mercy:will sit between - TlALoned in celestial adtictis`= With radiant feet the tisaned clouds down steering ,ine festival, Ifitaven ag 6° L Will open wme4 7" of her high P a _ . am 8448 MR. meats RTO IPS CrIMISTICIS A lialf-Spanista 'Await Goblin Stem BY cAsrits. 8017D1R, JR. .IWritte*eireuily_for tiut Atupplenumt, of tit" Eveidna BulkeibLl,- Christmas ,eve, at Wlekertotee. t It was ,also , Christmag 'eve'aelefeWh'er4 -tint—the- particular 'Christmas eve-that we have. to _do -with was at the dwelling of Mr. GodireY ' L The Wickertone were alwayagreatEchristmas observers. 'rontime immemorial they had Irr kept the hol i day,. th spirit in the old 11 1 and In the old land across the seas, Were the more adventurer,* of' them came* over hither hard upon the heels of William Fenn, and settled.in his Trdreown. ripen the Delaware,'" they were strict observma of the great holiday. , , For 'all we lepdigi . , -tO 4 *ibontrary, there may have been Lords of Misrule or Abbots of ,Unreason amoog the earlier and - possibly they may have assisted lit Christ mas revels in the times of Henry VIII:- Queen Elizabeth. We cannot vouch fdilthiktit , we , ban safely &aria , that never, so far, as history or tradition, discloses, did they, neglect', good cheer when the merry Bemoan came round. , ,Pdendli 113 T kel4 - 1 11 P Christmas fOily as, often as file law allowed, and th-ey. *eat , et: it early and stuck, 'to it, laWileYeTll4ol‘gin, any, Pinton'nf once, from the gathering in of the mtstietoe, and' thelhaiding home of the great back-log;clear onto' Twelfth 1404 *two with Wi41101411, and Wraith. cake they dohdted the festival gloriously. There' Is a troditionamontthe Wiekertone, that it was rule thn:474443 l , , Ont_ChrlOnn 4 &na d be, kept up as long* thebeek-locin the big tire platsilheuldlait.l, This 'rule hid finally - 6 be abandoned, AO' OP reason , that, the sly young who toyed 'fin" better than work. tad a way of giving the back-log a good soaking • . + t • . • . , .;" •r.i , . i t -; • . , , - • ' - •- - , • • , • , ~ • . , , r . , . . ~ • . . " . , , . • ;„.,, Mr. Godfrey Wiekerton thought, too. of how one Christmas time he had taken for "better or for worse" a mate who had been a gennine blessin,t to him; he th"ought of other Christmases where' new comas, with chirping vOres . and bright, in necent faces, came to fill the,' Nam ain the heart and at table of those who had ceased to attend family gatheringri on this earth. He thought of his struggles with fortune, for he had been some; what of •a soldier in the battle of life; he thought• gratefully of the share of success that hrld been accorded him; he thought of disappointed hopes and of unrealized ambitions, and of realizations that had more tlian met his most sanguine aspira tions,and then he thought that he heard a strange sort of noise in the chimney:flue. - ' - ' - • It is sooth to say that among other thoughts in which Mr.lGodfrey Wlckerton had indulged,- was one to the effect that it was about time he was going to bed ; but the noise in the chimnerteni porarily dispelled any such idea as that, and as for., the flue was a modern arrangement that ter., any examinatiOn• • from below, ha wisely?, • eluded to wait quietly and see what wouldr*, ,H of the last increasing racket. Therelwas ititilW. Placi, nothing but a most turpoelleal "register," throeghwhich a. reat‘opabbWell - fe.4,4terike ea* BeireetY OA_ ~,irvatblmaelL Greatly 4 0 )4r:W4 - (ntoni astonishment, a-foot, - something like a : dolfs,wasfirstiqueexed gwigh the bars; this was followed by nnothe, feet, a head and a body fol-, lOwed, and rt - qiteer little figure, straightening it self u !grew-with . ntaxtrellous rapiditylinto a Man about four feet six' inches in height,- The_ atran,ger was as odd-looking a character as eta. Walt seem. i His flat face was ornamented with - a" Pagi po inted ; _beard of !now/ wlfitemm, and his sturushiche taut ttOrled end twisted' to a point -at the extremities, by means of beeswax. There was a glass, with a broad ribbon attached 'tq it,. at the right eye of the stranger, mat with an odd inconsistency he held the stirrup 6f` : arty pipe between hist teeth, and. littge clouds of smoke lima tr'?m its bimi• The, WitY - w9N 4 A l a ear+ , with an ostrich flame stuck In it; ' a fur Vest, - and pair of tar breeches 'that combined te• cover l'a little round ,belty"_ dud doubtless would . have "shook like , all Owl: dill of 'Jelly," hid .its pro. .prietor thought proper to indulge *laughter. , which he-did not.; .A , white. aatin Cloak which reached., to Lie *zees, ,sod *doh was Well tar., niched : with , Soot; eompleted the make-up of the' strangely assorted - ylshtor. It must ;tot be •for.' gotten to state, hourer, thatrida right footlras , bandaged es ;though. with the - Littrat, ; and that ho ; ' carried a cane In his tuhrd ,to *Whit locomotion. ; Mr. Wicks:ton rubbed Ads eyes to asstire him self that be was'wide and thd'manliten; Cocking his head , with a knowing look, returned through his eye-glass and Witt* Interest, the gaze , of the astonished. W,l 4 4Fortow , The tatter at length spoke "I bog pardon Mr. !Ilicholaa, 4imodetts Ifingifi, or Nibithver Your name may bc—P Here bo,wititinkte4 by 1 4.0 ehimger, wk emphatically remarked; and with ' deeded' bringing down of his cane opcin - tha4lOar, "God 4ey WickerOninulW.. me. wiuogo*****itev,i4ifest;•,:iiihiatl tildolittMT str9 I ICI"WIZM I : 1 4 8 ' 4 ?0 b(onia,4beithe uchui, sholvtow e ran sea td lie moping about here on Christineere, - getting up pa th os to the Unice of the, color of "Which to the cottage add the crown, Brim tidings of salvation down." PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER; 21, 1867.-IRIPLE SHEET. your eyes and the tip of your nose and making a dunce of yourself 'generally,' when you should either be in your night-cap and in bed, or out of doors zind , looking - at the fashions.- Now 'what do you say to a lark ?" . • Godfrey .Wiekerton stammered out 'something about the pleasure a "lark" would afford him, 'but for • previous engagements, the lack of , an introduction to hie visitor, &e., &e. • "Gammodl " ejaculated the queer little dwarf. "As for an introduction, I know who you are, and as for myselfi you can call me Mr. Nicholas Asmodeus, for want of a better name. Now, ter your boots and overcoat!" And before -Mr. Wickertott could realize the situation in which he foitid himself, •he was' hurried out of the house, doors and door-fastenings seeming to melt away before him. In an instant after, he was; hzunkid into a sleigh, in waiting, and Mr. Nicholas As inedeus, putting whip to the horses, they flew like the wind over the frozen• ground. , The driveriassed voice as Well as hands lit urging forward , his fleet team,and he shotited :vocife rously at them, oil sag them promiscuously "Donder and Blixen," with enough Spanish names to set up a Castilian princess at herchrist ening.'. Mr. 'Wickerton was stunned and Alston lobed at his rapid ffight„ and, his smprbse was by;no means lessened • when he found that . " the team and the sleigh were mounting by de grecs from one eminence to another—until they stopped upon a roof, and theirmer. old driver stepping out, assisted Mr. Wickerton to laud him self in a sort of balcony. The astonished Wick-. erton gazed about him for some time before he could realize where he was. Snow-covered roofs were spread out for miles beneath his feet, long lines of glimmering lights were seen stretching away into thepistance; while from below him came ringing up through the clear wintry air the shouts of royatering blades and the screams of tin borne. Mr. Wiekerton, utterly unable to make out anything intelligible, from his Observa- Sons of what was to be seen below, cast his eyes upward, and there, just above his head, was a great round disc of glaring light. "By George! we are at the nearest station to the moon," exclaimed the astonished citizen; oGodfrey Wiekertou,Al told yon once before, to-nlght, that you are, an ass, and I - repeal It Now listen!" . A clanging sound struck upon the ear of Mr. Wickerton; it was followed by another and another clanging sound. When, the sounds ceased, Hr. Wickerton said with a chap.fallen air: "This is the State Hotme steeple, and the clock has just struck eleven. I guess I must be going• „ "Not so feat, 3dynheer Wickerton," remarked his guide. "Not so fast, Don Godfrey. . We are out for a lark you know, and thi3 fun has scarcely yet commenced." - - Mr. Wickerton