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mother it leaves in sadness, and I grieve
her now still more.”
“ So he sat for a long while and lament
ed, until he at last heard the watchman
call out the hour. He came with his lan
tern down the street, and sang:
‘ In the still and holy night,
Christ from Heaven came down to earth ;
Peace to all men hath He brought,
Joy to every Christian hearth.’
“ Then the boy saw by the light of the
lantern something before him shiuing in
the snow, and picked it up as a plaything.
But the watchman walked up to him and
asked, why he sat upon the street in the
night and cold, and did not go home.
Crying, the boy related how he had lost
the last groschen, with which he should
have bought oil; how his mother always
wept so much since his father died, and
that he could not bear to see how she
would grieve for the lost groschen.
“ ‘Then come with me,’ said the friend
ly watchman, ‘ I will give you oil; but
then run quickly home ; your mother will
distress herself about you. 7
“ When he took the child by the hand,
he felt something hard in it, and asked
what it was. The boy showed him the
shining thing and said that he had just
found it in the snow.
“‘lndeed!’ cried the watchman; ‘ be
hold what Christ-kindchen has here given
you! This is certainly a gold piece ! For
a gold piece you will receive a quantity
of groschens, and your mother can buy
bread and wood to-morrow.”
“Then the boy was very happy, and
after he had received the oil from the
watchman, he ran to his mother, who
awaited him with anxiety, and related to
her everything that he had seen, and how
he had lost the groschen and found the
gold piece.
“Then the mother wept, but for joy,
and took her children upon her lap and
taught them to thank the holy Christ
child, that he had not forgotten them in
their need, and had made them so rich.”
By the time Herbert had finished his
story, for which all the children thanked
him, their papa and mamma announced
that it was time to open the drawing
room. Mrs, Elliott rang a little silver
bell which was near her hand, and imme
diately the doors were thrown open.
What a blaze of light there was, and what
wonders met their eyes! There, in the
centre of the room, was the most beauti
tul Christmas-tree they had ever beheld.
It was covered with beautiful flowers;
birds of all the brightest colors, made of
candy, were perched upon the boughs;
the branches were literally loaded down
with the loveliest boxes and bags filled
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
with sweetmeats,and with oranges, apples
and bananas. On the table, underneath
the tree, were the presents which Her
bert had brought them from Germany —
wonderful wax dolls for Retta and Mary,
a magnificent work-box for Neelie, a box
containing a full set of carpenter’s tools
for Frank, and a complete set of Hans
Christian Andersen’s books for George,
published in Germany, but translated in
to English, and full of the most elegant
engravings.
The children were delighted, and we
don’t believe, if they live to be old men
and women, that they will ever forget
that Christmas-eve.
A Christmas Hymn.
®REARY grows the winter,
Yet o&r hearts are gay,
While the bells are chiming.
• 5 “ Christmas comes to-day.”
the merry Christmas!
Rid it welcome here;
Sweetest song shall greet it,
Day of all the year !
Dreary grows the winter,
.Wot a bird will sing;
All the flowers are sleeping,
Waiting for'the spring.
Bat the mew Christmas
Fills our hearts with cheer —
Day of joy and blessing!
Day of all the year!
Dreary grows the winter
To the sulfering poor,
When the tender children
Cold and want endure.
Give them from your plenty,
Fill their homes with cheer j
Make the blessed Christmas day
Best of all the year.
A Happy Heart.
B LITTLE boy came to me
with a broken arrow and
begged me to mend it for
him. It w r as a very h and
some arrow, and was the
iis heart, just then, so I did
ler to see his lip quivering,
and the tears come into his ey r es.
\\ “ I’ll try to fix it, darling,” I said,
“but I’m afraid I can’t do it.”
He watched me anxiously a few mo
ments, and then said cheerfully:
“Nevermind, if you can’t fix it —Til be
just as happy without it!”
Wasn’t that a brave sunshiny heart?
And that made me think of a dear little
girl whom I once saw bringing out her
choicest playthings to amuse a little home
sick cousin. Among the rest was a little
trunk, with bands of gilt paper for straps.
Careless Fred tipped the lid too far back
and broke it off. He burst out with a
cry of fright, but little Minnie, with her
own eyes full of + ears, said:
“Never mind, Freddie, just see what a
cunning little cradle the top will make.”
Hear little Minnie went to live with
the angels a few years ago, but we have
a great many such sweet memories to
keep of her.
Keep a happy heart, little children, and
you will be like sunbeams everywhere
you go.
Written for Eurke’s Weekly.
JACK DOBELL;
Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas.
A STORY FOR BOYS.
CHAPTER XIX.
IN QUARTERS AGAIN THE LOROS —SIGNS OP
SPUING JOINTED SNAKES AND IIORNED
FROGS —A DROVE OF WILD HORSES— A
ROAD DISCOVERED —DISAPPOINTED AGAIN
—WALKING ON THE PRAIRIE.
AEFT to return from the
digression upon snakes,
and back to our house,
where Flacco and my
self again took possession of our
comfortable quarters for the
' \ night. During the night I heard
the howling of a gang of “lobos,”
a large and very fierce species of
wolf peculiar to Texas and the plains of
New Mexico and Arizona. They are lar
ger than the black wolf, and in their form
and color somewhat resemble the hyena.
Their howl is also very different from
that of the common wolf, and when camp
ing out at night a.one in the prairies, it
always seemed to me the most melan
choly, mournful, and lonesome sound 1
ever heard. Several instances have been
known, since the settlement of Texas, of
their attacking persons when benighted
on the prairies, and once I was myseif
with a party that rescued a hunter from
a gang of them, who, but for our timely
assistance, would undoubtedly have been
torn to pieces in a few moments, but,
upon this occasion their howling gave me
no uneasiness, as I did not suppose they
would venture up to the house, and even
if they had done so, I knew that Flacco
and myself would be perfectly safe within
its Avails from their attacks.
Nothing else occurred to disturb me
during the night, and the next morning I
rose betimes, and as soon as I had pre
pared and eaten breakfast, I shouldered
my knapsack and set out, intending to
follow the edge of the cane-brake down
wards, to ascertain if there was no road
to be found in that direction that would
take me across it.
In the bottom I noticed to-day m 1111 3
trees in full leaf, an indication that the
season was rapidly advancing, and a va
riety of wild flowers, too, were beginning