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 • . •
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.;" •r.i
,
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• ' - •- -
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•
• , •
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, r
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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