would have plead that it was. Christmas eve,. and . that the morrow would be a busy , day with him, and that he wanted a good night's rest, and that Mrs would be uneasy at his ab sence ; but his strange guide silenced him with words and acts more forcible than polite. "Now; Don Wickeiton," said. he, "prepare to be safon 'shed !" With these words ho waved his sane in the air, and the isnow , tovered reefs at all the houses seemed gradually to' Melt' a*ay; leaving the interiors'clear arid distinct to the eyes of the amazed Mr. Wickerton, as were the insides of those honks in Madrid ? clear and distinct, which the Demon exhibited to:the chivalrous Don Cleo foe Leandro 'Perez Zambullo. ' Mr. Wickerton cast his eyes over the miles of blocks of houses which had thus been thrown open to his gaze. Naturally enough he looked in the direction of his own home. All was quiet and serene there; the household was wrapped in sleep, and his conscience smote him as he gazed upon. his unsuspecting, slninbering wife, while her spouse was up in the State House' steeple for a "lark" with a very questionable character. He would have again suggested the propriety of going home, but his guide again cut him short. "If Mynheer," he said, "will look about him, he will see some sights and scenes that are cal culated to instruct, astonish and amuse him. Look at those roystering blades, who are drinking and carousing almost at our very feet. There are. sons among them who are bringing home a rich harvest of disappointment to . loving , hearts, and husbands and fathers who are wasting the substance that wives and little ones greatly" need. Cast your eyes to the westward and -see there within a stone's throw of us' those magnificent apartments, all aglow with light and resplendent with lair rim and fine furniture. Look at the men who sit around the tables, nervously clutching at the cards which they hold in their,hands and who tremblingly await the cast of he die which de cides whether they are utterly ruined or whether they are to still have means left tbem to try an other bout with fortnue!" Mr. Wickerton looked as he was . desized to do i and he saw in those splendid dens many familiar faces that were growing' pale with unnatural and Unwholesome excitement, as the players tottered upon the brink of ruin; and he saw too, how they were plucked:and swindled by the ' profes sional harpies whom he had so often encountered ' as they sauntered 'along Chestnut street,'clad in broadcloth and fine linen.. While he was gazing l at this scene, and musing upon the folly and wickedness of mankind, the .big bell above his head tolled twelve. ' ' • , - "Now, .goqd Mr; Nicholas - Isracidettii" el cl aimed the etertled citizen, "'really must be go -IThe goblin cut bias abort with, l'Don Godfrey, hang your wife, and do not make an - ant of your. sett. Naw, 4 f M.Yaheer Will fiatre Gre'goedness to look in the direction of the hoteUyonder he will see a party, of men sitting around a table upon which champagne bottles and glaSses are freely scattered. They are politicians mho Made money d ring the war by prating, of patriotism and then ii eating government b soldiere and people through I, eddy and tescality. Therare plotting new vit. .: linte l s, and they will probably be heard' from in ..., burg during the winter." "Now," continued Mr. Nicholas, "look at that iris vCsing wretch who is creepingalongthoside walk toward Fifth street. flint is a poor fella* who went into the army through_the promptings of the Most earnest patriotien. He sacrificed means and health in the cause.filph ho espoused, and he is' now seeking a lodging [ Or the ni gh t in the city lock-np. Loa); at the filthy and noisome hOle, net fit for, a' dog to stay in, Where he must spend the I night. , Oharapagne. and spring-beds for knaves , and cheats ; a mouldy crustand a hard bean,tto the worthy unfortunate. ' finch iit, life," 's' b. . . ,',,`--- ;The queer WO 4 , 04ii . n0w directed the littera. tioil of . .1111:11Vicheit*ttsi i ths Ahoruiaini tomes irototbikok**,lblO Igor' ohs* okinnity , p 'Old htipp,in g oily," `',F,lrted a cheerful ool2o44loo4teiii Piii1,4444,6g ilocotiodtd qvioe kit AgioundratiViga itiOilfrockedoeol 0!„ inanoroeoltd patriotism and itinseitY: - - _ "Look," said ths mat% *till pride, “10016 OUR'WHOLE COUNTRY. The emergency called for determined action. and Mr. Wl;erton at once made up his mind to be equal to e said emergency. With as much force as be was Capable of giving to his utter ances, while his teeth chattered like castanets, he commenced in laiiguage more forcible than ele gant, "Now, look here Mr. Nicholas Asmodens, this_thlig is somewhat overdone, in fact it is 'played out.' •I am going home and it will be the worse for:anybody who attempts to hin der Me. Mrs. Wickerton, if she knew of this sort of thing, would feel greatly outraged, and With , great justice too. 'Oh! you need not tell me that' I, Godfrey Wlckerton, am , a Jackass. Jackasses kick sometimes, and I can kick upon occasion, and sufficient provocation. There, now, slice I come to look over In the dire,etion of tnrown house, I see that Mrs. Wickerton is about awak ening, and when she misses me, there will be a startling excitement." Somehow or other and Or some process that we have neveryet been able-14 understand or ex-' pia*, Mr. Nicholas itsmodetus melted gradually out'of the way and out of sight 14116. Godfrey Wickertoreloomed up into a imbstantlal reality, clad in a' white', night-g4wri and the orthodox Christmas i3Vo rkeicidef which all right-Minded Mammas ire expected to wear upon their • heads upon that occashin. `! Mrs. Wiekertonoilth a look Of profound twr. prles, broke silence by exelalmlni; in a moat am phatie tone, "Godfrey. Wlekerton you are n "Came, Mr. Nlctiolas • Mamnia—Ll—X—mean, Mr. Mamie Nichilles—that b, Mrs. Asmodens" -:-.hastily and rather stupidly, interposed Mr. Wickeiton-L"l' haie- been calla 'that Ofteli enough to=night- Ite Called me if here in , our own room and Mery up in the State House steeple, and I don't want pia to eag Menai:nee'," Mrs. Wickerton began tto • comprehend the iosition'atthlngi: "And, Godfrey,"' she Said; `lGlodfriiy• dear, "did .Mr. and Mrs: 'Nichols:a Ilidarcinut"Asinodittis 'say up in the State Anse steeple that ElOdfrey Wiekerton was an astonish ing ma i k Because htre.henlodens Aid say so she was about right r think!" • ' Mr. Wickerton began to Bee -,"4BtOnish ing!--(44l,iest yea! ; you' tank, inn' as fenlehl4;:pri4, btft, lon too would 'hive been Osfablaned If you ;lad Seen ail I saw to-night." Mrs. 'Wtetcnit,cai resumed ".44mbilreir, what in the riamt,:iirconiinon in aced you to go t4Aleep *'eheir,. here in the al_ till 4 Mare , . IPEtead of ; going comfortably , to bed And !that do youMealkbilooking. so foolish and folrh* ao wildly; , 4temodeue, and the Sfate,g9ufm, steeple awl sorts of *Peek' tge and 41 :41 .0 *4 itel*nian?" • , , "Oh, / see 134 said Mrs . IN:, as she ,piFlFed up the book * Mr. GOdfrek Widiartcx, been_tin. xou, , 1 4 4 T/Coir op TWO quocs pithour, RITA honest ea/thee Kthgle,and hetween glith'-Dpiteh and new 43 .PF44 1 37P!4; her nndo a *WS • of IV • • 1, -1. , 9 0 047 .IVicketton ' rCe* i ; r ti i ts. 4 o 4t t is probably w a s - the real State ca ''aidEbe .1) 0;1 1 4 Pli s ClAl e .4 , Pried,cutil ete wo P. ' I 3 1 04,4 k, 0 . 1 1 0 &A' Aid" upoi ' 8(404, boa,. • wiekelgek• aldßvilP '" OWL* noisthe'Woriet tor WeeZ 44 : iiiirat; aid 'kit they made a met ttotiont day of It. at theie thousands of homes where loving hands are preparing new surprises for sleeping inno cents. All these men and women whom you see at work upon stockings and Christnias trees are my deputies. It is a little late for them to be about their labor of love, but there is no help for it. Since I have been attacked with this infer "nal gout, I have had to give over active work, and b38V43 these stocking-filling expeditions to be performed by deputy." ' dust then the clock struck one. "Really, Mr. .N mothms," puotested the haplessMicker , "th is somewhat too much of a good thing. I declare I must bid you goOd night. Mrs. Wickerton "Once more," interposed Mr. Nicholas very emphatically, "will you have the goodness to re frain from making an ass of yourself? Now Myrdieer Godfrey, cast your eye over toward; the BOrithwest." Wickerton glanced in the direction spoken of by the goblin, and which he more specifically indicated with his cane. He saw there a foul' blot npoitthe suiface of the fair city; a loWity where vice plotted mischief and sallied forth to work it; where poverty was the rule; and com fort the exception; not the poverty that Buffers' from the'mere absence of an accustomed lutury; but "the poverty' Of raga and bringer:" There was no Christmas in that blighted region. Godfrey Wickerton's sense of justice and hu manity revolted at the sight of so much misery upoll the one hand, and of Such vile scormdrelisur Upon the other hand. He thought. Society was at fault, and that if he had the arranging of things he would manage them differently, and he was about proceeding to expatiate rather learned ly and very earnestly upon the subject when his half-Spanish familiar cut him short by saying: "Don Godfrey, you aria an a—." Two o'cLoex ! " $ George, this won't 416, Mr. Asmodeus Mywife will miss me: my wife will be as mad aaa March hare; my wife will—" "Now, Mynheer Wickerton. do have the good ness not to act the donkey. What is the use of going for a lark unless you make a lark of it ?" Poor Godfrey 'Wickerton ! Silenced but not convinced, he had to yield to the superior poweranf his entertainer and tormentor. "NOW Don Godfrey, just look over into the little house in the poor bnt reputable district Which lies in that quarter." Godfrey looked in the direction indicated by the stick of the eccen tric gentleman with the white beard„ i and al though almost all thereat of the town was at test, "there sat a poor woman who lived by her needle and who still plied the polished little ahnftillat was at once, her bane and her support. Her health was 'giving way under severe toil, but without it she must starve. "She is a widoir and she has an afflicted son," said Mr. Nieholss. "she is wcrrking late to get a holiday toy for the poor cripple; she will have it for him before he wakes in the morning, and I trillget the credit of it." Mr. Wickert:in again inveighed against the world; •he Acritght it a shame, an infamous ihaene, that poor And worthy women,.who were imitable of such noble Ain:millets, should beleft to tatter privation, hunger and never-ending - toll, *idle unworthy women, who were not only in eapable of- making any sacrifice stall, are'not Meat with the good things, they unillY in inztitickts - comfoit. 3fr - . gichokur qtdetly re znarked-that "it was that way all vie world over, and that'll had been so ever since the world be gan, and dud, there would probably - be no radical change so long as tke world shall endure." Re was about to continue the theme, when the iron hammer fell upon the big bell above his head'and announced three o'clock! JOHN tiOUIMAYN DA.trontEn: A Christmas Starr. BY CHARLES HEBER CLARK. It was Christmas Eve. The earth had put on her purest robe of white, In honor of her coming Lord. In the town the, rude feet of irreverent " men had trampled upon it and defiled it, but away out beyond the long rows of horses it stretched away over hedges and fences and broad 'fields, in unsullied whiteness. Nature, undis turbed by man's preform touch, had decked' her self in her most glorious apparel, and, with the cunning aid of her hand-maidens, the winds, had arranged it fantastically end beautifully. Whirl./ ing and tossing in the keen north wind, the snow' eddied about in 'wreaths across the level lends, piling up in huge drifts agidnst the fences,ernwn ing the brown hedges with white gerlands, and covering each tiny twig and branch of .the trees with a ridge of imp*, and so reproducing Win white, that it seemed as if each plant stood there in the • wintry weather, interlocking branches with the ghost of itself. Here and there the bare earth lay peering through its snowy cioak,as if to keep roach upon the anniversary of its one great day. , :"'The snow birds hopped about upon the frozen crust, twit tering, and looking for their food; the great lazy crows winged their way slowly along from field to field, or stood searching for the burled . grains of corn, forgotten at their summer's repast; and beyond the road which ran through the low marshes into the ancient town of Oldcastle, the great river beat up with the ebbing and flowing tide,upon the icy fringe which covered its shores, Over all this landscape, upon this Christmas eye, the starlightehone, and, perhaps, the radiance of the very Eastern star, which, eighteen .hundred years before, in that far off land' by the Mediter; ranetin, led the way to the first Christmas scene, was now faintly reflected from the snowy bosom of the planet that has been hallowed by the corn ing of a descended and Incarnate God. In the town of Oldcastle the scene was different. The lights glimmered from many a window, be yond which, there were happy households making metry with the kindly observances of the Christmas season, or preparing pleasures for the little ones; or, from the stores, which were thronged with customers purchasing toys and candies 'for the stockings, hung with implicit and childish' confidence in the personality and goodness of Kriss Kingle, by the side of the fire The Gourley mansion contribtited its sharer of the general illumination, for the shutters stood wide open, and • from each window came a flare of light, which outlined from the darkness the houses opposite, and made every'brick, and every twig upon the trees in front, perceptible. This famous old house was the wonder and admira tion of all • the children of the town. They verily believed It to be the largest and giandest' edifice in the world, and it was strange, when they bad wandered off, and grown into manhood and womanhood, and came back to the old place, how the great house seemed to have shrunk up into nothing more than a veryordinary edifice after all. But it was the great horiticat Oldcastle, and its greatness was completed by the goodness Said hospitality of Its owners, the Gourlays, who possessed Moderate wealth, hut with lt, that gen tleness and kindliness of demeanor, without which riches are =blest and hateful in their ef fect upon the possessor. ' Upon this occasion there was revelry and mer riment within its walls. Old Gourley was a great hand for keeping all the pleasant and ancient ob servances of the Christmas season, and upon this night he had gathered beneath his roof a host of his friends, young and old, and bade them enjciy themselves freely and 'unrestrainedly. The walls were docked with cedar and laurel and holly, with its bunches of scarlet berries, ,while, pendant from the chandelier, - was Another hit of the thorny-leaved holly, serving in the steep of the Druidical mistletoe. Most of the Christmas sports were over. "Snapdragon " ' had been carried in in a flaming punch-bowl, and many a delicate white finger had ' boldly plunged into' its fiery depths to drag away the raisins. The • carol had been sung by the children. More than one fair lass standing, it may be, inadvertently beneath the holly, had been slyly kissed ; the mummers had robed, played their part, and re-appeared in their Christian attire. The paper-bag of sugar , . plums had been hung from the ceiling and aimed' at by the blindfolded children with a cane; until it had showered its sweets upon the floor. amidst the scramblers; and the Lord ' of Misrule had waved his wand and been obeyed, when he corn ' Minded everyone to forsake wisdom and give themselves up to folly. • ' • , i ”/ 1 The evening was half one and now they do have some Christmas ' ch arades and plays to' ose the festivities. Mr. Gourley hid- two pretty daughters. Mary :might have been twentylthree r four, a tall fine looking girl,, with dark brovia: hair drawn smoothly back from her low white foie— head, and fastened Ina simple Grechm Inlet bet: hind. 'acme not beautiful, but she had beauti• 1 fiat brown eyes, through whichlookeit Birder and' gentle soul, and by which one, eould,read , a thttr4' Otero!' the noblest, quality. • She worm ad•qttlet and pleasant smile upon ber „face, andoinrhile she ( intend Win 0/Libe Plettenrett cifi the evsning, with heartiness and eaTnefitneller, she was ~ not bolster. ens or demonstrative. ger, dates Aitty, ter Junior two -m* three Yearst , Was Aita dilraneit tegYer , ea etd, diefeeitien: , abs was a, , beau :With glowing ; cheek,. tnualeionsu Anil wisellievfone eYee l L , anfL4.olP.anidat,lcintraight; .She was zo—you,ociryththi, Alin did, sad. her emir ' eteert enklie gewleAer At If altittble aciltilSitiOn ioi, anYPOker i n 3 .Tber.V. 4 1 .4nd freue Were t4; O be the 1 order ef , ibe,eir,e*Ng. ~,BWtOolziehoW, she did net', t APPeg riPPA te be o f ,WiTeellY 04.0.1Telett, ger, ,i check:,.Wel'e*WA7 l ,ol 6 9o, and ,her PYeia atoßikd .1 Wit 4 tkeir r oldljght v but she, participated , In the , 44E4 1,1441061y04 without apparent enjoyment, d even hetre,:yedlB earreuenesek that excited her. ,r ', dest sister's apprehension. , tin Both of, these . girls had • trt4ne edullifern , Mary Itad‘‘ Pledged or trot e/YeaF PerernA 3 iekUale,',Who wee, gab's equal in yiricity,fko ~, , and tweet'' , who wen; ewe); PaYkir, A lire ' :.: ,.the anon. urelliPc4l4Bo:,7l/4114'71:tru719141:1w1:t0 8 OB of db 6 lPetien , and vices .44 s4tTerl' teen' ', tio44.whien herPaW 0iec k .,?. 1 . 1 .414. LbeTP, W e r ra ,vibiter. Ant+ e -wan efeein ‘ en , dingelno- fellow , W4e eeo4 4 ?;Oreelye $ 11 0,4 00, 40ere i-r,perity. sthieb eAtreflind 6 4e i e l i itu d i Wl', . 1 40 1 9; have ' b e9n `influe`influence,t l 9 ,it if eIA 09v, ..many ...a . ioiAakr{o l,' 4 o TO: i : i.Oie inlleeßeP of h 4 coin. , PIZOA)PiP be c . having breathed it. ,icrtiymrsc ,8,411, fratnt., there were, re 1117 ,1 ill eqcitee ,t,ir ', , fstift , ,hei . hand , who recoiled ` , . es °o4l ' 7nui f f vf# 4B ; Pow 6f jealousy ePti, fe4,,and WhOfii '01?' loved lb , Wife , ' 1114 1 eggP l 7, 104 25 ,- 6 X : 00**g', partiellior , first ,to one, f end ib4 ,1 %,0, Oar; Ono of the :octet ardent of t 1 , 11" was . 79b 1 OimP i rf * ' O)4 . 44°16 . soiled tallow, .brlmming over with love for Katy, end kindly •,, feeling for • . _ . F. L. FETHERSTON9aPabfisther .;;:)9 PRICE THREE , OENTS: , ',it f:.7. r everybody but his rlvals,wbom be regarded has' very impertinent fellows, mach' better snit Ofridar way than constantly in it. Tom Inds Ohtani! into the gained . 'of the' eireniiir. With ,Ids accustomed beartineds. and hid watched taut fully far every opportunity to get to ; Katrettitie r i and whisper a word or ) two kof ' soft nonsentert into:her ear, or tokies her...tinder the "mistietoe,. o or to endeavor to mien her , stattits to ' their: usual level; for her ' derspendeneredetett tit:43lll him, poor fellow,, and ns; the teetued:tinhappr e : so he felt a vague and nhdefinabler wretchedness A at his heart. But She was heedlestst - of' lids eon 'IMIIEW this evening, and seemed loth' toutiltha" with, or to torment her bevy of adMirarsd'Vr to `do anything, in fact, but follow 10. 1 DieleIbile 'about the room with her eye.; Or to get , inte : Jill; , corner withhinv whenever she had a ebatice ; Mary, I ant afraid was sadly neglected by ler' promised husband that night.' . s . ,`,, ',‘ Well, the dramas were 'to. continence. 'ago curtain bad been hung across the upper end Of the room, and the candles placed in front Of It,- behind pasteboard reflectors. The eempitny Ike- ranged the chairs and sofas so that they could face the snag°, and in front of all, eat Istr. end 'Mrs. Clourlay, a gray-haired couple,; who , be& come pleasantiy through life together, And wits° now found intensest enjoyment in the happhieitt of their children and their friends. Mary and , Katy, Tom Simpson and Dick Hale, with one or two others, were the histrionic artiste of the evening, and a multitude of rehearsals had their ability to perform their 'tepee tive parts creditably. The drama was of the good old kind. Katy was tile fair maiden, be loved of R !chard the Cavalier, who,in slouch hit and feather, with a circular croak over his Arial- , der, boots topped with loose folde of buff piper. and guitar in hand, stands beneath the window' and serenades her, much to the annoyance and disgust of the heavy father (Mr. Tlibmpsort),ivhe appears at the side scenes with a blunder buss and orders -- the • Ca;valler .- off the premises, and > threatens 'Katy's': linear's, (Mary) with instant dismissal .if she does not exercise greater watehfulness over"' her charge. As this does not seem possible, the adamantine-hearted parent deteruthies to *those Katy to a cOnvent, and for' this purpose they' , proceed on foot over an 'mighty:ay' tutountaltt, only to be she( chief of whom maiden, and is a dining-room ji ender the arm maiden to his he awful "agony up. 'ands, meantin° leader,' dub thro while the heavy !tents to abandor give his slaught the happy coup] oneillated parm.. , a father's blessing, and the Curtain gees derin amid shouts of applause. " , r; , ' , 1 , Then there was 'an intenxiission qt'" a few ' Minutes, during which the pent-np flood of eon- transition in'the audience poured forth in a cease-' • less stream/OPM the tinkling bell annisukiced:ll* ' rising el Ulttertrtsdn. ' - -:.: . ' - ..'t - 1: 1 Mary, as ‘laralittorat,"siO, itt h - or work,‘4id,,tigi. Of the expected arrival of her itstianif(Dfolt) with hie niece (Katy), who;farther On, Is to fall ; ' in love with, and, eventually, marry Young c }"Wild Oats" (Mr. Simpeoh).' While stints tit* ' ' ing, two figures steal down the' baelnstairearie; out the long garden, whoee snormiovente. : i Paths are fringed with' borkood„ 'an& covered here and there with tangled bushes, out thiongit , the garden gate, to the street, where then Is a putter sleigh, into whirl they enter and or Swiftly over the earth. The unrelcablittikle of ' ' the bells rings out on the froety air, just as Mari, in the parlor finishes her soliloquy. ltik i ssfoirte' in the books, that the expected .huebarie is to" enter at thli juncture, and shelf; te'ntelkict tile.' : e mbrace. She pronounces her cue kndly', Untit l ooks toward the door. NO one Optima. I She ' ' Smiles, and feels embarrassed, thinking , he luta, not been attsmidie. She walla a moment or Litt ,i more. and motions to Tom Simpson b urstntis ' t the dilatory ones. He stands therp lOdiritik , A ,:' ,. . , wildered, and signifying by his fittsinti,'2o,4 ..,„ Cannot divine the whereabouts of either - Fkl r' ' i f tt Katy. Mrs. °outlay goes out ' to ' aiKtilitiO. bin ' Cause of the delay, and °acanthi to jtetea ioenz, Everything is in disorder, and the costume ofthe I play Ilea in a heap ripen the , fleck. Mrs. Genital. catches sight of's note ' upbh the dressing ease, and tears it open. It reade'thus: y..oear Fatter and Mother: "I have left you" forever. Richard apl9,, , lP* i c !e, and as I cannot love him at home, where ary to, nelatie gone away where tlioro wyt pp' none to, come between us, or to 'separate us. .Par doh me for the pain I cause you, and ask Mar4r i to try to forgive me. .. , Al , , , ~ 1 '' ' "Your dletraeted daughter, ~ ~i l r ,r ' ' - • , 1 .r4,,F.r 13i /gm imaaed and overwhelmed by this unettpectstd ;" •announcement, Gourley stood far ittn9l4l# .4 . tio i lr aetely shouted, then, obeying ber;firsit In!„7„ , ' pulse, she' rushed down Sidra, aerosa 4a,. ,S4O l ~,.. where Ma Was sitting , 4 1 34 '9 l o n it 4 11 ; 1 ; 4 ' 41 .1 ground her astonished husbanu,•buret 'while 'Katy's note feil to tits our 4vir. *foi , 1, instant hush in the l e 6 uve r s a g°ol , 04' ittek ',' ?rut Parry prefoa d forward is e4 41 : 1 , 1 / t4 1 541 1 )thl , p ati Of this singular snefie- 1 1.4 7 Ire!/ .tit I llit.M ' _ , ) is side in an instant. l 34e Pl e t t Alti ) il9El : T , road it, banded into bef-fitqleri an ,TriF, , ,," f a llen, bad not Tom Simpson '( OitiOt,i4tOn „ ng i I rdia,, When Mr. OeurlitY trilzed tee' cont.' , of the paper, his ; face turned 100 Pate, hrslifirr contracted, end. ' ,1c . 44/Ril :41e, letter e t i I longtb,,he said ; , t ,. ~ , , A „., 1 A , 11l A ; "Friends, Alt* it, the reeerd of =rpm* ;.: rilshoner. - Sho33[oolown,Onk ,x 4.7 IP 11 l Richardf(4l4,, and hero ,. before ,Y Ol l • stiA; , 0 , 1 it her and tip{ ,betrayer, and, call itPeik; !!, , tr #e o l",ii 'A i 404 with On , 4 Pidihel.t4 l 4gy: I , ~, dealt wroth , me, in striving to ,pang ' filY, fin IC- 1 ~ . 1 sirs doer!' In sorrow !") wit' irritT e f. , - - , i , c , ,pt „'tr•tail And the old man lelfled *TV 11 .3 47= bt but with the li nes in his face grown r harder in a mozaept'a apace., , But as , otecook.4 . OsAY sleislY..b e gt4A, 10119 F, 8 P ; t_` ell • 11 ._,_ 600 7:04,„ 1 , some with tearful eye., *U., Gourley kw; k* IA „, and with trembling voice sa id: ' "Please do not eay la not bad, and we win ber if 'l4O 10M Idm, with usiPhITP/.. •tt the P43.oolWP4M;'rct tried tfc , *r Sher - „ iso 09 1 t r, ' 1 91 1( illottielr, Pie OM, TrOlift. 11 mourning, , W el l In tiviefo; Withd bul ivin ki etd , P ld ! iolliezZ,CAligi OA o# l4 in the room wkorevlri the isoitimir• of monimoi memory of which, rude ala mmamvionM
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers