THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
CHILDREN S BOOK
COLLECTION
.
i ^6
I/
UNDER THE EVERGREENS;
A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
BY GEORGE C. LORIMER.
"'Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale,
'Twas Christmas to!d the merriest tale ;
A Christmas gambol oft could cheer
The poor man's heart through half the year.' 1
BOSTON:
SHEPARD AND GILL.
1874.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873,
BT SHEPAED AND GILL,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Brown Type-Setting Machine Company.
CONTENTS.
CHRISTMAS EVE 5
THE OUTCAST 25
UNDEB THE EVEBGBEENS 12
ST. NICHOLAS 74
STBANGE COMPANY 104
THE MIDNIGHT JOUBNEY 130
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT 164
THE END OF THE HDDS 190
THE MOENING . 212
THIS simple story is but the elaboration of an old idea, a
new house on an ancient foundation. It \vas suggested by
Dickens's "Christmas Carol;" and every reader conversant
with that masterpiece of fiction mil readily perceive that
Mr. Scrooge is the prototype of Mr. Hezekiah Jonah.
Originally it was prepared for the entertainment of the
Sabbath School, and was not designed for publication. If
the writer has committed an error in now permitting it to
see the light, he hopes it is not unpardonable ; and that the
same partiality which led to its appearing in this more per-
manent form, will make for it an humble place in the hearts
of those who love a " Merry Christmas."
BOSTON, December, 1873.
TO THE CHILDREN.
A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
CHAPTER I.
CHRISTMAS EVE.
" 'Tvraa Christmas Eve, and the thoroughfares
Teemed with a motley throng ;
Here, one with his neighbor bandied a jest ;
There, whistled the snatch of a song."
A FEW years ago, there lived in the old city
of Boston a man whose name was Hezekiah
Jonah. His neighbors thought it a peculiar
circumstance that he should rejoice in two
Scripture appellations. They frequently had
met with Jonahs and Hezeldahs, but then their
surname was either Smith or Jones, or some
other of an equally common character. Yet
they admitted the propriety of calling him
(5)
6 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Hezekiah Jonah not because he was regal in
appearance, nor prophetical in spirit; not be-
cause he had ever been swallowed by a whale,
or had swallowed one himself; but because of
an indescribable something about him which
would have led even a stranger, commanded to
select Hezekiah Jonah from among a hundred
men, to have chosen him.
Hezekiah was a plain man, tall, ungainly,
and spare. His face, to say the least of it, was
not beautiful the small mouth, thin lips,
sunken eyes, long nose, heavy features, and
sallow skin being seriously prejudicial to any
claim it might assert in that direction.
He was, at the period of this history, not
young, and not old indeed, his age was indefi-
nite, and an expert, even, would have been puz-
zled to tell when he was born; at least, he
would have paused and thought a long time be-
fore he gave an answer, just as he would if he
CHRISTMAS EVE. 7
were trying to ascertain the date of a mummy's
life, or a fossil's existence, to which interesting
specimens of antiquity Hezeldah bore no incon-
siderable resemblance.
Hezekiah Jonah was a solemn man; the
shadow upon his brow, and the obstinate,
frowning look on his countenance, invested. him
continually with a severe solemnity. His voice
was more deeply sepulchral than other voices;
his shadow seemed longer than other shadows,
and his presence more chilling than it is possi-
ble for any to conceive who have never pene-
trated within the arctic circle. He walked
solemnly, slept solemnly, and even his snoring
was of the solemn kind. All laughter was
instinctively repressed when he entered a room;
and every genial, witty spirit retired in confu-
sion from his house, preferring to relate its
kindly, funny stories to the nearest tombstone
than to him.
8 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Hczckiah Jonah was a Puritan in religion. If
there was any one thing in which he gloried,
it was that he was a Puritan, and descended
from the Puritans, to whom, also, he evidently
hoped to go when it was God's will he should
shuffle off the mortal coil. He continually de-
plored the fact that the severe, stern spirit of
his ancestors was perishing from the church;
being supplanted by what he called a frothy,
smiling, humanitarian piety, wholly and en-
tirely incompatible with the serious character of
its mission.
Consequently, he felt that it was his special
duty to be a living, walking, and talking pro-
test against this degeneracy; and, like every
other religious monomaniac, he carried his pro-
test, unfortunately, too far. He never could
sec that with a change in the times there might
possibly be a change in the prevailing type of
CHRISTMAS EVE. 9
piety, without sacrificing the reality of the
piety itself.
He thought that Christians should still feel
as they did when the Star Chamber threat-
ened them, when the dragoons of Claverhouse
followed them, or when the Indians and the
wilderness confronted them; and he never ap-
peared to realize that the stern, unyielding,
uncompromising, fighting spirit suited to these
surroundings was absurdly out of place in a
land of freedom blest with the abounding favor
of God.
As to festivals and merry-makings, they wero
abominable in his sight. He regarded them
only as snares of the adversary to entrap
men's souls; forgetting, in his wholesale con-
demnation, the words of Scripture: "A merry
heart maketh a cheerful countenance;" also,
"A merry heart cloeth good, like medicine."
His special horror was the increasing obscrv-
10 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
ance among Protestant Christians of the Christ-
mas season. He never grew weary of denounc-
ing this innovation. To him, it was the evi-
dence of declension in piety, and of a willing-
ness to submit to the authority of llomanism.
Next to his Bible, he esteemed the writings
of one Stubbs, a Puritan author of the old
school, who acquired a celebrity with his sect
for exposing the alleged superstitions of Christ-
mas, and upholding the decree of the politi-
cal leaders who abolished its observance in
England, and enforced it by sending criers
through all the towns prohibiting it on severe
penalties.
Hezekiah admired Stubbs, and quoted Stubbs,
and gloried in being a disciple of Stubbs. It
was in vnin that kindly hearts plend with him
that Christmas was not to be observed as a
religious festival, carrying with it any binding
obligations, but as a children's day of rejoicing,
CHRISTMAS EVE. 11
because Jesus was a child. To such, he would
reply :
"The children ought to see the dreary
mournfulness of life, and not spend precious
hours in frolics, gambols, and laughing." And
if any dared to question the soundness of his
views on the subject, he would triumphantly
confound them all by quoting Stubbs. The
pious Stubbs was the skeleton in his home.
The children of Hezekiah entertained a pro-
found horror of his name; and when they had
the nightmare in their sleep, it always assumed
to their bewildered imagination the form of
Stubbs ; and when they were warned against
the devices of the wicked one, they innocently
supposed that "the roaring lion who devoured,"
could be none other than this same Stubbs.
Yet, with all the gloomy solemnity of Heze-
kiah, there was no maliciousness, no real hatred
of his race, and no sullenness blended. He
12 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
was not hard-hearted; for some reported that
once he was known to weep, though, I must
confess, it was largely doubted, and an old
friend declared that, many years ago, he had
actually seen him laugh; which story, however,
I am compelled to admit, was generally received
with a shrug .of incredulity. Though all such
narratives were viewed by nearly every one as
apocryphal, or mythical, yet his neighbors did
not regard Hczckiah Jonah as a vicious, scowl-
ing, penurious, mean wretch. Perhaps their
judgment was unconsciously influenced by his
wife, who used to assure them that he had not
always been thus gloomy.
She could tell them of days in the past, when
his countenance was unclouded, and his voice
soft and cheerful; days when he unveiled his
young heart to her eyes, and souglit her love;
days when he smilingly led her to tho altar,
and revelled right merrily at the marriage
CHRISTMAS EVE. 13
feast. "Then," she would say, "ho was joyous;
but a sad change came years ago. His friend
and business partner went to India in connec-
tion with the affairs of the firm, and had proved
faithless to his trust. From him no news was
received, only it was too evident that he had
absconded with the money that was to be in-
vested beyond the seas. That," she would
continue, "seemed to change his disposition.
The confidence he once had in humanity was'
shaken, and with the loss of his property de-
parted the buoyancy of his spirit; until, at
last, there had settled upon him a shadow,
which had increased in darkness as his fortunes
had grown worse, and his devotion to Stubbs
increased."
Poor woman! If ever there was a mortal
whom she despised, and whom she could con-
tentedly have seen beheaded by the executioner,
14 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
or hung, drawn, and quartered by an outraged
public, it was this ill-omened Stubbs.
From what has been said, it will be inferred
that Mr. Jonah was not enormously wealthy,
indeed, without imperiling truth, it may be
said that he was not wealthy at all. He might
have been poorer, but certainly, he was poor
enough. The business in which he was engaged
was of a nondescript character. Professing to
"be that of a commission merchant, it was really
nothing but a retail affair of no very distinct
complexion, and of painfully meagre dimen-
sions, which not unfrequently failed to yield
the support required for the bare necessities of
his family. But, if his circumstances in life
were humble, he enjoyed the honor of an un-
blemished reputation. His integrity never was
impeached; and those who knew him most in-
timately used to say: "It was a pity so hon-
est a man should be so miserable."
CHRISTMAS EVE. 15
The snow was falling in Boston on Christmas
Eve, not many years ago. It had been gently
descending for hours before, as though it would
herald the natal day of the Prince of Purity.
The Common looked as though it were wrapped
in its winding-sheet, and never more would
live in its fresh, vernal beauty; the trees re-
sembled cotton-spinners covered with the traces
of their work, while the houses, ornamented
with gathered, sparkling flakes, appeared to
take upon themselves 1 some forms of virgin
beauty in harmony with the season. The snow
was falling, dogs barked at it and dashed into
its drifts, sleighs musically darted through it,
and wild crowds swayed and merrily stumbled
in it, hailing one another with genial words:
"The town wag alive, and its heart in a glow,
To welcome the coming of beautiful snow."
At seven o'clock in the evening, it was still
16 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
falling, when Hezekiah, with his muffler round
his throat, plodded homeward. Many things
which he saw in the streets displeased him.
He was displeased with the brilliant illumina-
tions of toy- stores, fancy-goods stores, and
book-houses. He was displeased w r ith the
throngs of men and women entering, and leav-
ing these establishments with parcels of toys,
or candies, or, as he thought it, with other fool-
eries. He was displeased with the jolly bear-
ing of old and young, rich and poor; for all
ages and conditions were out that night, rush-
ing, squeezing, crushing, to obtain the gifts
that were to make the coming Christmas morn-
ing more welcome to dear, loving hearts.
He saw no touching significance in this en-
thusiastic devotion; and, burying his nose deep
down in his muffler, as though he would like
within its folds to hide his head, and moaning
over the vanity and vexation of spirit which
CHRISTMAS EVE. 17
were being displayed, he pursued his way
until his ungracious reveries were broken by
a young man who stumbled against him.
"Why, how do ye do, Mr. Jonah? A merry
Christmas to you!"
The speaker was a youth of twenty, poorly
clad, but brimming full of good-nature. His
name was Tony Tripp.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Jonah, though I am
surprised to find you out of your house on
this snowy night ! ' '
"I am out, because my business detained me
later than usual, and not because I have any
sympathy with the madness of the season; and,
Tony, I hope you will keep your merry Christ-
mas wishes to yourself."
"Why, Mr. Jonah," replied the youth,
"surely they cannot do you any harm."
"I am not satisfied that you are correct
there," said the stern puritan. "The learned
2
18 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Stubbs has proven that the customs associated
with this day have descended from pagan rites,
and druidical ceremonies, and we cannot give
our support to them without countenancing
these abominable systems."
Tony cheerily responded,
"Stubbs is wrong. I don't know who the
old fellow is, but I know this that he is
wrong; for, in all my love for Christmas
doings, I never once connected them with any
pagan, but with Christ alone."
Hezekiah was shocked at the familiar hand-
ling of the great Stubbs' name by one so young,
and, hence, he rather harshly replied,
"You are deluded. Christmas is a snare
of the devil. He leads the people to dissipa-
tion and extravagance. Here you are, for
instance, wasting your little earnings."
"Not so bad as that, either," said Tony. "I
am spending a few dollars, but not wasting.
CHRISTMAS EVE. 19
You know, Mr. Jonah, my father died, two
years ago, and left me to take care of mother
and the children, who are younger than myself.
Of course, we have not had an easy time, but
still I have been able to save a little ; and I
believe my father could he look upon me and
speak would commend me for giving to them
such little tokens of my love as will assure
them that my toil on their behalf has not been
unwillingly or uncheerfully rendered."
"Nonsense!" growled Hezekiah. "Your
father would have been wiser, for he was a
God-fearing man."
"True," said Tony, reverently. "He was a
devoted Christian; but you make a mistake
concerning him when you affirm that he would
not observe Christmas, for he used to say to
me, whenever it returned: *Here, Tony, is a
gift for you to remind you of the one unspeak-
able gjft which God bestowed upon the world
20 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
and to teach you to associate with the event
which this* day celebrates, all of your earthly
joys and blessings.' "
"Pshaw!" replied Hezekiah, "this is all
mawkish Episcopal sentiment, and there is no
good in it. I tell you that Christmas came
from Rome, and Rome came from paganism;
from which source, as Stubbs has most elo-
quently proven, she stole the distinctive ob-
servances of this season. Decorating with
evergreens came from the Druids, who thought
the sylvan deities haunted boughs and leaves;
the blazing yule-log has no higher origin
than Scandinavian superstition, and the mask-
ings and mummeries are derived from the
heathen saturnalia, which was disgraceful to
the ancients, as it will be, ultimately, to the
moderns."
"Maybe, you are right," sighed Tony, "and
your very uncomfortable friend, Mr. Stubbs,
CHRISTMAS EVE. 21
may be right, but I cannot think that you are,
for well do I remember my first experience on
the subject. I was a very little child, and had
been taught that Jesus cared for me, and loved
me. But I never understood it till one Christ-
mas season. I had prayed for a trifling toy,
no matter how trifling, enough to say, my
heart was set upon it. To my surprise, I found
it hanging to my bed-post on that Christmas
morning. There seemed to come with the gift
a new revelation. As I held the toy in my
hand, with stupefied delight, I seemed to real-
ize, as I never did before, that Jesus cared for
me. Since then, I have thought my first expe-
rience over and over again, until I have con-
cluded, that as Jesus sends the small seed to
feed the bird-nature, so he sends the doll, or
horse, or wagon, to please the child-nature.
And I know you will laugh, but I must say
it His loving regard, shown mo in my in-
22 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
fancy, has somehow constantly assured me that
He would not forsake me in my manhood."
"I laugh! I would not laugh at you: I
laugh at no one. There are fools enough to
do that. I merely pity those who, like your-
self, are so infatuated. But, Tony," contin-
ued Hezekiah, in milder accents, "admitting all
you say, yet you cannot afford the money. It is
the extravagance involved in your practice
which I would impress upon you."
"Indeed," said Tony, "My poverty has
given me no little trouble; but," and, as he
related this, he lowered his voice to a whisper,
as though he were communicating the most
horrible crime, " when I want to make them at
home feel happy by seeing how deep my love
is, I do not squander my savings, which they
might require for some necessary purposes; I
simply deprive myself of a few luxuries, such
as my dinners down town for two or three
CHRISTMAS EVE. 23
weeks, and thus easily secure the little money
I require to buy them gifts."
"Is it possible, Tony, that with your con-
stant kindness of heart, you need to give them
a special revelation of your affection?"
"Well, yes, Mr. Jonah. I am impressed
with this idea, that loving hearts require from
each other occasional outbursting manifesta-
tions of their affection. The routine and mo-
notony of every-day life give it a dull, plod-
ding character, till it comes to look unlike
itself; but when it is transfigured on the mount
of generous deeds, it is seen in its divine great-
ness, just as the Saviour, though divine all the
time, did not expect his disciples to recognize
it through the human nature which ordinarily
was turned towards them, but having mercy on
their weakness, went up into the mount, and was
transfigured before them, that upon their sight
24 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
might flash the rays of his uncreated and eter-
nal God-head."
They had been walking while thus conversing
with each other, the younger man having turned
from his way to accompany the older, and had
just reached the corner of Hanover Street, near
the old Scollay Building, when they were in-
terrupted by a crowd of excited people hurry-
ing towards them, shrieking discordantly,
' 'Stop, thief 1 Stop, thief ! ' '
The two men paused, and stood aside under
the shadow of a house to watch.
CHAPTER H.
THE OUTCAST.
"The drifted snow he skirted round,
What sees he crouching on the ground,
Dumb with the cold ? A childish form,
Blowing its hands to keep them warm."
"STOP, thief! Stop, thief!"
The throng of people pressed on towards
Hezekiah and Tony, bearing down the criminal
in their rush. It was a little girl, scarce ten
years of age. Her raven hair was matted and
wet, her pretty face was pale and pinched, her
eyes were bright and unsteady, her clothes were
dirty, old, and torn, while her little naked feet
were lacerated and bleeding.
She fell in the snow, tinging it with her
blood, with the cry and look of a poor, hunted
(25)
26 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
deer, and she held in her hand, as firmly as
ever mother sheltered her child from danger, a
little doll of the humblest pretensions.
The men who gathered round her appeared
devoid of pity, as they called her "Brat!"
"Thief!" "Beggar!"
The wooden doll, with its dull, stupid eyes,
had all the sympathy to itself; and it, alas!
had no right to be present, but was the uncon-
scious cause of all the trouble. An excited,
short, heavy man, who spoke in puffs, as a
steam-engine might, if it were to favor us with
a speech, arrived upon the ground, and identi-
fied her as the thief. He told his story, or
rather puffed it in the ears of the crowd :
"The young brat (puff) entered my store,
the finest toy-store on Tremont Street (puff),
and tried to appear innocent; but my eye de-
tected the malicious looks which she cast upon
my goods (more puffs). At last, the little
THE OUTCAST. 27
vixen (then followed a long succession of puffs)
actually purloined the doll which she now
holds in her hand."
He paused, and drawing himself up to his
full height (about four feet eight in his boots) ,
looked the picture of outraged toymen. All
the virtuous indignation of his partners in the
business seemed to concentrate, swell, and
heave in his puffy bosom. As the child made
no defence, he continued blowing and puffing
his estimate of her crime.
"If she had stolen from my neighbor, who
sells his goods in our line at fabulously high
prices, I should not have been surprised; but
to steal from me (many excruciating puffs),
who have been sacrificing my stock, retailing
it at ruinous low figures, as you can all wit-
ness, if you will only favor me with your pat-
ronage, is an instance of youthful depravity
unparalleled."
28 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Doubtless, be would have added more, but
his emotions overcame him, and he could only
express himself further by a quick succession
of puffs, as a steam-engine does when it has
more behind it than it can conveniently drag
up a heavy grade.
To the relief of the toyman, some one called
for the police. But, fortunately, it was before
the days when they were detailed to stand
guard at doors of business places during Christ-
mas season, and so not a single defender of the
majesty of law was near at hand.
In the meanwhile, the child had folded the
doll in her own ragged covering, as though it
might possibly be sent to the station-house for
getting her into trouble, or to shield it from
the cold which made her own form shiver, and
her teeth chatter.
Just at the moment of suspense, an odd-
looking, little old gentleman pushed his way
THE OUTCAST. 29
through the throng. He could not have
weighed more than ninety-nine pounds. His
features wore on them the sharp business ex-
pression common to men who carry great com-
mercial enterprises. In his motions, he was
quick and decided. He was one of the busiest
men in Boston. He darted here and there,
button-holed those he wished to talk with, and
made them dart off with him. He would dart
into his counting-house, dart through a pile of
letters, dart down his meals, and even when
he entered church, it was with the same quick,
darting motion that he sought his pew. To
have see.n him come down the aisle, with his
hat in his hand, extended in front of him
some two feet, no one would have suspected
that he was among the first of the benevolent
men of a world-wide-known benevolent city.
Yet he was. He gave away a great deal of
30 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
money, and he did it, too, in his own cheery,
darting manner.
Most of the crowd evidently recognized Dea-
con Convert, for they gave way before him,
and Tripp, with Hezekiah Jonah, drew nearer,
interested to observe what he would say and
do.
"Who are you, child?" inquired the new-
comer, his dry, business face lit up with a
sharp, but genuine glow of sympathy.
"Don't know," answered the girl.
"What is your name?"
"Dick," she replied.
"Dick! Why, that is a boy's name."
"Perhaps it are," said she; "but they all
calls me Dick; and where I lives they ar'n't
perticler about boys or girls. I knows a boy
as they call Moll."
"Well, that is singular," exclaimed the
deacon. "But where do you live, Dick?"
THE OUTCAST. 31
"Down there, on Fort Hill."
"Have you any parents, any father or
mother?"
"No," answered Dick. "I never had any;
they don't have 'em at Fort Hill. Some chil-
dren say as how they do have 'ein, but most
don't know nothing about 'em. So I thinks
that fathers and mothers are not nowhere where
I lives."
"You know, then, what I mean by parents?"
he inquired.
"Yes," replied Dick. "You means ladies
and gentlemen who buy toys for children, and
kiss 'em, and does for 'em all they want,
I knows."
"But who do you stay with?" persisted the
old gentleman, anxious to obtain definite infor-
mation.
"With nobody, in perticler; they's all poor
at Fort Hill. Some of 'em lets me sleep on
32 A NIGHT WIT& ST. NICHOLAS.
the floor one night, and I pays 'em the pen-
nies I get for matches; others let me stay with
'em if I will run messages for 'em, or miss
their babies."
At this point, many of the crowd dispersed,
and the few who lingered, gradually disap-
peared. The old gentleman gently drew the
outcast child after him into an adjoining store ;
and Hezekiah, Tripp, and the toyman followed,
the latter worthy anxious for the arrival of the
emissary of justice.
Hezekiah, having greeted the deacon as an
acquaintance, broke the silence by inquiring,
"Child, Dick, do you know that you are a
sinner?"
Dick, who had huddled herself close to the
stove, as though she would thaw herself out,
and get warmed through for a month, re-
plied:
"Yes, s'pose I be; for they allers tell me
THE OUTCAST. 33
that at Fort Hill. One man beats me, and calls
me a sinner; and a woman knocks me about,
and says she does it all along of my being a
sinner. Then comes the missioner man, who
prays and tells God I's a sinner; and that's
mean in him, as he says as God punishes sin-
ners and will punish me. But I don't think
God would do so, if the missioner didn't tell
him to."
This was poor Dick's theology, but Heze-
kiah groaned at its heterodoxy.
"Verily, Deacon, the heathen are at our own
doors. But, child," continued he, "does not
the missionary inform you that Jesus is our
friend and Saviour?"
"Oh! yes," said Dick; "and he taught me
to sing,
' Loving Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child,'
and I sings that every day, for I's so lone
3
34 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
like. When the dark night comes, I sings it;
and when the stars shine, I sings it, and won-
der when they twinkle if they is his eyes,
looking down on me. I asked the missioner
once if they war, and he told me, 'No;' and so
I keeps on singing, for he never has looked on
me yet at all."
"But," inquired the deacon, with a tear in
each of his eyes, "do you think you would be
pleased for Jesus to see you?"
"Yes, yes," sighed Dick; "for I's so lone
like, and so hungry. Maybe, war he to see
me, he would keep company with me, and keep
me warm, and give me food to eat. The mis-
sioner man told us last Sunday, that when
Christmas came, Jesus was more good to chil-
dren, for once he was a poor, helpless child
himself."
"Yes," muttered Hezekiah. "More perver-
sions of the truth, and through this heathen
THE OUTCAST. 35
festival. But, child, did the missionary never
tell you not to steal?"
"S'pose he has."
"And you have so soon forgotten his teach-
ings that you have actually stolen a doll?"
"S'pose I did," replied the obtuse Dick.
"But then, I didn't think he would be hard on
me if I took a doll, a very small one, when
I saw so many children with bigger ones, and
I wanted dolly so bad."
"What did you want with it?" asked the
deacon t tenderly.
"Do'-know; less it war that I's so lone
like. And it come to my head if I had a doll,
she'd be friendly like, and would sleep with
me in the dark, and I would tell her when I
was cold and hungry. Then when the birds
come, and the grass again, we could wander
about the Common, and see all the boys and
36 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
girls playing, and maybe dolly would get them
to let me play with them, too."
She said this so sadly, that her words pene-
trated nearly every heart. The toyman was an
exception, however. He had grown impatient,
and now puffed out his intention of taking her
to the station-house himself. But the little
deacon had, with his usual business decision,
made up his mind, and he replied,
"Don't be in a hurry. Remember that it is
Christmas-time, when came to the world the
Prince of Mercy; and it may be well, if for
once we learn of him, and be merciful, also.
Take your doll, and here are five dollars for
your lost hour; and so, go your way."
"No, no; don't take dolly from me," shrieked
Dick. "Let me go to the perlice-station, only
lot dolly go, too. You all hates me, and I hates
you all."
Hezekiah was more than ever shocked;
THE OUTCAST. 37
shocked at Dick's depravity, shocked at the
deacon's weakness, and the toyman's irresolute
conduct. But his protest against encouraging
crime, and outraging justice, was disregarded
by the deacon, who, with the aid of Tony, se-
cured the doll from the grasp of the infuriated
Dick, and sent it and its owner away.
The child sat sobbing and moaning, "Poor
dolly I Poor Dick ! ' ' and she rocked herself to
and fro before the fire. Tears were in the
deacon's eyes as he darted at the ragged little
creature.
"Dick," said he, "come; I want you to go
with me to my house. I'll find you another
doll that shall be all your own."
He was literally down on the floor, pushing
the child towards the door, when Hezekiah, in
blank astonishment, opposed his egress, ex-
claiming,
"What! take that little vagabond to your
38 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS..
home! Your wife will never tolerate her;
besides, she may rob you, or murder you, for
what I know. Better let her go to prison, and
the house of correction; you will have the
satisfaction, then, of not encouraging crime."
In a moment, the deacon was on his feet,
and had Hezekiah by the button-hole.
"Mr. Jonah, you have known me for many
years. Did you ever know me to be guilty of
meanness? Yet that which you advise me
to do would be despicable in the extreme.
Were I to turn this homeless wanderer adrift
on such a night, to die of cold in a prison, or
on the streets, I should dishonor my Christian
record, and mingle a cry of sorrow with the
strains of joyous acclaim, which to-morrow
will hail the anniversary of our Saviour's
blessed nativity,"
"Pshaw!" responded Hezekiah. "This is
all of a piece with the genera foolishness of
THE OUTCAST. 39
the season. Such an observance of Christmas
bodes no good to America, closing the eyes of
her best citizens to justice and right."
"No, Jonah, no; it only opens our eyes to
see mercy and charity more clearly. "
With that he turned once more to the child,
and would have button-holed her, but, alas!
she had none strong enough to bear his touch;
so he bent down, whispered with her, per-
suaded her, until her resistance was overcome.
A passing sleigh was called, the deacon and
Tony lifted the little creature into it, and
rolled her up in buffalo robes. The deacon
shook Tony's hand, bowed curtly to Mr. Jonah,
darted into the sleigh, and ordered the driver
to hurry with his charge as fast as his horses
could travel. In a few moments, they were out
of sight, and the only remaining men prepared
to separate.
40 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"It does seem that the world goes mad at
Christmas," said Hezekiah.
"Don't believe a word of it," responded
Tony, merrily. "It only comes to its senses.
then its icy heart thaws at the necessities of
others."
"Perhaps so," replied the puritan. "I may
be wrong; my ancestors may have been too
harsh in the denunciation of these mummeries;
the learned Stubbs may have been too stern;
but I do not think so. Well, I will go and
meditate, and pray about it. Good-night."
"Good-night, Mr. Jonah; and if you will
take a boy's advice, you will mix a little merry
Christmas in your prayers, and put the Rev-
erend Mr. Stubbs in a Reformatory."
What Jonah thought of the suggestion, we
will not repeat. Certainly, it was not very
complimentary to the sagacity of young Tripp.
THE OUTCAST. 41
In oblivion of all opinions, derogatory or
offensive, the happy Tripp sought his own
bright hearth, and ten minutes' vigorous walk-
ing were sufficient to bring Mr. Jonah to the
door of his own humble dwelling.
CHAPTER HI.
UNDER THE EVERGREENS.
"Boughs from the holly, and mistletoe berry,
Circle them round in contrast bright ;
Colors should be. as the season, merry ;
Haste, we must finish the room to-night !
Clad are the fields in snowy apparel,
Such as is meet for Christmas time ;
"Waits without chant Christmas carol,
Bells from steeple, ring out your chime ! "
MR. JONAH'S house consisted of a few rooms,
very plainly furnished. The double parlors
had been converted one, into a family sitting-
room, where the meals were also served, and
the other, into a children's bed-chamber. Usu-
ally, the doors were kept open between these
separate apartments, "that one fire might warm
them both. The kitchen, and the chamber
42)
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 43
of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah, opened directly off
the little hall. It was an exceedingly snug
home. Everything was clean and neat espec-
ially, on this Christmas Eve, it appeared pecul-
iarly pretty and attractive ; for some persons in
the house, with a due appreciation of the com-
ing day, had decorated the walls and pictures
with evergreen boughs, wreaths, and crosses.
The bed of the children was gorgeously fes-
tooned, and the mantel-piece was decked with
a taste, that would have excited the envy of
those who have to purchase that very scarce
commodity, with their myrtle, holly, and ivy.
Who could have prepared such a surprise for
the grirn puritan? Beyond doubt, the children
were at the bottom of all the mischief, and as
they have no unimportant part to play in our
history, let us look in upon them, and their
mother, also.
Mabel Jonah was not beautiful, but there was
44 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
a sweet comeliness about her face and person
which made her attractive to all who knew her.
She was gentle, yet firm, tender, loving, and
pious. Her mind was better trained and cul-
tured than her husband's, and her heart was
fuller of kindly sympathies. God had blest
her with three children. The youngest was a
son, just seven years eld, and was pretty much
as other boys, affording his father continual evi-
dence of the hereditary nature of depravity.
Next to him in years, came Milly, a radiant
beauty, graceful and queenly. She was the
pet of her mother, but her father looked with
apprehension on her coquettish ways. "When-
ever she would shake her long curls back from
her face, impatient that they should wander
from their place, and hide her beauty for a mo-
ment, the good man involuntarily prayed, as
though foreseeing evil, "Keep her, O God,
from temptation."
UXDER THE EVERGREENS. 45
But the oldest-born was the true light of
the household. She was scarce sixteen years
of age, but they had left upon her face a
weary look of care. She had been a sufferer
from her infancy. The seeds of disease were
born with her, and soon bore bitter fruit,, and
whole months were not unfrequently spent upon
a bed of sickness. Still, in her moments of
deepest agony and acutest pain, she was never
known to murmur. Always, she was cheerful
not boisterously so, like her brother Bob,
but quietly cheerful. Hence it was that they
called her Patient Ethel. She had been chris-
tened Patience Ethel Jonah; and so, when her
gentle spirit revealed itself, it was not un-
natural that Patience should be changed to
Patient.
For months, her general health had been
slowly mending; and, on the Christmas Eve of
which we write, she was able to move about,
46 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
and evince a more helpful interest in every-
thing around her. Over her father's mind, she
exerted a decided influence. She could control
him when every other being was disregarded.
He may have yielded to her because of her con-
stant thoughtf ulness ; or, it may have been be-
cause she readily listened night after night to
his gloomy views, and even gravely bowed her
patient head to the authority of his favorite
Stubbs.
It was Patient Ethel who had suggested the
decoration of their home with these humble
Christmas boughs, and it was her influence
which persuaded her mother to yield to her de-
sires. This unheard of innovation required
nerve or inspiration successfully to carry it
through. And in Ethel's case, it was inspira-
tion, purely.
Waking that morning from a reverie, she
said, in her own soft way:
UXDER THE EVERGREENS. 47
"I have a strange and sweet conviction on
my mind that this day is to be the beginning of
redemption to our house that the shadow
which has rested on it is to be removed, and
the poverty, which oftentimes has tried its faith,
is to be taken away. I feel that a new, deli-
cious joy is to take possession of us all, and
that even father is to be more happy than he
has been. My heart is lifted up within me, as
though Jesus were coming to our house, to visit
us as he has never done before ; and so strong
is this impression that I long to prepare our
humble abode for his reception."
Her mother was surprised at her words ; but,
knowing her sensitiveness, did not express her
own fears that Ethel was only dreaming. She
simply and cheerfully inquired,
"Why, Ethel, darling, what shall we do?
Surely our hearts are ready for such a guest."
"Yes, mother, yes; but the eye wants some-
48 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
thing. I have seen the earth in its season of
summer glory; it did not then suffice its gen-
erous bosom to yield only food for living
things, it also adorned itself with forms of
varied beauty. It is so with us. The bright-
ness of the soul craves brightness all around it.
And I would have our home take on some sign
of happiness and where can we find more
appropriate sign than in the holly, the myrtle,
the evergreens with which Christians have for
ages welcomed the returning Christmas sea-
son?"
' 'But your father would not permit any such
decorations," said Mabel.
"Has he ever directly and positively forbid-
den them?"
"No," replied the mother, "no; for I have
never presumed to suggest such a thing as you
dare to contemplate, knowing, as I have for
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 49
years, his antipathy to these customs, which,
though beautiful, are of pagan origin."
"Still," said Ethel, a quiet, hopeful smile
on her face, "as he has not forbidden us to
decorate the house in which we are compelled
to remain confined more closely than he, and
as he has always been willing to do all in his
power to gratify me, and as my heart pines for
the sight of the evergreens, I cannot think he
would be very angry with us were we to carry
out my little plan."
Here brother Bob broke in to give his
weighty counsel, which, for once, was clearly on
Patient Ethel's side. He was for defying par-
ental authority he would hoist the evergreens;
and, were he only old enough, would do so
many other things that even his father would
acknowledge his life-long stupidity. Bob gave
his voice for war, and candidly expressed the
hope that some wonderful magician might con-
4
50 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
vert the detestable Stubbs, whom Bob only
knew as a book, into a boy of similar dimen-
sions with himself, so that he might enjoy the
gratification of inflicting condign punishment
upon him for his abominable heresies.
Hilly also spoke, and said that she agreed
with sister Ethel, only, while she wanted to
see the pretty wreaths and crosses about the
rooms, she was more anxious to see old Criss
Cringle, of whom she had heard much that was
creditable from the little girls, her playmates.
Whereupon, Bob declared that it was a
shame that Criss had never been kind to them,
they needing his attention as much, if not
more, than others. He rather thought that he
must be afraid of father, which supposition
seemed to fill his youthful mind with pleas-
ure, as it promised well for his own developing
muscles.
But Ethel's point was carried. Their re-
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 51
sources were very limited, but, by careful man-
agement, were ample for their modest wants.
The evergreens were purchased, and with happy
nimbleness the work was carried forward. Pa-
tient Ethel devised the plan of decoration. At
first, a shadow of care rested on her brow, as
though she apprehended that the general effect
would not be as she wished, but as boughs,
branches, and crosses were secured in their
allotted places, her anxiety cleared away, and
left her once more calm and sunny.
The only one who was really in the way was
Bob. He would climb up some pile of furniture
to fix a branch, and come tumbling down with
many a yell and roar, bringing ornaments along
with him. Or he would clatter on regarding
what he had seen of Criss while doing errands
in the street for mother. He had seen the toy-
shop windows with delight, had heard that all
within belonged to Criss, and had reached, in
52 A XIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
his infant meditations, the very sage conclusion
that he must be a jolly fellow to have so many
toys, to be whose son and heir would be a felic-
ity without a parallel in the history of human
happiness. The mother laughed at the rude
urchin, and the sisters pitied him, while he
stumbled, and roared in the midst of the con-
fusion he created.
While they were all thus merrily engaged,
towards the evening, they were surprised by
the arrival of a stranger. He broke in upon
them suddenly, seeking for Mr. Jonah; and
when informed that he was not at home, said
he was sorry, as he had come a long way to see
him, and had important business with him.
Mabel requested him to be seated, and he
cheerfully complied, evidently feeling on a
friendly footing with them all.
The family saw at a glance that he was a
young sailor he could not have been quite
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 53
twenty-five his dress indicated his profession,
and its gold lace gave evidence of rank. He
told them that he was a sailor, and an officer,
but declined to reveal his name, evading their
curiosity by telling them that he must see Mr.
Jonah first. They were all pleased with hirn,
he was so manly, so ingenuous, and in his man-
ners free, without being in the least ungen-
tlemanly. Bob made friends with him at once,
inquired his private views regarding Criss, made
damaging revelations of his sire's uuloveliness ;
asked if he knew "one Stubbs in foreign
parts," whom, as he honestly declared, he
"hated worse than medicine," winding up with
a general wail of discontent at the wisdom of
that Providence which had made him Mr.
Jonah's sou.
The sailor only laughed, or told the youthful
murmurer stories of the sea, which even caused
the mother and daughters to listen with breath-
64 A NIGHT JV7TH ST. NICHOLAS.
less attention. He also made himself useful,
climbing up to points inaccessible to those who
were adorning the house, thus enabling them
to give a completeness to their designs which
otherwise they would have lacked. What their
surprise was, you may judge, when he announced
his intention of spending Christmas day beneath
their hospitable roof. They were stupefied.
Mabel hinted that her husband was not fond of
Christmas cheer, and that, at the best, they
were all dull company, but she could not say
to him in so many words, "You had better stay
away."
He paid no attention to her representations,
except to say that he would run the risk of
being made welcome by Mr. Jonah. It was
amusing to hear him express his desire to see
their happy family observance of the season.
He had never witnessed Christmas celebrations
of any kind, as nearly all his life had been
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 55
spent in heathen lands or on the deep, and he
was rejoiced at being able to honor the natal
hour of Christ in good old Boston.
Mabel, as delicately as she could, suggested
that he would derive more pleasure from the
day were he to spend it with friends who were
not so scrupulous as her husband regarding its
observance.
"Here," she said, "you will witness no ex-
change of gifts, and at our table justice will not
be done to the festive spirit of the season."
"As for friends," he answered, "I have none
that I know of here, except one old lady, an
aged relative of my father's, whom I found to-
day in loneliness and poverty. It would be a
gloomy Christmas to spend it with her, dear
soul; and so 1 must either trouble Mr. Jonah
with my presence, or content myself with the
society of my own thoughts, which will not
contribute particularly to my enjoyment."
56 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Patient Ethel said "that his thoughts should
be his dearest companions ; but if he did not
find them so, he had better come to them,
especially if he had business with her father,
who, she did not believe, would treat him
coldly or unkindly."
He thanked her very heartily, and said "that
he must be moving, as he had that night to see
his aged friend, whom he must not neglect."
The heart of Mabel went out in kindly feel-
ing to him for his consideration of the destitute
old woman; Bob hurrahed lustily when he
knew he was to come again; Milly permitted
him to kiss her, screaming with childish glee
at his roughness; and Ethel smiled a sweet
farewell as he took his leave. Out of the
house he rolled as suddenly as he had entered.
With the departure of the sailor, Mabel's
anxiety revived. How would her husband re-
ceive the innovation which had imparted so
UNDER TEE EVERGREENS. 57
cheery a look to their humble home? She
was not alone in her depression. But Ethel
was naturally too hopefully serene to betray
her feelings.
Their suspense was not of long continuance,
for the heavy tread of Mr. Jonah was heard in
the little hall very soon after the sound of the
young man's footsteps had died away. Mabel
saw by the modest clock on the mantel-shelf
that her husband was late. It was just striking
eight as he entered.
He greeted them with no loving words, no
smiles or kisses, but seemed to them all gloom-
ier than usual. His mind was occupied with
some subject of absorbing interest, as he was
almost audibly communing with himself.
"I have seen that face somewhere but
where? That is the question;" and the question
he kept asking himself with eyes turned towards
the floor, as though he would obtain an answer
58 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
from the carpet. "Wife," he inquired, "whose
footprints were those I noticed in the snow on
our door-step, and leading from it?"
Mabel. answered, "They are those of a sailor
who called to see you on business, but he would
not give his name. I wonder you did not meet
him, as he left only a moment or two before
you returned."
Hezekiah, for some reason known to himself,
started. The visitor was evidently the man
who had rolled by him, with whose features he
thought he was familiar. But who was he?
What could he want?
I have said, that as his wife gave him the
information, he started; unfortunately, he also
opened wide his eyes, and then he started once
again. Not this time about the youth ; indeed,
to all intents and purposes the image of the
genial sailor passed from before his mind. He
had simply seen the evergreens I
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 59
Some ingenious writer of ancient legends re-
lates a wonderful story of a monster whose ter-
rific aspect turned the beholder into stone.
But no Medusa could have produced an effect
more marked upon a human being than did the
evergreens on Jonah. For a moment he was
stupefied with amazement but only for a
moment; he too soon recovered himself, and
gave free vent to his indignation in no doubtful
phrases :
"What does all this mean? Can there be
truth in witchcraft? Wife, what has deluded
thee? Has the Beast of the Apocalypse been
here, placing his mark upon my home?"
. He waited for no answers, but strode up and
down the room in an excited manner. The
children were alarmed, and Master Bob, espec-
ially, deemed it prudent to retreat.
"Could I not leave my house for a few hours
without superstition invading and defiling it?
60 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
I left it a Christian home, I return to find it a
heathen temple. Woman, ' ' he exclaimed, turn-
ing to Mabel, "who is responsible for these
vanities? But I need not ask, your confusion
betrays you."
"Jonah," she replied, "ought you to speak
thus to me, and before our children?"
"I care not whether they hear or not, for
you have done wrong;" and he continued,
harshly :
"Here have I been reproving my neighbors
for their foolish revival of cavalier feasts and
customs which debauched England, and which,
if indulged in, will destroy all vital godli-
ness from our land; and yet, on my return, I
discover my own family introducing these
abominations beneath my very roof-tree. Do
you wonder that I chide? Well, you may
wonder, if you please, but I will not permit
your adornments to remain. Take the idle
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 61
branches down, and cast them forth, for we will
have no more of this foolishness."
"Jonah!" sobbed Mabel. "When you re-
member that I am your wife, and address me
accordingly, I will explain to .you all you
desire tp know I will obey you."
"Pshaw! I want no explanations," he re-
plied. "I only want these cursed signs out of
my house." With that he began to execute
his purpose, and commenced pulling wreaths
and crosses from the walls, trampling them be-
neath his feet upon the floor. But his work of
demolition was arrested by the tones of Patient
Ethel, who, laying her hand upon his arm, said,
softly:
"Father, father dear, hear your daughter for
a moment."
"What do you desire?" he asked, in tones
hardly less harsh than those which he had -used
62 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
when addressing her mother. "What do you
want, child?"
"I want you to desist from your work of
destruction," she humbly whispered.
'Desist, indeed! And wherefore ?" he in-
quired. And without waiting, he added,
"Child, I do not think it well for a Protestant
to permit these emblems, these crosses and
crowns, which suggest only the corruptions
of Papacy, to remain here."
"I know, dear father, it is not for me to dis-
pute with you," said Ethel; "in all things I
should yield to your commands ; but you have
often told me that you loved me in my weak-
ness, perhaps more than the others who are
strong, and I have therefore learnt to believe
that you would not do anything to pain me
unnecessarily."
"You are right, my daughter, I would not
afflict you whom Providence has tried so se-
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 63
verely. But what has this to do with the extir-
pation of these leaves?"
"Much, father, much; for by permitting
them to remain, you minister to my happi-
ness."
"But, then, I sin against my conscience,
daughter."
Ethel replied, very softly, "Yet, father,
you wore not careful not to sin against my
mother there, who never desired these ever-
greens, but merely yielded to my wish, my
poor eyes hungering for the sight of them."
"She did wrong to yield, and your eyes
should have hungered for the Bible."
"Perhaps they should," she answered; "but
I cannot always ponder its weighty truths with-
out a painful sense of weariness. You know
the spirit may be willing when the flesh is
weak, and I felt that the beautiful creations of
64 A XIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
God might reinvigorate the spirit for its serious
meditations."
"But," he interrogated her, "can you be-
lieve that it is possible to renew the soul with
the things of sin?*'
"Why, how can iniquity reside in these few
leaves, dear father?" she asked. "They have
never sinned."
"Nor did I say they had; but they have
been used in associations of wickedness."
' 'And what has not ?" asked Ethel. ' 'Every-
thing in our great world, all that we see or
hear; the whole of nature, yea, and the Bible,
too, have been associated with sin, and have
been perverted to its uses."
"Child, it is waste of breath to talk with me,
I will not contend or argue with you. It is
enough, this rubbish shall not remain here."
"And will you so decide when I have told
you that in doing this you will simply add
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 65
another pain to those I have already to en-
dure?" '
"You speak foolishly, Patient Ethel," he
said. "How can it wound you, how add to you
one pang, for me to cast these leaves forth to
the wind ? I cannot understand you. I do not
comprehend how such an act should bring you
any trouble."
Ethel lowered her voice to a whisper, as she
replied,
"Father, you are not God ! you are not God !
You do not know all the strange necessities of
the soul ; you cannot judge others by yourself ;
only God can comprehend the meaning of its
yearnings, and mine to-night craves what you
despise."
"Strange yearnings, these, for empty vani-
ties," he sneeringly retorted.
"So to you they seem, dear father," she
quietly, but distinctly, said; "but have you
6
66 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
never known that vanities to you may be reali-
ties to others? We do not see alike, we do
not feel alike. You see in these green crosses,
and these crimson-berry crowns, only the sign
of papal corruption; but in my eyes they are
significant of the cross He bore, and the crown
He wore, when He laid down his life a ransom
for many. I see his agony in the crimson ber-
ries that mingle like blood-drops among the
leaves, and I see my immortality in their per-
petual greenness. You feel that you should
pour contempt upon these symbols, by tram-
pling them beneath your feet, but I feel that
they should be held in reverence by every
Christian heart for their sacred associations."
The stern man was silent. He paced the
room for a few moments, betraying hesitation.
The knitted frown his forehead had worn, was
displaced by a look of thoughtfulness. At last
he paused, and sat down in his big arm-chair,
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. b/
gloomy, it is true, but evidently irresolute aud
reflecting. The family made the best use pos-
sible of the lull in the storm, the mother quietly
retiring for the supper, which she placed upon
the table, while Ethel and Milly drew their
seats to the father's side.
Tha youngest daughter was weeping, but
Jonah must have seen her effort to hide her
tears as she shook back her sunny hair, and
smiled upon him. But regard for truth com-
pels me to record the fact, that wicked Bob, as
soon as his father's back was turned, mounted
on his sister's bed, and there went through the
motions of a pugilistic encounter, in which any
one could see that the imaginative urchin had
for his supposed opponent no less a person than
his respected sire, though there is little doubt
that he would also have dealt thus summarily
with the ever-hated Stubbs, had he, unfortu-
nately for himself, been present.
68 A NIGHT WJTR ST. NICHOLAS.
Jonah's meditations continued long enough
for Bob to demolish all his enemies, and they
terminated in a definite purpose.
"Wife," he said, a little tenderness in his
voice, and his great hands resting on the heads
of his daughters, "wife, Ethel has not convinced
me, and I mean to cast these offensive vanities
from my house. But I will not be hasty; God
knows I do not wish to be harsh or unmindful
of your happiness, but I cannot be indifferent
to your religious welfare. In my judgment,
these leaves endanger that. Yet I will not act
to-night; I will meditate on the soundness of
my convictions, I will pray over them, sleep
on them, and let the evergreens remain until
the morning; then, doubtless, you and Patient
Ethel will see your folly, or, what is less likely,
I shall see my prejudices in a different light."
Poor Mabel only bowed her head in meek
assent. She felt the wound he had inflicted
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 69
too keenly to reply. Patient Ethel and Milly
expressed their satisfaction with the terms of
armistice by a kiss upon their father's cheek;
but Bob,, the irrepressible and the wicked,
uttered a faint hurrah, as though he really
had his enemy's head in ignominious and help-
less chancery. The triumphant youth dealt a
powerful blow in the face of a snowy pillow
which he held firmly under one arm a blow
so dexterously bestowed, that, ' had not the
pillow been inexcusably insensible, it would
have crimsoned itself over with shame or
blood.
No such sanguinary consequences followed,
and Master Bob, as sudden as was his triumph,
as suddenly disappeared behind the door, from
whence he emerged at his father's summons,
looking as innocent as a lamb. Indeed, no one
would have concluded that violent thoughts
had ever been cherished in his tow-covered
70 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
head. Little Jack Horner, of Christmas-pie
notoriety, who "put in his thumb, and pulled
out a plum," sayiug, "What a good boy am
I," could not have appeared less guilty in
his famous corner, than did hopeful Robert
Jonah.
The supper, never a joyful meal with Mr.
Jonah's family, was a dreary one that night,
and even prayers were unusually uninteresting
and burdensome. A painful silence followed.
Hezekiah took down the works of the Rev. Mr.
Stubbs to read, as he was wont to do when
gloomy or perplexed. Mabel soon after in-
sisted on the children retiring for the night.
The girls obeyed with the grace of obedient
daughters, but Bob had fallen asleep on the
floor, unnoticed by his parents. It was no easy
matter to arouse him to that degree of con-
sciousness requisite for the undressing opera-
tion successfully to be performed. He \vas
UNDER THE EVERGREEN'S. 71
shaken by his mother, growled at by his father,
and laughed at by his sisters. At last, he was
successfully laid away, but not before be had
shocked his sire by muttering in his sleep some
unintelligible denunciations of one Stubbs.
When order had been restored, and the doors
which shut off the children's chamber from the
supper-room had been closed, Hezekiah re-
quested Mabel to leave him to himself.
"Go, wife. I would be alone for an hour or
two, that I may think over this silly cause of
family difference, and pray to God to enlighten
me, if I am in darkness." There was a slight
touch of irony in the tone of voice with which
he uttered these words.
"Good-night, dear Hezekiah," said Mabel,
as she left the room. "Good-night; and, be-
lieve me, I shall also pray, not that the "ever-
greens be left upon the walls, but that your old
genial self may be restored to you in your age ;
72 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
for you were happier far, and made others hap-
pier around you, when you smiled with the
joyous, and frowned not on the innocent recrea-
tions of your friends. I shall pray for the sun-
shine to return to your soul, beautifying the
religious grace which has preserved its integrity
in the midst of vicissitudes that not unfre-
quently have wrecked men's honor."
An "amen" was on his lips, but he sup-
pressed it as unworthy his puritan character.
Yet, could he have heard, he might have caught
the sound of an "amen" from the hearts of his
innocent children.
And were there no angels, no ministering
spirits, who, in the very presence of the Throne
on high, heard the prayer of wife and mother,
and confirmed.it with an "amen" full of grace
and melody ? Even if they were deaf, the Lord
Jesus, who, when on earth, in the midst of life's
stern ordeal, countenanced the festal joy of the
UNDER THE EVERGREENS. 73
marriage in Cana of Galilee, must have heard
and confirmed it with his own "Amen," which
is, to all his people, the divine assurance that
their cry will not ascend unheeded.
CHAPTER IV.
ST. NICHOLAS.
" The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
"With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew, in a moment, it must be St. Nick."
HEZEKIAH was not pleased with himself.
While he would not have made that humbling
confession, yet the truth of the statement is un-
deniable. He found fault with his wife, and
his children, but his indignation would not
exhaust itself on them; it would turn back
upon himself.
It was in vain that he tried to exclude Heze-
kiah Jonah from his mental tribunal, and lock
(74)
ST. NICHOLAS. 75
him up in a prison of f orgetf ulness ; constantly
he reappeared, and the judge within from the
bench of the soul, would address him rather
pointedly :
"You are a nice man, you are, to interfere
with the harmless delights of your babies,
because your heart is as dry as a stone and as
cold as an iceberg."
Then he would protest, argue the case over
and over again, yet without escaping from the
conviction that he was not remarkably blessed
with amiable toleration. After he had rea-
soned, as he thought, conclusively, still the
voice within would answer,
"You are not right, Mr. Jonah, and you
know it." His only recourse was to stir up
the fire with a pious vigor, which indicated
more than words his dissatisfaction with the ex-
isting state of things. Ah! If the ashes could
only be raked out of his heart, and a brighter
76 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
fire be enkindled there, it would warm his home
into a glow of happiness, and he might thank
God for the. rude poker that should accomplish
so genial a work. And, dear reader, shall we
say that this is an impossibility? Drunkards
have been suddenly converted to sobriety,
the stingy have been made liberal, and the
churlish polite; why, then, may there not be
means in this wonderful universe to change
even Mr. Jonah? Perhaps there are.
The hours were rapidly passing away, and
Hezekiah, worn and fretful, sat in a -reverie
before the blazing fire. The flames shot up
brightly, filled the room with their light, and
disrespectfully made extremely comical pictures
of the puritan on the wall. They looked like
little imps dancing among the coals, whose
special function it was to depict in shadows
their private impressions of his character and
conduct. When he moved in one direction,
ST. NICHOLAS. 77
his image was magnified, darkening the entire
side of the chamber; when he changed this po-
sition, his head would become elongated, or
swollen horribly, suggesting the extent of the
gloom, and the deformities of nature which his
harshness would create, were it allowed unre-
proved to influence mankind.
But all these shadows were not more gro-
tesque than were those which darkened his
mind. He pictured to himself the sombre Mr.
Stubbs, from the pulpit gravely admonishing
him not to tolerate so much as a leaf of holly
in his house : his imagination revealed to him
a concourse of puritans risen from the dead,
with their square-cut hair, and their looks of
aggrieved piety, warning him, through their
nasal organs, against the world, the flesh, and
the devil. He saw one of them, with a sad ex-
pression of countenance, hang a cat on Mon-
day, for wickedly catching a mouse on Sun-
78 A NIGHT 1FITH ST. NICHOLAS.
day; and another, he beheld administering cor-
poral punishment without stint, because the
small boy, his victim, had indulged in some
worldly vanity. All kinds of mirth and pleas-
antness, good and bad, were blended in his rev-
eries into a huge monster whose presence and
breath were fatal to the church, to piety, and
to the welfare of the race in general.
With these fancies haunting his brain, he
nodded, and snoozed, as one so accustomed to
their presence at various times that they had
lost all power to prevent him from sleeping.
Every now and then, his stern features would
relax, and the faintest resemblance of a smile
light up his face, but he would rouse himself
as though to put away the strange intruder,
and drop off to sleep again.
What caused this passing gleam ? was it the
fire ? or was it some stray remembrance of his
boyhood, when he laughed with the birds, and
ST. NICHOLAS. 79
sparkled like the spray of the sea, shaping- it
self into a vision of what he might be in the
future, a sunny, loveable old man? "What
was it?
The clock struck twelve! In many a high
cathedral solemn services were preparing; in
lovely English churches, the devout were adorn-
ing holy places with humble evergreens ; in the
streets of London, merry carols were being
sung, if not with angel voices, or from angel
hearts, with at least the angelic purpose of
making glad the night on which was born, some
nineteen hundred years ago, the world's Re-
deemer.
The clock struck twelve! In old Boston,
many a store was yet unclosed, many a cham-
ber window showed a light within, and many
a father, son, or brother, was silently creeping
home with strange assortments of purchases,
which, if not intended for the little ones, in-
80 A NIGHT WITH ST, NICHOLAS.
dicated that these adults desired to revive for
themselves the joys of their childhood. Either
the grown people were going to delight the
children, or, dissatisfied with the toys, such
as station, wealth, and fame, were returning to
the old ones of their earlier years the wooden
dolls, and horses, or Noah's Arks, which, if not
so valuable as the former, are at least exempt
from the tears and blood with which they are
sometimes stained.
The clock struck twelve, and Hezekiah
Jonah slept.
* * * * * *
The snow was still falling, the sound of the
church clock was dying when the silence was
broken by the musical jingle of sleigh-bells.
They rang softly on the air in the far distance,
with their usual confused sweetness. As the
sleigh came nearer, and nearer it was evidently
coming, they became more distinct to the ear,
ST. NICHOLAS. 81
tinkling out cheerfulness from their little sil-
ver throats. Hezekiah seemed to hear them,
though they sounded only to him as a ringing
or singing in his head, and he was conscious of
a desire to see who it was that was driving so
merrily over the breast of the beautiful snow.
He rose from his chair, and moved towards
the window, that he might look out upon the
street; but before he could fix his eye upon
any object there, his attention was attracted by
a strange phenomenon occurring in his room.
It was the appearance of an unnatural but brill-
iant illumination. The chamber was filled
with light. It was not warm, nor sunny in
appearance, but emerald and white, like the
lustre of the glaciers of the north.
The old man was surprised, rubbed his eyes,
and thought for a moment that, he was de-
ceived, but he was not. There it was, the
strange light, and oddly enough, it shone from
82 A XIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
among the leaves of the evergreens remaining
on the walls. Every cross, every crown emit-
ted rays which invested them with beauty, and
dazzled with their cold brilliancy the sight of
the much interested Jonah. He felt the power
of the light so distinctly that he covered his
eyes for a moment with his hands, but when
he removed them, he was astonished beyond
measure by what he saw, for he beheld not
only the lustrous halo silvering the branches
and leaves, but also a little, odd-looking old
man, who was standing with his back to the
fire, gazing intently on him, as though he
would search him through and through.
Mr. Jonah was not destitute of courage, but
he could not help feeling a chilly, creeping
sensation, not unlike fear, as he observed the
mysterious intruder. He did not believe in
ghosts, and his visitor was too substantial,
though small in stature, for him to have
ST. NICHOLAS. 83
belonged to that attenuated class, who are sup-
posed to wander about rather loosely on the
earth, to the annoyance of well-disposed mor-
tals. Nor was it the appearance of the stranger
which excited his apprehension; it was rather
the manner and suddenness of his coming, com-
bined with the ominous hour of twelve.
Certainly, there was not anything alarming
about the old gentleman. His face was ruddy
and bright ; and, though his features were some-
what heavy, the constant smile upon them,
which occasionally expanded into a laugh of
the most uproarious kind, invested them with
no small degree of attractiveness. His eyes
were brilliant, sharp, and ever twinkling; they
were shaded by snowy eyebrows of huge pro-
portions, which were in perfect harmony with
his crisp, white beard, and his curly, but frosty
head of hair. His limbs were very short, so
was his neck, the only long part of his form
84 A RIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS,
being his body. That gradually sloped from
under his chin into most marked rotundity,
and then suddenly turned in the opposite direc-
tion, hopelessly hiding from him the view of
his knees forever.
The merry smile which shone from his eyes,
seemed to glimmer in his hair, and make com-
fortable his person. His very dress reflected
ite lustre, and gave a kind of beauty to its
quaintness. And quaint it was. It did not
show the mark of any distinct nationality
his big breeches might have come from Hol-
land, his fur jacket from Greenland, and his
rather disreputable-looking hat from Donny-
brook Fair. Yet, every garment became him
remarkably well, and it would have been ex-
ceedingly difficult to have suggested any im-
provement.
I have said that he was old, but that hardly
expresses the truth. He was of indefinite age.
ST. NICHOLAS. 85
He looked as though he had stopped growing
old a thousand years ago, and had remained in
a state of most wonderful preservation ever
since. In his motions, he gave no signs of
decay; he moved nimbly, with a skip and a
jerk, and twisted his limbs when he tried to
compose himself to rest with most extraordi-
nary and comical suppleness. Neither could
any have inferred that he was advanced in life
from his voice, which was cricket-like in its
shrillness, and strong enough to have roused
the deaf.
This visitor of strange extremes had on his
back a kind of peddler's pack, full of com-
modities of various descriptions; even his
capacious pockets were crowded with a multi-
plicity of articles. Hezekiah readily detected
the character of his wares, they were toys.
Toys in his pack, toys in his breeches pockets,
toys in his jerkin's receptacles, and toys slung
86 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
together and hung round his neck. There
were lady dolls and elephants, gentleman dolls
and doll monkeys; there were miniature trum-
pets, drums, guns, swords, cannon, horses, and
artillery, yea, even soldiers, and generals; all
huddled with the utmost disregard of propriety
into intimate companionship. No tongue could
relate, and no pen could write, all the glories
of his rare assortment, comprising, as it did,
the latest inventions in the line of self-moving
figures, down or up, whichever you like, to the
ancient Noah's Ark, of which it is traditionally
reported that it was originally devoted by the
survivors of the flood to the amusement and
instruction of juvenile post-diluvians.
When the intruder discovered that Mr.
Jonah was looking at him, he seemed to be
anxious to remove the apprehensions of the
pious man, and so he winked at him quite
encouragingly, and then with condescending sa-
ST. NICHOLAS. 87
gacity, as though he would establish a footing
of mutual confidence between them, he placed
his finger expressively on the side of his nose.
But this friendly regard did not win nor reas-
sure Mr. Jonah. He did not know but that the
last sign was the mark of the Apocalyptic beast,
or a freemason's signal, or something else
equally unrighteous, and he therefore stood
upon his guard; or, rather, most warily ap-
proached the stranger, saying,
'May I be permitted to ask who it is that
honors me with a visit at so unseasonable an
hour?"
The funny old fellow replied, with a laugh,
"Of course you may, I am Saint Nicholas,"
and he turned and twisted with the excess of
his own mirth.
Had a thunderbolt fallen at the feet of the
puritan, he could not have been more astou-
88 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
ished than he was by this announcement. With
scorn on his lip, he answered,
"A pretty -looking saint you are."
"Well! " said the intruder. "I know I don't
look as though I did much business in that
line ; yet I sometimes am of the opinion that
you mortals form very queer ideas about us
supernatural beings."
"How is that?"
"Why, your painters draw and color us in
their pictures to appear alike. We are all thin,
all dressed in white, with a woe-begone look
about the face, and a circle they call a halo
around our heads. Now, I never could see why
fatness should be withheld from saiiitship, and
the sorrowful visage be thrust upon it."
"I apprehend," said Jonah, sarcastically,
"that your opportunities for examining such
questions have been rare, and think it not im-
probable that you have little in common with
ST. NICHOLAS. 89
those who are beatified above, or even those
who are struggling to be holy on the earth."
Nicholas, with good humor, replied:
"Very likely; for you see most of the
saints of my acquaintance here take special
delight in making themselves, and every one
else, unhappy; and I have no sympathy with
their bilious, acrid, sour piety. Whether they
get over their morbidness when they die, I
know not, but I should hope, for the sake of
Heaven's comfort, that they might."
"If your opinion of the saints is so unfa-
vorable, why do you wear the title?"
Nicholas roared and shook, as he remarked
that he was often perplexed to know what right
he had to claim it. "But," he continued, "I
suppose I may do so as well as others; for it
is no more absurd to have a laughing saint than
to have a groaning one. But if you are con-
scientiously opposed to the application of the
90 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
title to me, you can call me by some of my
other names, as Criss Cringle, or Santa Glaus,
or the Glaus without the Santa."
"No, I care but little about your name,"
said Jonah. "I did not even ask to know it,
but I would like to be informed who you are,
that you presume in this most unaccountable
way to intrude upon my privacy."
Without noticing the surly tone in which the
discourteous request was made, Santa Glaus,
looking somewhat serious and perplexed, re-
plied,
"Like a great many other individuals, if I
may be permitted to call myself an individual
at all, I am possessed with only vague impres-
sions of my antecedents. The antiquarians in-
form me, on the best of authority, that I was
once a bishop."
Hezekiah was partly shocked, and partly
amused at the idea of such a queer figure ever
ST. NICHOLAS. 91
having ruled from a bishop's throne, and he
exclaimed,
"Your See must have been a fat one, you
evidently thrived on it. Where was it?"
"They say it was the See of Myra," replied
Santa Glaus; "and if it ministered to my ro-
tundity, I am not the only bishop who has de-
rived fatness from his benefice. But let me
give you a brief chapter from my early history,
which I suppose must be correct, but which,
anyway, I have adopted for want of a better.
"When I was on earth, mingling with mor-
tals, I became very fond of sailors, and other
wandering characters; moreover, I carefully
defended all young, helpless maidens, and
children were my special delight. Having
passed into another state of existence, I was
canonized as the patron saint of the little ones,
though the church also placed under my charge
the other afore-mentioned interesting cases.
92 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
After a time I found my hands so full in look-
ing after the babies, that I resigned all care for
the others, and devoted myself to their happi-
"May I be so bold as to ask what deeds you
wrought, when in your office, that entitled you
to canonization?"
"Yes; there are two incidents, only worth
mentioning. In my parish there were three
young girls who wanted to marry, but their
fathers objected, because they were poor, and
their suitors, also, were in humble circum-
stances. Hearing of their distress, I went one
night, and placed a purse of gold for each of
them on the sill of their windows. They dis-
covered the money, and were able to marry.
On another occasion I was invited to dine with
a gentleman. I went to his house, but when
at the dinner-table, I discovered that my host
ST. NICHOLAS. 93
had served up, all nicely cooked, the remains
of some tender children "
Hezekiah, when the intruder reached this
point in his narrative, appeared interested; at
least, he inquired,
"'How did you know the food was this can-
nibal diet?"
"That hajS frequently puzzled me," an-
swered Santa Glaus, with a grave effort to
resist his laughing propensities; "but I have
concluded that I must have detected the impo-
sition by the smell of paregoric, or Mrs. Win-
slow's Soothing Syrup; for, wherever I go now,
my olfactory organs are generally saluted with
these odors. But that is a small matter. I
found them, and raised them from the dead."
"Indeed!" said Hezekiah; "and how did
you do that?"
"Why, I did it by a laugh. I set to work
telling my host all of the amusing stories I
94: A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
ever heard. He roared, and I roared, when, to
his astonishment, the very food itself laughed,
and the children started up from the dishes,
and joined us most heartily."
This was too much for Hezekiah's patience,
and he growled,
"You don't surely expect me to believe such
nonsense?"
"No, I am not particular whether you be-
lieve what you hear, or disbelieve. The fact
remains the same. And you will find that a
real side-splitting, body-twisting laugh can
work miracles even as great as that. ' '
"Well," Hezekiah responded. "Admitting
the reality of some parts of your history, what
are you doing now?"
Santa Glaus rapidly replied, his face beam-
ing with smiles,
"I am befriending the children. As I am
their patron saint, I could not rest satisfied
ST. NICHOLAS. 95
with merely watching over them, so I deter-
mined that 'with each recurring Christmas-tide
I would visit them, and try to procure some
present to make them glad on the morning,
hallowed as the day of our Saviour's birth. 1
sometimes go with fathers and mothers in
Germany and Holland to their children, and
enforce their lectures by leaving a whip for
the naughty, and a toy for the good. But I
do not like to occupy that position, as the
little criminal always thinks unkindly of Criss;
therefore, when I can, I have bestowed a pres-
ent upon them all, believing that happiness
in their hearts will do much towards creating
obedience in their lives."
"So, then, you are from Germany? I hate
the Dutch," said Hezekiah.
"Very Christ-like that, in you," answered
Nick, with a titter. "But I am not Dutch;
neither am I English, nor Yankee; I'm cos-
96 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
mopolitan, and the children know me and love
me everywhere. Do you wish irie to prove
this?"
Without waiting for any response, he moved
towards the doors dividing the room wherein
Mr. Jonah's children slept from the chamber in
which they had conversed. The doors opened
without his touching them, and the dear ones
were clearly seen, wrapt in slumber. As Santa
Glaus moved towards the beds, the faces of
the children in their sleep were lit up with
radiant brightness. Bob called out, "Hurrah
for Santa!" Milly stretched out her lovely
hands, as though to lay hold upon him, and
Ethel even laughed, exclaiming, "What, have
you brought the sufferer a gift of love?"
The harsh father felt the water moistening
his eyes, but he tried to hide the touch of ten-
derness by turning his face away from his
children haunted with happy dreams. When
ST. NICHOLAS. 97
he directed his attention that way again, the
doors were closed, and he saw only Saint
Nicholas standing with his back towards them,
with his twinkling, roguish eyes full of mirth
bent upon him.
"There, now I" said Nick. "Can you doubt
me any longer? Don't you see the little ones
who have never met me yet recognize me as
their friend? Somehow, they always know
instinctively who loves them, and for such
they ever have a cheery welcome."
"Suppose all that you say is true, what busi-
ness can you have here with me or mine,"
replied the old man, rather gruffly.
With a quick movement, the queer little
fellow drew nearer Mr. Jonah, and looking
quizzically into his face, answered his ques-
tion,
"I thought that possibly you might want
98 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"Me I want you! What on earth should
I want you for?"
"Why!" retorted Nick. "That you might
be helped by me to spend your Christmas like
a Christian, and not like a heathen, as has
been your custom."
"A heathen!" roared the old puritan. "I
a heathen I, who have constantly rejected
these pagan rites! Call me a heathen? You
are the heathen, sir, with your ivy, holly, and
mistletoe, and not I."
Santa Glaus laughed immoderately at this
display of temper, ran round the room as
though he could not restrain his merriment
at the power of the humble decorations to
excite the anger of one who should be calm,
even if he could not be always just. In a half
audible tone of voice, as though communicat-
ing partly with himself, and partly with Mr.
Jonah, he said,
ST. NICHOLAS. 99
"What odd notions fill the minds of these
saints ! They seem to forget that when Jesus
went up to Jerusalem in triumph, the people
waved palms as they crowded around him, and
he did not reprove them for their conduct.
They always lose sight of the fact that Jesus
was ever preaching sermons, with texts at their
head, which grew in the fields and by the water-
courses. And though the pagans had, wor-
shipped Nature, and even though the Jews had
reverenced with idolatrous homage some of its
works, yet did he not hesitate himself to
employ them to illustrate his teachings, or to
deepen their religious convictions. I suppose
he was unwilling that the devil should have
all the beautiful things on his side to be used
in the cause of wickedness. But now, when
good people wish to express their happiness,
and when they adorn their homes with holly and
ivy to signify the perpetual bounty of God, to
100 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
which they owe all that they have, and which
is the spring of every joy their hearts experi-
ence, they are denounced as sinners, or, at least,
sneered at, as though they were superstitious
pagans. Well, all I can say about it is, that
men are queer institutions, and iny delight is
unbounded that I no longer belong to their
mundane, contradictory order."
As these reflections were not addressed
directly to his companion, they passed un-
noticed by that worthy, who, however, availed
himself of the brief pause which followed, to
renew the attack, proving that however he
may have been partially convinced by what he
had heard, there yet lingered many grave
doubts in his mind regarding the soundness of
the views expressed.
"Do you not know, sir, that you are re-
garded by those who have heard of you as a
personage of evil repute ; that they associate
ST. NICHOLAS. 101
with your annual visits the dissipation and
debauchery which too generally distinguish
this season? Your presence is the signal for
drunkenness and rioting. Can you wonder,
then, that I should look upon you with fear,
and ask, with indignation in my voice, what
business can you have beneath the roof of a
sober Christian like myself?"
How far he might have carried his re-
proaches cannot be ascertained, but they were
interrupted by Santa Glaus, with the aston-
ishing avowal,
"Some truth for what you allege, Mr.
Jonah. It is almost impossible for a commu-
nity to feel very happy, and escape all ex-
cesses ; but this same misery in which you are
pleased to shroud yourself has made as many
drunkards and vicious wretches as ever mirth
occasioned. Yet we cannot live without one
or the other of them influencing our minds,
102 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
which shall it be? I decide in favor of
mirth harmless, innocent mirth."
"Yes," answered Jonah. "That sounds pret-
ty enough; but how can you talk in this way
when your own example is clearly on the side
of dissipation? You would exhort men to in-
nocence in pleasure, with your breath all the
time smelling of rum. 'Physician, heal thy-
self.' "
St. Nicholas, half sighing and half laughing,
replied,
"How true it is, give a dog a bad name,
and how it does stick to him."
"But if it is deserved," asked Jonah, "what
then?"
"Why, let it stick; but I don't deserve it."
"Indeed!" incredulously exclaimed Jonah.
"Indeed!"
"Yes, indeed for I am reformed 1 "
"Eeformed!"
ST. NICHOLAS. 103
"Yes, reformed; taken the pledge, joined the
temperance party, and they who are in author-
ity have never published the conversion of my
distinguished self."
''Reformed!" still repeated the astonished
puritan. "When, where, how?"
"Thereon hangs a tale! Possibly you would
like to hear it."
"I should."
"Then listen I"
CHAPTER V.
STRANGE COMPANY.
"More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name,
'Now Dasher ! now Dancer ! now Prancer ! now Vixen !
On, Comet ! on, Cupid ! on, Donder and Blitzen !
To the top of the porch ! To the top of the wall !
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all. ' "
SAINT NICHOLAS jumped into the great chair
before the fire, and sat there with his little
legs crossed under him, that with comfort to
himself he might relate the narrative of his
conversion. He motioned Mr. Jonah not to
stand, and the puritan mechanically obeyed.
All the arrangements being satisfactory, he
proceeded with his story.
"I don't deny that formerly I was a veiy sad
(101)
STRANGE COMPANY. 105
fellow, owing, possibly, to my fondness for
sailors, which circumstance I have already
mentioned; associating with them frequently,
I must have contracted my drinking habits in
this way, for they always have loved the flow-
ing bowl, and insist upon their friends partak-
ing with them. As this was long ago, before
the days of temperance orders, and as every one
drank, I did not see any harm in doing like
the rest of mankind. When the season was very
hot, I drank to cool myself; while waiting
patiently for the return of winter, and when it
came, if it was very cold, I felt obliged to take
something warm and strong just to keep the
fires within bright and glowing. This custom
continued until a few years ago, when an inci-
dent occurred which effectually delivered me
from its thralldom,
"One season, just before Christmas, I thought
I would go spend the day with an old friend,
106 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
who, though disliked by the world, to me was
always hospitable and genial. The snows had
fallen, my reindeer were anxious to be out,
and so I harnessed up the team, and away we
flew like 'the down of the thistle.' We arrived
in a few se.conds, and found the palace of my
friend lighted up with great brilliancy. He
was entertaining a large, but select company of
invited guests. My friend's name is OLD TIME,
a strange spirit, always creating, only to de-
stroy. He seems to delight in making and
fashioning forms most mighty and beautiful, for
the purpose of revealing their frailty. His
sumptuous palace is called Eternity. In it he
was born, and to it he is constantly adding
new towers, halls, and chambers out of years
which have been squared and fitted for the
building upon earth. His special guests on the
occasion to which T refer were PAST, PRESENT,
and FUTURE, three very interesting characters,
STRANGE COMPANY. 107
whose talents were remarkable then, and always
will be.
"Mr. Past was very antiquated looking, Mr.
Present, very practical, and Mr. Future, very
dreamy. It seems that these three important
individuals had been alienated and quarrelsome.
Past believed the world would never see his
like again, Present sneered at him, and called
him an old fogy, while Future laughed at
them, and declared that he would eclipse them
both. This estrangement was exceedingly de-
plorable, and so Old Time invited them to the
palace, assured that in eternity the differ-
ences of the three could be composed and forgot-
ten. And he succeeded admirably; for the
result of the conference was an agreement
that they should restore good feeling among
themselves, and contribute towards each others'
success and renown.
"Mr. Past promised to enrich Mr. Present
108 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
and Mr. Future with his wisdom, and they con-
sented to recognize the generosity of the donor
by giving him full credit for the benefit he
bestowed. To celebrate the covenant, a host
of mutual acquaintances were invited. They
were a jolly set. Old Sol was there, Miss
Diana, one lugubrious personage called Night,
and an elfish sprite called Day, besides others
equally distinguished, but too numerous to
mention.
"I arrived as they were about to sit down to
the magnificent banquet prepared for them.
They hailed my coming with delight, and
insisted that I should partake with them of the
hospitality of my friend. "Wine was set upon
the table, not such stuff as you mortals drink,
but the genuine 'Lethe' brand, one glass of
which would intoxicate a thousand men like
you. But they drank long and deep. Under
its influence, Old Sol appeared to himself
STRAXGE COMPANY. 109
several suns, and Miss Diana, I am sorry to
reveal the fact, grew pale and maudlin. Night
became riotous and violent, and Day was
drowsy and heavy. Old Time, however, pre-
served his balance, and kept constantly drink-
ing to the glory of what he regarded as an
evident blessing. 'Oblivion! Oblivion!' he
cried, and the toast they re-echoed. But grad-
ually one by one the guests appeared to be
folded in its arms, for they melted away from
the palace, and I heard Old Time say, half
sadly, 'They may all taste its sweets, but not I.
The Past, Present, and Future may be drowned
in its joy, but Time must pursue his way with
no such refuge.'
"I must confess that I was in a terrible
plight. I roared, I sang, I shouted. I grew
witty and sentimental by turns; but at last I
discovered that I was yielding to a strange
power which I had not strength to resist. I
110 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
tried to do so, for the impression was vividly
on my mind of something that I had to do
which I was unfitted to perform. I was par-
tially aroused from my stupor by the voice of
Time, crying loudly,
" 'Santa Claus, to your work! Christmas is
near. Let him not find you idle; for, while
he is kind and genial, if he is neglected, he
can wound with his frost-sceptre.'
"I-was alarmed, yet I could not move, and
should have fallen into a heavy sleep, had not
Time lifted me in his arms and carried me to
the sleigh. He put me in, placed the reins
in my hand, and away the deer sped for dear
life. I never was so confused. The clear, cold
air did not dispel the fumes of Lethe, and
sober my mind. I did not know where I was
going nor what I was doing, aud the conse-
quence was, that I made the queerest blunders
that night. My presents were all mixed, and
STRANGE COMPANY. Ill
their distribution was equally so. I uniformly
gave dolls to the boys, and whips, trumpets,
and drums to the girls. I left a gentleman's
suit of black in the chamber of an old maid,
and bestowed an old lady's gown upon a fussy
doctor of divinity. An illuminated copy of the
Decalogue, designed for a parson, I laid upon
the table of a lawyer; gave a scold a birch,
which in one sense she did not need, but
which in another was the best thing that could
be applied 1 to her. Bestowed cigars .on men
who never smoked, wine on men who never
drank, crutches on men who never limped,
hobby-horses on men who never rode, and, in
a word, made a general mess of my whole
business. As you may suppose, the next day
was one of confusion, bitterness, and suspicion
among mortals. There was the deuce to pay,
and no mistake.
"The old maid was outraged, the parson in-
112 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
suited, the children disappointed, and all were
indignant at the supposed maliciousness of those
friends who were nearest them, from whom
the presents were presumed to come. And,
indeed, they were not entirely innocent, though
they had purposed no evil, for they were
influenced by myself, who, in my drunkenness,
had misled them all to aid me in my villainy.
When my wits- returned, while I was sorry for
the queer effect of my frolic, I could not help
laughing until my sides shook, and tears
flowed down my cheeks at the grotesque fig-
ures which all the parties cut. My hilarity
was, however, very brief, for in the midst of it
who should sweep into my presence but Christ-
mas himself. He was exceedingly displeased.
His aspect was greenish, and his words were
frosty. He said to me:
" 'So you have marred my season, you have
filled hearts with bitterness and hate, where joy
STRANGE COMPANY. 113
and love should reign. Your drunkenness has
disgraced my name. You have infected others
with your habit, and demonstrated that you are
unfit for your office.'
"I felt the rebuke, but what could I do?
And this very question I asked him. He
replied, ' The only thing left for you to do, is
to render a recurrence of such pranks impossi-
ble; you must take the pledge.'
"Falteringly I echoed his own words 'The
pledge ?'
" 'Yes,' he continued. 'What is my glory?
Water ! What is it that glistens as diamonds
in my wreath ? Water ! What is it that silvers
my robes with glistening brightness ? Water !
What is it beautifies my throne? Water!
Look at it! See, my palace is carpeted with
fleecy snows, its walls are sheeted with glitter-
ing ice, its aisles are paved with transparent
hardness. Behold my palace, and my king-
114 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
dom! They are one. What is the glory upon
the fields, the trees, the hills, the streams? It
is water water frozen, water crystallized, and
transfigured; that one great element which re-
freshes the earth with its rains, beautifies with
its dews, encourages with its rainbows, and
blesses with its rivers pauses from its toil as
I draw near, and takes upon itself its robes of
courtly grace and purity to honor my majesty,
and evince its loyalty to my person.
" 'Should we despise the tribute, or show
ourselves unworthy of it? Never! I fear that
.we have done so too frequently. But we must
pause now, and retrace our steps. Water is my
glory; I will honor water. Henceforth, I will
taste no other beverage, and I will encourage
all who love me to follow my example. Will
you not do so? We need no sparkling wine to
minister to our joy, and certainly it has only
been a cause of woe to all who wear the mortal
STRANGE COMPANY. 115
form. Let us, then, decree its abolition from
all our feasts, and proclaim that all who would
celebrate my greatness must neither touch nor
taste the unclean thing. Will you pledge me ?'
"I could not resist his plea, and so I grasped
his hand, and I swore. The oath I have never
broken; and now experience teaches me that
the sunniest joy springs not from the cups of
Bacchus.
"That is how I took the pledge, and I'm glad
I did it."
Here the odd old fellow paused. His nar-
rative was ended.
Mr. Jonah had listened attentively, and
when the sound of Nick's voice died away,
with a manner yet distrustful, though not so
rude as formerly, he said,
"This is the strangest story I ever heard.**
"I hope it does not displease you?"
"No, no," replied Jonah; "but I cannot
116 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
understand why, if you really were reformed,
you never visited my house before."
"That is very easily explained," responded
Nick. "You never invited me before."
"As for that, I did not invite you now."
"Well, I supposed you had, because I saw
the evergreens; and whenever I see them on
the walls, I always say, 'There, Nick, in that
house beats a kindly heart, and you are
wanted.' "
"Well, you made this time another mis-
take," sneered the amiable father.
"Sony for it; sorry for it," responded
Nick, with a tinge of compassion in his voice.
"Sorry for it; sorry for the children's sake,
sorry for your own, and I am not surprised
that you are thin, and bilious-looking."
"Keep your pity to yourself," roared the
again exasperated puritan. "You are an impu-
dent intruder, and I don't want any of your
STRANGE COMPANY. 117
sympathy." And lowering his voice, he half
sarcastically added, "and as for the children,
if you are so anxious to delight the hearts of
the children, why do you not set to work with-
out consulting nie?"
"I wish I could, but I am not permitted to
do so," said Nick. "Indeed, Providence for-
bids my doing anything that might lead a child
to regard a parent as unkind; and such would
be its conviction, were I to send presents which
the father or mother had refused to bestow."
Hezekiah rather enjoyed this confession of
weakness, and chuckled over it extremely, and
so could not refrain from asking,
"If you report yourself correctly, what pos-
sible good can you do them ? Of what use you
are to them I cannot conceive."
St. Nicholas was nothing abashed by this
attack, but rising in the chair until he stood
118 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
erect in it, as though to impart importance to
his words, he explained,
"Why, you see, my offices are various. I
sometimes put it into the hearts of people to
send gifts to one another, especially to the
children; these I undertake to deliver. Then
I am commissioned frequently by mysterious
Providence to do a little in this line in its
behalf. I am particularly empowered to re-
mind the rich of their duty to the poor; and
when there is a hard-visaged, hard-headed, hard-
hearted, gnarled, crooked man, who sees no
beauty nor good in any of these deeds, I am
authorized to take him in hand, and try that
almost impossible feat, of converting him to
more healthful sentiments and more benevolent
sympathies."
"Have you ever succeeded in the last under-
taking?"
"Yes, frequently."
STRANGE COMPANY. 119
"How do you do it?'*
Why Hezekiah Jonah asked the question we
know not; possibly he did so" as it seemed the
most natural thing for him to do under the cir-
cumstances, a,nd possibly a gleam of a brighter
past, for the return of which there was a lin-
gering desire in his heart, prompted him to
seek information, in which he might have a
personal concern. The reply of his guest was
not satisfactory, for he only said,
"I am not permitted to reveal the secret of
my power -in words; you can ascertain it,
however, by experience; and if you desire to
do so, you have only to intimate your wish,
and it shall be gratified."
He again resumed his favorite position, gath-
ering himself up into a heap of rosy comfort
in the great chair, while his eyes glistened,
and searched the puritan through and through.
He was evidently waiting for an answer.
120 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
The Puritan felt the penetration of his glance,
and was conscious that he was reading his most
secret thoughts. This he disliked exceedingly,
for he knew that a strong desire possessed him
to see whatever Santa Glaus could show him,
and he was ashamed of this curiosity. He de-
termined to overcome it; but when he thought
that he was about to decide to do so, he had
consented in his heart to the proposition. His
lips moved to utter a negative, but they failed
him, and he had yielded. Santa Glaus grasped
in the twinkling of an eye all that was passing
in his mind, and jumping up, with glee in all
his quick movements, exclaimed,
"All right; I see you consent, and we bad
better be about our work."
Hezekiah tried to speak, but in vain. He
felt that a spell was on him.
The ringing of sleigh-bells was heard, and
merry chimes pealed from steeples high.
STRAXGE COMPANY. 121
Shouts were heard of greeting, with cheery
songs commingled, issuing from the streets.
Santa Glaus began to leap about, laughing and
singing all the time. He danced madly around
the room, and clapped his little hands with glee.
Strange forms filled the room, and stranger
noises. Tiny fairies flitted down the chimney,
and elfish sprites swarmed upon the floor.
Then in their midst appeared, coming from no
conceivable source, a grand procession of nurs-
ery heroes. Old Mother Hubbard led the van,
followed by an ancient dame in a self-moving
shoe, which was thronged with uproarious
babies. Then came Jack the Giant Killer,
arm-in-arm with Puss-in-Boots. They were
succeeded by Whittington with his cat, very
closely tied to Little Red Riding Hood^ Those
that made up the body of the array could not
clearly be distinguished from each other; but
any one could see that Cinderella, Beauty and
122 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
the Beast, the Wise Men of Gotham, and the
Jacks of beanstalk and of house-building fames
were there, and that the rear of the procession
was closed with the Cow that jumped over the
Moon.
How they did march, how they did counter-
march, how they saluted each other, and how
they sang their deeds in verses, that sounded
like a new edition of "Mother Goose's Melo-
dies," no earthly pen can describe. But as
they marched, hundreds of children's happy
voices were heard laughing with sweetness:
hundreds of little feet were pattering, hundreds
of little hands were clapping, hundreds of little
forms were rustling, and yet, not one of the
little creatures was visible to mortal eye. It
seemed as though all the children in Boston
were having a grand frolic. But above their
noise was heard the roar of St. Nicholas, who
STRANGE COMPANY. 123
hopped, skipped, and jumped about as though
he were beside himself with joy.
While he was exercising himself in this un-
dignified manner, and while old Mr. Jonah was
looking on "in amazement held," a cry of
welcome ascended from all the tiny fairy peo-
ple. The modern grate disappeared, the fire-
place expanded to the size of a small chamber,
and every spark was extinguished.
Again the cry of welcome was heard, again
the little feet pattered, the little hands ap-
plauded, and the little invisible forms rustled
when the cause of all this commotion appeared.
A dozen youths, half Scandinavian, and half
Yankee, were in the room, bearing upon their
shoulders a mighty log. Others followed with
chips and chunks of wood, and they all made
to the now chilly hearth. In a moment the
burdens were down, and up the chimney roared
a volume of flame, while sheets of light flashed
124 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
upon the floors and walls. The excitement in-
creased, and the crowds of strange beings
shouted,
"The Yule-log ! The Yule-log ! ' '
And as it crackled, spurted, and blazed,
another procession entered in a most disorderly
manner. The Lord of Misrule was there, as
he was wont to reign in mediaeval times. St.
George and the Dragon, with a physician con-
veniently near to heal any wound the knight
might receive from the monster, were close
upon his heels. Kings and princes, monks and
friars, soldiers and peasants, musicians and
dancers, lords and ladies, and a host of others,
who seemed to be different from what their
habits indicated, composed his retinue.
"The Masks and Mummers," shouted Santa
Glaus.
No sooner were they recognized than they
began to enact strange plays, nonsensical char-
STRANGE COMPANY. 125
ades, and amusing farces, the genial witnesses
applauding all the time with a heartiness re-
freshing.
Nor were they alone in their approval. In-
fant voices were laughing, little feet were pat-
tering, little hands were clapping, and little
forms were rustling.
And then the room was impregnated with
many odors odors of beef, odors of turkey,
odors of pudding, and odors indescribable.
They announced more fresh arrivals; for from
the kitchen there proceeded a band of tiny
dwarfs, grotesque and funny, bearing a huge
sirloin; another group struggled under the
weight of a giant gobbler, while a third could
scarcely stand up under a monstrous plum pud-
ding, on the summit of which sat enthroned a
pigmy, weird, old man. He had a crown of
mistletoe upon his brow, and his robes were
white as the newly-fallen snow. His face was
126 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
wrinkled, and his hair, beard, and eyebrows
were frosted over. It was Father Christmas
himself. Every fairy, sprite, elf, mask, mum-
mer, with Saint Nicholas included, bent the
knee to do him homage. And somehow or
other, it seemed that the invisible little feet
went more swiftly pattering, the little hands
more loudly clapping, and the little forms
more violently rustling.
Christmas waved his wand, and all arose
to renew their merry-making. They whirled,
danced, twisted, leaped, tumbled, shouted,
sang, feasted on all the viands with many a
flourish, and again with revelry made glad the
night.
Hezekiah was assured that he saw it all, and
a strange desire possessed him to join them in
their gambols. The stern man moved towards
them, and in a moment they formed circles
around him circle within circle, whirling
STRANGE COMPANY. 127
madly in opposite directions, singing in his ear
odd verses with every step they took. He
could no longer resist the spell. He danced as
well as they; he whirled round and round,
pirouetted madly, and caroled stanzas of old,
familiar songs. The fear of Stubbs was not
before his eyes; he never once thought what
Deacon Convert would say to his behavior, so
lost was he in the ecstasy of delight.
But when his delirium was at its height,
when the dancers were furiously surrounding
him, and their movements bewildering him, he
heard through it all distinctly, the hundreds of
little voices sweetly laughing, the hundreds of
little feet swiftly pattering, the hundreds of lit-
tle hands softly clapping, and the hundreds of
little forms lightly rustling. In a second, he
thought that all the children in the great city
were peeping at him through the curtains of
the night, and that seen by their invisible eyes,
128 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
he was the object of their ridicule. He paused,
and with ill-concealed vexation whispered the
name of Stubbs.
As it hissed from his lips, the yule-log was
extinguished, the fire-grate returned, and all
the merry company vanished.
Silence reigned for a brief space, and he
thought he was alone. But as he turned, he
saw Saint Nicholas, and by his side a sleigh,
to which were harnessed eight tiny reindeer.
The animals were impatient, and their pawing
made the bells on their harness ring. The
reins were in the hands of Santa Glaus, who
addressed them with words of patient remon-
strance, and then to Hezekiah he said,
"Come, we must be off. Enter in, and you
shall see what will repay you for the journey."
"Where are you going?" inquired Hezekiah.
"Ask no questions."
"How will you leave this room?"
STRANGE COMPANY. 129
"As we came."
"How was that?"
"If you will be seated, you shall see."
Mechanically he obeyed. He had scarcely
taken his place, with Santa Glaus at his side,
when the deer dashed forward, the walls part-
ing to let them and their burden pass. Away
they sped, without sound of footfall, not ex-
actly along the street, but over it; even, as it
were, through the air.
Not the morning light travels faster: not the
dread lightning speeds quicker; not even Puck,
who girds the earth in forty minutes, could
outstrip these coursers. Onward they rushed,
with velocity so wonderful that the puritan was
astonished and confused, and for some seconds
was silent.
Were not the little voices laughing, the lit-
tle feet pattering, the little hands clapping,
and th.c little forms rustling all the time?
9
CHAPTER VI.
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY.
"A merry Christmas to you all.
Is passing now from mouth to mouth,
From east to west, from north to south,
From lowly cot and stately hall.
"A merry Christmas ! Hush no breath
Of revelry must pierce the gloom
Of yonder chamber ; from that room
The spirit has passed out with death. "
HEZEKIAH JONAH, albeit he was courageous
under ordinary circumstances, was now exceed-
ingly alarmed. I do not think that this was
much to his discredit; for I doubt whether any
of my readers would have been more composed
than he was. Travelling in a balloon, or
riding with the famous witches on their broom-
stick, was in comparison an insignificant sensa-
(130)
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 131
tion to that which Jonah experienced, when
flashed through the air like a message along the
electric conducting wire. Just as such a mes-
sage sent from England to America will arrive
here by the clock an hour or two before it
started, so Jonah felt that he journeyed so
swiftly that actually time was overtaken and
distanced. He held on to his seat tightly with
one hand, and with the other kept pressing
down upon his head his hat, which fortunately
he had taken with him. Once or twice he was
possessed with the strange desire which many
feel when gazing upon some sublime danger, to
cast himself down to the depths below. This
fascination so increased that it became excru-
ciating, and his only relief was in speaking to
his old companion. He therefore leaned towards
him, and whispered he thought he shouted,
but in that immensity they were traversing it
132 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
was less distinct than the trumpet-voice of the
mariner in the tempest,
"I am horribly afraid that I shall precipitate
myself from my^seat."
"You're a fool if you do," replied Santa
Glaus, laconically.
"But how can I help it?" asked the Puritan,
despairingly.
"Think of your own unloveliness of charac-
ter, your harshness of spirit; in a word, ponder
how mean you are, and you will be in no hurry
to take up your residence in the other world."
Jonah shrank into silence again, and every
now and then cast his eyes downwards. He
grew more composed, and could observe more
calmly their course, and the scenes which opened
to their view.
As they flew, he saw that they were making a
voyage round the world, and that it was Christ-
mas-time everywhere. He beheld the vast
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 133
steppes of Tartary, the wastes of Siberia, the
sands of Sahara, the plains of India, the wilder-
ness of Africa, the glory of the equator, and the
solitude of the poles. Hamlets, villages, towns,
and cities of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America
passed as a panorama before him. He saw not
only where they lay, he not only knew their
names, but the interior of the very houses in
each place was visible, and the thoughts and
feelings of the inhabitants were not concealed.
His knowledge amazed him, and his ability to
see the most secret things surprised and de-
lighted him. One fact impressed him very
powerfully. It was that he observed in his
journey that Christmas was the real dividing-
line of the world, on one side lying, the side
of its observance, all that was civilizing, ele-
vating, and promising in human affairs; and on
the other, the side of its neglect, all that
was paganish, degrading, and hopeless. Where
134 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
it was unknown or unrecognized, he saw sights
the most revolting, and deeds the most hor-
rible; but where its influence was felt and
acknowledged, he beheld millions of men and
women thinking of each other tenderly, and
loving each other sincerely.
They were reconciling long-standing difficul-
ties, uniting long-parted friends, and blessing
with kindly charities the long-forgotten poor.
In such localities, the bells were chiming, the
children were singing, the hungry were feast-
ing, the pious were worshipping, and even the
soldiers were resting on their arms in the tented
field, as though they dared not with the alarm
of war mar the brief reign of the Prince of
Peace.
As Hezekiah pondered these things in his
heart, Santa Glaus, who had his feet on the
dasher, as though his furious coursers were on
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 135
the eve of running away with him, said hur-
riedly,-
" Could the feelings continue which are en-
gendered by this season, how long do you think
it would be before the dawning of the millen-
nium?"
"Possibly one year," answered Hezekiah.
"But," continued Santa Glaus, "must not
even the annual recurrence of these generous
sentiments and ennobling deeds hasten the sun-
rising of that glorious day?"
"It would appear so," replied the ever-cau-
tious puritan.
"Then is it not wrong to denounce the ob-
servance of this season, as you have done?"
"Perhaps," was the only word that passed
the lips of Jonah to indicate what he thought
of the question.
The conversation had not changed the rate of
their progress, and as it closed, they were driv-
J36 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
ing again through and yet over the streets of
Boston." The reindeer slackened their pace,
and suddenly, at the command of Santa Glaus,
came to a dead halt.
They stopped before an antiquated, roomy
frame-house, standing almost alone on the
verge of oozy flats on the east side of the
city. Many storms had spent their fury upon
the building, and it remained a pitiable spec-
tacle of discoloration and dilapidation. The
windows were small, and patched with paper,
the steps were rotten and broken, the plank-
ing was torn and withered, and the outlying
grounds were weedy and neglected. It was
the picture of tarnished greatness, of impov-
erished affluence, of humbled pride.
The house seemed to feel that it was out of
place, out of harmony with the great city near
whose wastes it held its own. It looked as
though it was amazed at its own tenacious grasp
TEE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 137
on existence, and was constantly wondering
why it bad not departed this life long ago, to
lay its weary bones in an honorable grave. The
door of this uninviting abode stood ajar, and
through the opening the glimmer of a light
fell upon a leaden plate bearing the name,
Sarah Cutts. The inscription was not very
clear, for time had robbed it of its freshness,
as it had stained everything else on the prem-
ises; but Jonah could read the name easily
enough. Possibly Santa Glaus intensified the
light to that end, for he evidently desired that
his companion should see it. He manifested,
therefore, no surprise, when he heard Jonah
exclaim,
"Cutts ! Cutts ! Why, that was the name of
my partner in business, who treated me so foully
years ago. Singular coincidence, is it not?"
"Perhaps it is," whispered Saint Nicholas?
"but whether it is or not," he continued,
138 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"here we have to alight, for there are things in
that humble dwelling which you should wit-
They were out of the sleigh in a moment,
and reached the threshold of the house; but
there Saint Nicholas paused. He laid his fat
hand on Hezekiah's arm, and said,
"Before we enter, I have a few words to
utter for your guidance and instruction. In
my company, you are invisible and inaudible.
Go where we may, the eyes of the people can-
not see you, neither can their ears hear you.
On the other hand, all that you shall see or
hear has not a present reality. There are
events in progress which necessarily follow
from causes that are at work, but which may
be averted if they are rightly influenced in ad-
vance. Some such events will pass before you
to-night. Things as they are, things as they
might be, and things as they must be, shall be
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 139
revealed to yon in all their solemn bearings.
Do not ask me to explain or reconcile what I
shall show you. Let it suffice that at this gra-
cious season there is vouchsafed me the power
of unfolding to your vision what is now true,
what will be true if present causes operate, and
what might have been true if the purposes of
men had not been frustrated. Now let us enter.
In this house, and elsewhere, you yourself shall
be the judge of the scenes you witness."
"Only one word more," gasped the amazed
puritan, "only one word more. If I am to
gaze on human forms, are they to be real and
genuine; or are they merely shadows, having
no existence in fact?"
"That question I will answer," said Saint
Nicholas. "You are to see human nature, real
men and women acting out their characters
under conditions which now exist, which might
have existed, or which may exist in the future.
140 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Some of them you know, and know intimately;
all of them you are to see as they are in life to-
day, or may be hereafter."
Not another word was spoken. They passed
through the door- way, and apparently through
the door, for it moved not upon its hinges, and
the opening was not wide enough for them to
pass in the ordinary manner. They found
themselves in a large hall, on the table of
which flickered the light of a candle. A flight
of rickety stairs they ascended, and entered a
sleeping chamber of a character no less pecul-
iar than its occupant. The room was large,
but antiquated. The old-fashioned furniture,
faded and worn, was in harmony with the dis-
colored walls and the rude prints of naval
heroes which adorned them. A tallow caudle
burned upon the mantel-piece, beneath which
were the faint evidences of a fire in the rusty
grate..
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 141
But the feature of the place was its dense
population of poultry. There were fowls roost-
ing on every available perch. Fowls of all
breeds, of all ages, and of all plumage;
fowls small, fowls large, and fowls of aristo-
cratic lineage, or of plebeian descent. Several
very serious-looking specimens of this numerous
family were ranged in solemn order along the
foot-rail of the bedstead, while on the summit
of the posts were perched two roosters, one a
dandy, lordly fellow, who appeared to wink in
disdain on his humbler compeers, who were com-
pelled to rest in a lower world. The occasional
movements, and ejaculating clucks which distin-
guished a heap of rags near the smouldering
fire certified the accouchement of an exemplary
hen. Feathers were strewn about the floor, and
here and there were clingy vessels containing
water or food provided for the sustenance of
the tenants. The carpets, torn and old, had
142 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
lost whatever of fairness once pertained to them,
while the odor of the chamber was well, it
was peculiarly foul; and when that is said, you
have the truth of it. Take the place "for all
in all," we hope never "to look upon its like
again." There was one human being in the
midst of these strange surroundings a woman
Miss Sarah Cutts.
Evidently, Sarah was behind the times. Her
dress was out of fashion full fifteen years, yet
an observer of the most casual kind could per-
ceive that she was not only well satisfied with
herself, but believed that no changes had oc-
curred in female costume during all that period.
She looked like our grandmother's pictures,
painted when they were young, when they had
no waist, or when a mysterious Providence had
arranged it under the arm-pits. Her garments
were of the oldest, and the patches and darn-
ings would have puzzled the most penetrating
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. H3
to tell what part belonged to the original, and
what had been superadded. She herself ap-
peared an antique specimen, a kind of model
preserved with care, and designed to illustrate
the past. All the quiet of the bygone age was
in her face and manners, which the occasional
wild expression of her eye could not destroy.
The slow movement and deliberation of our an-
cestors", with all the method that is born of
leisure, were manifested in her speech and
actions. Judging by the exterior alone, she
was seventy years old. Her brow, though fur-
rowed, was placid; her eyes, though deeply
set, were brilliant; and her form, though short
in height, was still erect. Some traces of
beauty lingered amid the ravages of years, but
these were shaded by a settled melancholy,
which revealed itself even in her smiles.
It was sad to see this remnant of other days,
standing in her home on the outskirts of a
144 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
great progressive city, with nothing in common
with the seething crowds that were rushing
madly forward to accomplish their destiny.
Yet there she was, spreading her thin hands
over the fire, and gazing in dreamy solitude
into the flame. Our heroes observed her with
deep interest, as they waited for the silence to
be broken. At last she spoke.
"Strange, very strange," said she, "that he
does not come. He said he would be back
about Christmas time."
"Is she speaking of her husband?" inquired
Hczekiah of Saint Nick.
"No. You have missed it she is unmar-
ried," replied his companion. "Listen."
"My pets grow weary with watching," and
as she uttered these words she cast a look of
affection upon her stolid barn-yard associates.
"I shall never succeed in training them. The
cattle on the hills, when this eve returns, are
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 145
found upon their knees; but my fowls seek
their roost, as though Christ's natal day was of
small importance."
"Sensible hens, most sensible roosters,"
ejaculated Hezekiah.
"How the old faces come back to us at
Christmas time," continued the maiden lady,
half audibly. ' 'How they seem to peer through
the darkness at us! How they startle us by
their sudden appearance at unexpected mo-
ments, and in obscure corners! Faces, only
faces; no bodies, no forms, only faces. When
my room has been crowded with them, I have
anxiously looked for some outline of the bodies
which once heaved with life ; but I never could
find any only faces. Faces of the young,
faces of the aged, faces of sorrow, faces of joy;
sad, weary, furrowed faces; faces rigid as with
death, faces glowing as in life. And they never
change. The young never grow old, the old
10
146 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
never vanish away ; the smooth brow is never
wrinkled, the dark locks never silvered; the
sad never gay, nor the gay sad they are al-
ways the same. I have seen them again and
again during many years'. People about me
have grown old, and have altered with the flight
of time, and have been laid away in the grave
but 'the faces' are just the same as when I saw
them in childhood, looking at me so steadily
through the frosty panes of glass, or from the
moon's beams playing in my room. I am not
as I was then, I am different, very different.
But the faces are not; they look just as they
did when I tried to shut them out from my
eyes by hiding under the bed-clothes. They
are unchanged only there are so many more
of them now than there were then; and I have
noticed that whenever a coffin has gone from
my house, a new face has been added to the old
ones."
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 147
Hczekiah Jonah felt painfully interested in
her broken soliloquy, though he knew not why.
He listened with greedy avidity as she mourn-
fully reviewed the past.
"I remember the first face I ever saw. It
was fair and beautiful ; and when it was un-
veiled, I knew that I was motherless on earth.
My own, I fear, has grown sallow and wrink-
led, but hers is as fresh and young as ever.
Strange that the daughter should be older than
the mother ! Then .another face was added not
long after. One whose lips had sealed vows
upon my own which he never broke ; for
that war of horror followed when our sailors
met the British, and they told me he was slain
taken from me dead but the face came
back, as it now comes back, smiling on its hag-
gard bride. Then followed father's; and then
that of a brother dear, who for years had pined
a helpless maniac, but now the wild look is
148 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
gone, he seems to be at peace; and yet the
face is not another's, but his own. How I
have puzzled over this mystery ! Why do they
look as they did on earth? It is not the last
impression which they made that always re-
turns ; and I have thought that in .their lives
there must have been one point of supreme in-
terest, of direct contact between their souls and
mine, in which they communicated their like-
ness in so indelible a manner that it is never
lost; and so whenever they look in upon me
they still wear that likeness, and none other.
Well, well; the philosophers, or whatever they
call the inquisitive folk, may explain it by-
and-by. ' '
Miss Sarah looked fixedly at the miserable
fire, and a solitary tear rolled down her shriv-
elled cheek. She clasped her hands, and rocked
herself to and fro. A venerable hen opened
and shut her eyes uneasily, as though in sym-
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 149
pathy with her mistress, and as though she
could tell of sorrows, too. But Sarah's atten-
tion was not diverted from her melancholy
theme. She rather continued it, as though she
were communing with the invisible beings
whose faces were haunting her so vividly.
"There is one face that returns more fre-
quently than others; and yet I cannot fully
understand its meaning. It first appeared
many years ago. He to whom it belonged was
very dear to me. My only surviving brother,
my protector, my pride ; but when his sweet
wife died, taking with him his little boy, he
went away into other lands, and I have never
seen him since. But his face came back in all
its manly beauty, as it shone on me on the clay
he said farewell. I thought at first that he too
must be dead. But that cannot be; he took
with him the money of other people, and surely
he could not die without returning it. He had
160 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
DO right to die while a dollar of it was in his
possession. Some kind friends insist that he
is in his grave, but others hare denounced him
as a thief; and my heart has been torn with
shame and anguish. They are all mistaken.
And when the face comes back, as it did to-
night, it seems to say so. It looks more like
hope, than despair, and a voice from its lips
seems to whisper, 'By-and-by I will myself
return with unsullied reputation, with no dis-
honor.' But oh! it's long to wait! And I
have feared for my poor brain if he comes not
soon."
Hezekiah was as pale as death, and nervously
clutched the arm of Santa Glaus. The saint's
quizzical eye penetrated his heart, and he re-
quired not words to explain the cause of his
companion's perturbation.
"I think I know her," said Hezekiah, "and
her brother of whom she speaks."
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 151
"Indeed ! " was the only answer to the infor-
mation which Criss vouchsafed.
"Yes," continued Hezekiah; "her name is
Cutts, and my partner, Samuel Cutts, departed
years ago, entrusted with the bulk of my prop-
erty, to make investments for our firm in India.
Had he been faithful, I should now have been
wealthy; but he never returned. He ruined
me."
Saint Nicholas took on a serious air as he
inquired,
"And you never heard from him or of him ?"
"Never!"
"Then your suspicions may be unfounded.
He may have been robbed and murdered . Ah,
brother! I have not a high opinion of your
Christian charity."
"Charity dead " retorted Jonah. "What
has charity to do with it ? And what right had
152 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
he to die with accounts unsettled? His sister
says he had none."
"His sister," Nicholas said, "his sister!
Don't you see she is hardly responsible for
what she says? Don't her words and these
odd companions prove that reason is shaken on
its throne, and is not far from falling?"
But their conversation was interrupted by
Sarah resuming the thread of her meditations.
"It is very, very lonely. At first I thought
I could not live. My friends have forsaken
me ; for what has gentility to do with the sis-
ter of a thief? But I have been spared spared
to wait for him, and my loneliness is shared by
feathered, though not flighty friends. They
did not fly away from me as from a guilty
thing, and so my love turned to them ; and as
we grow more intimate, they supply more
largely the places of those who are gone and
lost. They who had no wings flew from me,
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 153
but these who have are willing to share my
home. I thought affection and faithfulness
dead and perished; they are not: they are
here, only they have found shelter in the birds
of the air, now that the creatures of earth have
no place for them."
"Well, well," said Hezekiah, in an under-
tone, to Criss, "that is a remarkable statement.
But don't you think it savors of heathenism?
Why, she talks of fowls as though they had
souls, like men."
"Not at all," retorted Nick. "She only
means that they are not brutes, like some
men."
As they were whispering, a noise was heard
on the stairs, as if some one was feeling and
groping his way up; and in a few seconds a
sailor-youth stood at the threshold of the door.
He looked round the room, evidently surprised
at what he saw, though it did not include the
154 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
visitors, as they were invisible to him. The
old lady's back was toward him, so he had am-
ple opportunity of surveying the scene.
"My eye! " exclaimed he. "If this ain't a
queer company for a ship. I never sailed with
such a crew in all my voyaging."
As he spoke, Hezekiah seemed to recognize
him, and turning more yellow than ever, he
shouted, or he thought he shouted, for no one
heard him save his mysterious associate,
"As I live, it's Samuel Cutts come back
again, the rascal, the deceiver!"
"Hush, hush," whispered Criss. "You are
yourself deceived. This is a mere youth.
Were it Samuel, he would be as old as you
are."
The subject of their conversation in the
meanwhile softly drew near to the solitary figure
by the fire, and touching her gently, called her
"Aunt." Quicker than pen can write it, she
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 155
was on her feet, and, retreating from him, hur-
riedly exclaimed,
"It's Samuel! Samuel just as he left me
as young as ever. Oh ! it cannot be it can-
not be ! He should be old old and worn.
It must be his ghost, his ghost 1 ' '
The sailor TV as stupefied, while she continued
her ravings.
"I see it all now the face that I have seen
again and again meant that he was dead, and I
had not sense to understand the message, and
now the body has come to prove it. O Samuel,
Samuel!"
"Why, aunt, don't go distracted," cried the
young man. "I'm no ghost, I'm too solid for
that; and I am not my father, not your brother
Samuel, but his son your nephew; your
nephew who has come across the seas with
money in his pocket to make you rich and
happy."
156 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
The puritan was startled, Saint Nicholas was
amused, but the old lady was unconvinced.
"My nephew, indeed! Why, he is a little
boy you can't deceive me, Samuel. Are
you not ashamed to add this sin to all your
other iniquities? You will, next of all, try to
prove that that is not Mrs. Gingham with her
children, in the corner yonder; that that is not
Lawyer Brown sitting on the bed-rail, and that
that gentleman resting on the top of the bed-
post is not Mr. Hezekiah Jonah."
The latter partly uttered an ejaculation of
wonder. The Saint was convulsed with laugh-
ter, but the youth, who was unconscious of this
by-play, replied, -
"Aunt, aunt, are you gone clean mad? In
the corner I see only a comfortable-looking hen
with her brood; on the rail is another, of
speckled tint, while on one bed-post is but a
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 157
severe, grave, sleepy rooster, and ou the other
a dandy of the same feather."
"Which proves," said she, "only one thing:
that your eyes are holden, so that you cannot
see things as they are. I live with them; I
know their ways. And though they may seem
to you to be what you say, my experience tells
me otherwise."
"What on earth does she mean?" asked
Hezekiah of his friend, who responded as well
as he could,
"Don't you perceive that she has associated
different characters with each member of her
poultry family, and that sometimes she forgets
herself, and regards them as the parties them-
selves."
"But why does she liken me to that elevated
rooster ?' '
"Don't know."
"My God ! my God ! ' ' cried the youth, clasp-
158 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS,
ing his hands in mental agony. "Is this dreary
scene all that is to welcome me? Is this the
home for which I have longed in my wander-
ings a miserable refuge, a crazy relative?"
A sudden light of intelligence flashed across
the face of Miss Cutts, as her ear caught the
meaning of the words that fell from his lips,
and she literally shrieked in reply,
"Crazy! crazy! do you call me? And if I
am not, it is no fault of yours. You, my
brother, who should have been true to me, left
me to inherit the shame you brought upon our
.name. Crazy! If I am not, it is no fault of
that woman who slandered me, or of that
lawyer who pursued me, to prove that I was a
party to your nefarious conduct ; and if I am not
crazy, it is not because Mr. Jonah- did not drive
me from his house with taunting words and
hypocritical condolence, denouncing me for all
that is wicked without allowing time for ex-
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 159
planation, and exhorting me in the same breath
to repent of that guilt in which I was no sharer.
O, if I am not mad stark, staring mad it is
not because I have not been left to solitude, to
poverty, to hunger, nakedness, and death!"
"Poor soul! poor soul!" said the sailor,
"poor soul! You have had much to bear, but
father is not to blame. And as for that cant-
ing, bigoted, mean, paltry swab of a Jonah
curse him, for a sneak and a pirate ! "
He was excited. He walked up and down
the room with excited step, his hands clutching
nervously, and his eyes flashing. Jonah was
all in a tremble, but Criss was calm and motion-
less. Miss Cutts observed the agitation of her
visitor, and, though she did not understand the
situation, her thoughts being evidently con-
fused, she shrank from his bitter denunciations,
and piteously plead with him to control his
anger.
160 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"Don't, don't," said she. "I have been
tempted to curse them, too. I had to strug-
gle against the desire, to pray God to help me.
In the night, as I paced this chamber, I felt
impelled to call down fire to consume them.
But He enabled me to obtain the victory over
hate, and now, as I pray, I bring them one by
one to a throne of grace, and ask the Merciful
One not to avenge me of my adversaries. I
say, 'Father of us all, if thou canst, bless even
Mr. Jonah, who, in the garments of a saint, is
serving the evil one the enemy who loves
bitterness and malice.' And I have been able
to do more than this. The Bible says, 'If thine
enemy hunger, give him bread; if he thirst,
give him drink; for in so doing, thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head.' I have obeyed" (and
here her eyes gleamed wildly) ; "I have taken
them in, I have given them shelter and food, I
have even provided a home for Mr. Jonah.
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 161
See them! see them! What would they be
without me?" And pointing to the phlegmatic
fowls, she triumphantly exclaimed, "I have
heaped coals upon coals on their heads!"
It may have been imagination, but Hezekiah
was convinced that it was otherwise, and at
least bewilderingly felt the reality of what fol-
lowed. A soft light flowed into the room, and
circling in a halo, around the head of Miss
Cutts^ streamed upon everything about her.
The yellow, wrinkled skin shone with a heav-
enly splendor, the eyes sparkled with angelic
brightness, and all the old garments seemed
saturated with glory palpable. She was trans-
figured before them. All her wrongs, sorrows,
and trials were bathed in a golden lustre, while
mysterious voices answered each other across
the room,
"She hath done what she could." "She
hath overcome evil with good."
11
162 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
As Jonah gazed, he saw that the last vestige
of her humbler charge had disappeared, and in
their stead were grouped men and women, who
united in blessing her for her Christly, forgiv-
ing spirit. Their forms and faces were known
to Jonah, and among them he recognized his
own. He saw himself hastening to her side,
with confessions on his lips of harshness and
unkindness. It was then his heart grew sick,
it was then his head grew dizzy, it was then he
clutched his hands, and, as his ears drank in the
angel chimes which seemed to fill the air
"Peace on earth, good will to men," he cried
in pain, as though he was wounded to the
death: "Never, never, never, will I acknowl-
edge that I have been harsh and cruel, when I
have only been just and righteous."
As he spoke, a darkness seemed to rise be-
fore his eyes, as though he were smitten with
blindness. He reeled under the pressure of a
THE MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. 163
burden of gloom, and would have fallen, but a
strong hand touched him, and startled him into
consciousness.
He found himself in the sleigh, with Nick at
his side, driving like fury along the snowy
streets of Boston.
CHAPTER VH.
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT.
" In December ring
Every day the chimes ;
Loud, the gleemen sing
In the streets their merry rhymes.
Let us by the fire,
Ever higher,
Sing them till the night expire."
THEY suddenly halted under the shadow of a
frowning prison.
"I have business here," said Santa Glaus,
"and so have you."
"You are mistaken! I have no affinities for
jails or jail-birds, and I never entered such a
place in my life," was Hezekiah's indignant
response.
"Indeed, is that so?" replied the saint, in a
(164)
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 165
tone of voice slightly sarcastic. "Well, I think
you had better begin now; for if my memory
does not fail me, I have read in the old Book,
'I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me
not; and as ye did it not to the least of these
my brethren, ye did it not to me.' Don't
you think it will go rather hard with those
folks against whom this complaint is uttered
in the judgment?"
Without pausing for the puritan's opinion on
so grave a matter, he pulled him in after him,
and they found themselves within the building.
They were in the keeper's private apartment,
but from the spot where they stood they could
see a dark chamber, and into, it, though noth-
ing there at first attracted their attention. The
room in which they were, belonged to that
class which are aptly described by the term
cozy. Its floors were warmly carpeted, a fire
blazed cheerily in the grate, a kettle sang its
166 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
Christmas carol on the hob, the furniture
glowed with brightness; and the only sombre
things which cast a shadow on its sunniness
were a bunch of keys upon the table, a few
villainous pictures on the walls, and a blun-
derbuss very near the door. But even these
suggestive symbols of crime and sorrow could
not destroy the cozy look which pervaded the
place. A huge, rough man, plainly but com-
fortably attired, was standing with his wife
by his side, a tiny creature, who .looked like
a sprat in the presence of a whale. She
was not afraid of him, however, but looked
up confidingly into his face; and he was not
ashamed of her, but gazed at her with his
great eyes, as though the old proverb was true,
in her case, which declares that the most val-
uable articles are done up in the smallest
packages.
She called him Tim, he called her Nelly.
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 167
There were little stockings hung up near the
fire, and lying all around were cheap, humble,
but highly-colored toys. Evidently, she had
been interrupted in her efforts to suitably ar-
range the gifts that were to gladden her chil-
dren on the morrow. Her husband had just
entered, and had disturbed her, for she saw a
shade of sorrow on his face. Interpreting it
aright, she inquired,
"Who have you been locking up, Tim?"
"An .odd, wild creature of a child, Nelly,"
he replied. "A little girl who insists on call-
ing herself Dick."
Hezekiah started, and looking towards the
dark cell, he saw the neglected, bleeding wan-
derer whom he would have committed to jail.
There she lay so helpless, moaning in the cold.
"Why, Tim, dear, what has she been
doing, that she is brought to this drear place
on such a night as this?"
168 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"The old story, Nelly; she was caught
stealing."
"Stealing stealing what?"
"Would you . believe it, darling, she was
arrested on the charge of stealing a doll from
a toy-store."
"Nonsense, Tim, you are jesting. There
is no one, however hard his heart, who could
be so cruel on a Christmas eve, as to send a
child to prison for such an act as that."
"But I am not jesting, Nelly, it is^ true."
And continuing, Tim stoutly said, as if he were
in duty bound to maintain the majesty of law,
"You know, darling, stealing is stealing."
"La! you don't say so, Tim, dear, do you?
Why, then, don't you big men lay hold of the
city fathers, who tax the people, and feast and
wine themselves, not to say worse things of
them, on the money they have robbed us of?
Why don't you put the bank defaulters, and
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 169
other gentry like them, where they can do no
more harm, wasting as they do, the hard-won
penny of the widow or orphan? You're all
alike, Tim. Plenty of justice for a vagrant
girl, but not an ounce of the precious stuff for
the rich. You're all cowards, Tim!"
"Now, Nelly, darling," answered the levia-
than of a husband, "you mustn't talk that
way. I am here, you know, to obey orders;
and I have no choice in the matter."
"Yes, yes, I know all that, Tina," said the
good woman; "and I know you're as soft-
hearted as butter in summer time. But I
can't help feeling indignant that her kind of
stealing should be thought worthy a dark cell,
when homes are what are needed for such neg-
lected babies. God help them men won't ! ' '
"Well, Nelly, you are not alone in your
opinion," replied the giant Tim; "for the po-
liceman told me that an old gent wanted to
170 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
take her home, and 'dopt her, or something of
that sort, if possible to save her; but a rank,
hypocritical puritan wouldn't let him."
"He ought to have been put in the cell him-
self, the monster!" exclaimed the wife, whose
sense of right was terribly outraged for the
moment.
Hezekiah groaned. And what a groan was
that! The seraphic Doctor Stubbs, in all of his
lamentations for the vices of the age in which
he lived, was never able to equal that groan.
It was a groan that was a groan indeed. It
seemed to tear through his lips like the belch-
ing of a volcano, and to shake his body like
the throes of an earthquake. It came from the
remote ends of his feet, and lingered in its
sombre echoes around his head. He could not
repress it; for he saw himself beneath the clear,
honest eye of Nelly, an object of scorn and
contempt. His better nature, too, had turned
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 171
against him, or, siding with the woman, had
taken the whip out of her hands, and was lash-
ing his soul up and down all the avenues of his
body.
Of course neither the giant nor his pigmy
wife were conscious of the commotion they had
stirred up within the pious bosom of Mr. Jonah;
and, consequently, he replied to her as though
nothing strange were occurring.
"Aye, Nelly, you would have ordered him
to the lock-up, if you had seen the miserable
child. She sobbed and wept, and cried out for
dolly, dolly; and as the door closed after me,
I heard her scream, 'O, I's so lonely without
dolly ! Give me dolly ! Give me dolly ! ' '
"Did you give it to her, Tim?" asked Nelly.
"No; that would be contrary to regulations.
But my heart said, ' Give it to her.' '
"Tim, Tim, you blunderer! How often I
172 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
have told you that you had more sense in
your heart than your head."
"Maybe I have, maybe I have. But what
would you have me do, Nelly?"
In a moment, Santa Glaus was between them,
whispering in their ears. What he said Mr.
Jonah did not know, but he guessed pretty cor-
rectly from what followed.
"Something tells me," said Nelly, "that
you need not violate the rules ; for as we have
in our possession our own dear daughter's
doll, we have it in our power to comfort the
wanderer by giving her that; and certainly she
needs its companionship more than our darling
does."
Tim assented in silence, and took the light
in his hand and went with Nelly towards the
cell. They opened the door and Nelly went
in, calling softly,
"Dick, Dick, where are you?" But no
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 173
voice replied, no rustling in the straw was
heard, no sound of wailing fell upon their
ears, all was still, as silent as the tomb.
As the keeper's wife groped along by the
dim light which her husband held up above
him at the threshold, a horrible thought flashed
through her mind, that the forsaken one might
be dead. With more haste in her movements
than before, she felt her way to the corner of
the cell, and touched a cold heap of rags. Her
fears seemed all confirmed; for as she touched
the child's chill face, she screamed out,
"Dead, dead! O, Tim, she's dead!"
The great man dropped the light, and
through the darkness dashed in the direc-
tion of his wife's voice. Hezekiah jumped
as if to follow, crying oat,
"Help, help! My God! My God! Is there
no help?"
But he could not move he was glued to
174 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
the spot; and as for his appeal, no one heard
that but Santa Glaus, who was not in the least
disturbed by its agony.
The rough keeper, in the meanwhile, had
laid his big hands on the objects of his search,
and with all the tenderness of a woman picked
up little Dick, and carried her with one arm
to his comfortable room, while with the other
he supported the half -fainting form of his wife.
A light was speedily obtained, and Nelly,
almost immediately recovering herself, directed
Tim to lay his wretched burden on their invit-
ing bed. And there upon the white counter-
pane she lay, the criminal beggar-child, her
dark, matted hair falling over the pillow, her
face pale and pinched with cold, and her feet
yet bleeding. It was evident to her kind-
hearted friends that want, exposure, and cru-
elty had nearly wrecked the "frail body, if it
had not already gone among the breakers.
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 175
In truth, she was near the end of her stormy
passage, and very near that land where beggars
as poor as Lazarus have the promise of a home.
The surgeon was sent for, the jailer's daugh-
ter May was roused, a tiny child , as young as
poor, wasting Dick. They busied themselves
applying remedies to restore the waif to con-
sciousness; and as they were thus engaged,
she opened her great black eyes, and gazed
upon the group with wonder not unmixed with
fear. Nelly spoke soothingly to her, and big
Tim blubbered in sympathy; but the restless
eyes of the patient wandered from one to the
other until they rested on the sweet face of
little May. Dick muttered something inaudi-
ble, but May put her ear close to the pale
lips, and caught the meaning of the words,
"The men took dolly from Dick, and Dick
was so lone like that Dick's heart got so cold
and freezed like. Won't you ask them to give
176 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
it to me back again ? You 're good so good
so pretty they won't drive you away."
Somehow or another Nelly understood her,
though she could not hear her; and before the
simple request was fully made, had slipped
her daughter's doll into Dick's arms, who ut-
tered a faint scream of delight as she folded
it to her breast. She then grew quieter, her
eyelids closed, and a glistening tear upon her
cheek seemed a royal herald announcing the
entrance of a queenly joy into the soul. The
doctor told them, however, that the rest was
deceptive, as she couldn't last; for the re-
sources of nature were exhausted. When
signs of consciousness appeared, they plied
her with questions; but no definite nor clear
and consistent answers could be elicited.
In the stillness, Nelly knelt and prayed for
the wanderer. She prayed for the motherless
child, for the poor outcast one, that the angels
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 177
who befriend the helpless and the young, and
who always behold the face of their Father,
might be sent in pity if not to restore to
health, at least to take the broken heart safe to
the arms of Jesus. As she concluded her peti-
tion, Dick caught the name of Jesus, and that
word seemed for the few moments before she
breathed her last to unloose her tongue.
" 'Loving Jesus, meek, and mild,' "
she murmured. "Yes, I told 'em so I told
'em Jesus warn't hard, and pertickerly warn't
hard on Christmas time to children like me,
without no mother, who steal dolls only to
keep 'em company. And I's right; for though
the wicked men took my doll away, Jesus has
sent it back, and better dressed than it was
before."
There was an exultant and triumphant look
in her eye, as though she had discovered in
12
178 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
herself greater wisdom than in others. And
then she tried to sing, but it was almost a fail-
ure. The tune was gone from her, and the
words were confused or forgotten. She made
another effort, and an unearthly lustre shone
in her eyes as her lips moved,
" 'Loving Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child. ' "
The words were scarcely audible, but May
recognized them as the beginning of one of her
Sabbath School hymns, and instinctively she
joined her own sweet voice with Dick's. The
two children sang the verses together, slowly,
tenderly.
" Loving Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child ;
Pity my simplicity,
Suffer me to come to thee.
"Fain I would to thee be brought,
Gracious Lord, forbid it not ;
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 179
In the kingdom of thy grace,
Grant a little child a place.
" O, supply my every want,
Feed the young and tender plant,
Day and night my keeper be,
Every moment watch o'er me. "
But when May sang the last line, the other
voice was hushed hushed forever more. No,
not hushed; for in that kingdom where all is
melody, Dick the outcast stood before the
throne of Him who redeems us through his
blood. Her rags were gone, her sorrowful face
was fair and golden, her hands waved a palm
of victory; and as she bowed her knee in that
glorious presence, they who watched her life-
less form on earth thought they could hear her
voice mingling in the mighty volume of praise
that shall fill the universe at last, hymning,
though in sweeter tones, and converted from
a prayer into a triumphant and grateful meas-
180 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
ure, the words that had cheered her in her
night of sorrow,
" Loving Jesus, meek and mild,
Thought upon a little child."
As the silence of death filled the chamber,
Hezekiah tried to shut out the sight from his
eyes. It was unendurable. He whispered to
Santa Glaus,
"Let us be going, I have seen enough."
"I should think you had," replied his com-
panion. "You have seen the result of treat-
ment such as you advised. Would you not
like to see the effect of a different method? I
can, at the beginning, show you the end of a
kinder policy."
He waited for no response from Jonah ; and
even as he was speaking, and without effort on
their part, the prison vanished with all its
gloom from before them, and they were off
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 181
like a flash in a different direction, drawn by
the unwearied coursers of Saint Nicholas.
Though they were not long in reaching their
destination, Hezekiah had ample time for med-
itation; and he inwardly resolved to seek a
more loving spirit for the future, and for that
and for forgiveness, he found that he was men-
tally praying to Almighty God.
They stopped at the gate of a magnificent
residence, whose brown-stone front, and elabo-
rate door-plate which, by the way, could, at a
pinch, equally well serve the purpose of a coffin-
plate, spoke distinctly of eminent respecta-
bility. Alighting from the sleigh, they found
themselves in an apartment elegantly furnished.
Wealth and culture evidently made their home
beneath this roof. The richly-stored library,
the open piano, the glorious paintings on the
walls, and reigning in the midst of all, the air of
quiet unpretentious refinement, which can only
182 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
be the result of affluence long enjoyed, and of
thoroughly cultivated tastes, made a palace
worthy of a prince. But no prince was there
at least, not one wearing the world's patent of
nobility, though in God's sight he who sat
nearly helpless before the fire was worthy a
royal crown.
He was very diminutive, very old, very in-
firm, and any one could see that he had not
entirely escaped paralysis. But contentment
and resignation mingled their peace in every
feature of his wrinkled face.
Hezekiah easily recognized Deacon Convert,
though he was much changed by suffering and
years. There was another figure in the room,
but to the puritan she was unknown. Indeed,
he could not see her face. She was about
eighteen years of age. A girl of .graceful
form, with hair soft and black as the raven's
plumage, which relieved a face of exquisite
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 183
beauty and of marvellous fairness. Her eyes
were radiantly bright, and her hands delicately
shaped and white, with a slight carnation flush
adorning the ends of her taper fingers. There
was a quiet composure and dignity in all her
movements, they were swan-like, dove-like,
and queenly. She broke the silence, and her
voice was musical and clear beyond descrip-
tion,
"Father, I have arranged the evergreens all
over the house, and I am now going to pre-
pare your chamber for the dawning of Christ-
mas morning."
"Bless you! Bless you! my dear child,"
the deacon very slowly, but heartily exclaimed.
"You are very thoughtful. Always consider-
ate of my happiness. You cannot tell how
great a joy your love has been to me through
all these years. What would have become of
me, an infirm old man, when my dear wife
184 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
died, leaving me without kin or child, if kind
Providence had not sent you to me on that
Christmas eve to be the prop and consolation
of my age ?' '
"Ah, father, it is I," replied the girl, '.'who
should be grateful: you found me an outcast
in the snow, and took me to your home, and
warmed me into more than life. You pro-
tected my helpless childhood, trained my head
and heart, and you have, under God, taught
me the highest of all earthly wisdom, to rely
on the all-gracious One in every hour of need.
You have made me what I am, you have lav-
ished on me your money and the wealth of
your affection, and my only regret is that I
can do so little to repay you for your care.."
With these words she covered his shrivelled
hands with kisses, and wound her arms around
his neck. The old man returned her duugh-
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGH1. 185
terly caress and called her his own dear little
"Dick."
At that name Hezekiah was amazed, and
tried to see her face, but in vain.
"Dick, won't you sing me my favorite hymn?
The one I first heard you sing when you were
a child. You know it always pleased me; for
it assured me of the Saviour's sympathy with
all the suffering and weak. Times are now
changed. Then, I was strong, and you were
weak; now, I am weak and you are strong.
Then you were the child, and I the man; but
now, I am the child, and you the woman. But
I have one advantage over you, I am nearly
ready to be born into that world where decrep-
itude is unknown."
Without reply, the girl went to the piano,
and again on that night Hezekiah heard the
simple words,
186 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
" Loving Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child,"
but how different was the rendering. Her
wondrous voice filled the room, and its ex-
pressiveness imparted a new meaning to the
sentiment of each line. As Stubbs would have
said, had he been there, "Brother Jonah is
bewitched." And in truth, the good man
would not have guessed wide of the mark.
The puritan was indeed so overcome that he
could not restrain his curiosity.
"Who is she?" he inquired of Santa Glaus.
The children's friend only pointed towards
her. He followed the direction of his finger,
and for the first time beheld her face. She
had turned on the music-stool from the instru-
ment, and unconsciously was confronting him.
He knew her, the surmise which had grown
into belief now ripened into conviction. It
was the little outcast girl, the Dick he spurned,
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 187
now entering upon womanhood; and such a
womanhood ! A womanhood crowned with every
virtue, and adorned with every grace. The
rigid puritan bowed his head upon his breast
in very shame, as though those eyes of hers
were reproving him for his harshness to her
in the days gone by. He remained thus
bowed for a few moments, and when he suffi-
ciently recovered himself to raise his head,
the scene was changed.
He was again alone with Santa Glaus. The
sleigh-bells ringing, and the bright sleigh
swinging on its course, while the snow glis-
tened around them as they flew.
"What do you think of that?" asked the
funny driver.
"Why, the deacon was right, and I was
wrong, that's all. But I am sadly mystified.
Tell me, I beseech you, is she living or is
she really dead?"
188 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
1 'That's none of your business, you know,"
laughed Nick: "none of your business, you
know; for only a short time ago you did not
care a cent what became of her."
"Yes, yes; but I am now interested in her
fate. I have told you that I feel I was unkind
in my treatment. You will not be equally un-
generous?" plead Mr. Jonah. "Is she to live
or to die?"
"Never you mind; she will die soon enough,
I suppose, for all you mortals do. But I must
say no more. You must think it out for your-
self, only remember what I told you, that I can
show what is, or what may be."
And with this he laughed so merrily, the
very sleigh appeared to shake in sympathy,
and many voices roared with mirth. Invisible
beings seemed to be near them, and Jonah
heard once more the pattering of little feet, the
rustling of little forms, the clapping of little
THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT. 189
hands, and the clattering of little voices. It
was as though myriads of tiny children were
around them on a holiday. Hezekiah looked
into the air but he saw nothing.
CHAPTER
THE END OF THE RIDE.
"There is a way of winning more by love
And urging of the modesty, than fear :
Force works on servile natures, not the free.
He that is compelled to goodness, may be good,
But 'tis but for that fit ; when others, drawn
By softness and example, get a habit."
THEY alighted from the sleigh at the door of
a modest house, and without ceremony passed
within. All the rooms it contained with its
halls and passages were visible to them at a
glance. In the humblest chamber the puritan
recognized the simple but honest Tony Tripp.
He was very busy, and wore upon his counte-
nance a knowing look, quite foreign to him.
(190)
THE END OF THE RIDE. 191
Guy Fawkes could not have moved about more
mysteriously and cunningly on the 'day he was
to blow my lords and gentlemen of the honor-
able Houses of Parliament to "the bourne from
whence no traveller returns," than did Mr.
Tripp on this eventful night. But the good
lad entertained no such tragical purpose ; and
as for "blowing up," such a thing never en-
tered into his head; for the women of the fam-
ily did all the blowing up in that house, and
Tony was the only one who was ever sent "sky
high." He chuckled to himself as. he stealthily
brought from his closet several articles which
he had secreted there. A dress pattern was
among the suspicious goods, not very rich in
quality, but with grand, great figures of divers
glowing colors.
Tony gazed upon it with complacent pride.
It was exactly to his taste, and he laughed to
192 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
think how gay his mother would appear when
she put it oh. With manifest delight he un-
covered a drum and fife intended for his little
brother, and with satisfaction anticipated the
discordant noises he would make in the name
of music. Then followed an array of gifts,
some plated jewelry, ladies' companions, and
other odds and ends designed as presents for
his sisters. These, with oranges, cakes, and
candies, composed a medley which charmed his
eye, and Alexander (if it was not he, it was
some other ancient hero) felt not more gene-
rous_ when an impecunious friend asked for half
of his kingdom than did Tony Tripp. As he
removed his shoes, that with cat-like softness
he might invade the privacy of other rooms,
our guests discovered that he was not the only
conspirator beneath that roof. A plain, lym-
phatic, elderly woman was sitting in a chamber
THE END OF THE RIDE. 193
with a wrapper thrown loosely on, writing in
several books the words:
FROM MOTHER.
" Silver and gold I have none ; but such as I have,
give I unto thee. "
The books were Bibles, and who can tell what
necessaries she had denied herself to save from
her scanty income enough to purchase for her
children dear, the bread of life ? And who can
tell how many prayers she breathed that the
great boon might be blessed of .God to the
saving of their souls, hoping that on that night
made sacred by his gift to man, his ear would
be open to the poor widow's cry pleading for
her offspring.
Stubbs would have said her offspring truly
needed prayers ; for though they had retired to
bed, they went not there to sleep, but to con-
coct new mischief, as they lay whispering the
13
194 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
hours away. They, we fear, were the arch-
conspirators. As the night was preparing to
give way to morning, the children stole from
their beds, while the eldest, a girl half-grown,
procured a light which she shaded carefully
with her hand. Ah! they were traitors, too,
and had their treasures spread out before them.
Among them Hezekiah saw a marvellous pair
of slippers, on the front of which was worked a
conspicuously scarlet "T." These they de-
voured with their eyes, and never wearied
gazing on their surprising beauty. There could
not be anything like them in heaven nor on
earth, they thought; and their admiration they
could only express by extolling the skill of the
half-grown sister, who had produced this mas-
terpiece of art. On her part, she modestly
disclaiming any unusual genius, while the color
in her face told a different story and one more
THE END OF THE RIDE. 195
truthful directed their atteution to the other
treasures.
There was a cornucopia full of candy, a pret-
ty book-mark, and a solitary orange. Could
these paltry gifts have spoken, would they not
have told a tale of pure affection, seeking to
impart a little joy to the weary hearts that had
to bear the burden of the family? Hezekiah
seemed to think so ; for to him they lost their
pitiful forms, and shone as jewels whose value
was incalculable in his eyes.
Saint Nicholas was one broad grin, and evi-
dently was bent on fun. He capered here and
there, gliding in and out among the members
of the household. They did not see him, but
they felt his presence, and frequently spoke his
name.
Said the little boy, "Old Criss is here."
And the others laughed, as though he were visi-
ble to them at the moment.
196 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
The preparations of all the .parties being
complete, with one simultaneous movement
they gathered up their presents, and, leaving
the lights behind, softly opened the doors lead-
ing from their chambers. They each entered
the hall at the same instant, and in the dark
groped their way in opposite directions. Tony
was jubilant, and could hardly contain himself.
His mother was hopeful, and the children were
delighted; but every one of them acted like a
midnight assassin, intent on high-handed vil-
lainy.
"Hark! What's that ?" mentally questioned
Tony to himself, as he caught the sound of rus-
tling garments. He paused in his course, trans-
fixed with fear and alarm. "Were robbers in
the house ? Were they all to be murdered ;
or were they ghosts, whose suppressed breath-
ing he now thought he heard?"
In his trepidation, his foot slipped, and he
THE END OF THE RIDE. 197
stumbled; over he went, drum, fife, dresses,
candies, and all, with one tremendous crash.
Screams followed the catastrophe, then confu-
sion; and the children, frightened out of their
wits, rushed wildly against each other, and
even Tony cried lustily, "Fire! fire! murder!
thieves ! ' ' The juveniles shrieked in concert.
The mother, who was the only one who lost
not her presence of mind, hastened for a light,
and when she returned, and it flashed upon the
scene, they saw no rogues in arms, but only
each other, looking very sheepish at the expos-
ure which had overtaken them. Their designs
were manifest, and their momentary confusion
was succeeded by peal upon peal of genuine
laughter. They roared, and rolled upon the
floor, and then, as if seized with the same im-
pulse, they rose to their feet and rushed into
each other's arms, and rejoiced in one indis-
criminate hug.
198 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"Merry Christmas," they shouted, while the
smack of lips proclaimed that the wish was
sealed in every case with affection's kiss.
"No more sleep for them to-night," said
Criss. "But how much sweeter will be their
year's repose for this revelation of their mutual
love. In the months to come, the memory of
this scene will lighten their common burdens,
and constrain them patiently to bear with each
others' faults."
Hezekiah found himself exclaiming, "God
grant it, and God give them many merry Christ-
mas mornings."
Fain would he have lingered in that humble,
sunny home. But he could not tarry longer
the spell was upon him, and he was borne rap-
idly away.
Saint Nicholas paused at the threshold of a
miserable hovel. It was located in a wretch-
edly narrow street, and all its surroundings
THE END OF THE RIDE. 199
wore the unmistakable marks of penury and
crime.
"Here we must part," said Nick. "Here
our journey ends. If it has not been altogether
jolly, it ought not to be profitless."
Hezekiah disliked this sudden separation,'
and desired to know why it must occur so soon.
His companion answered,
"I wish it could be otherwise; but you must
enter this house, and it is one under whose
roof-tree I may never stand.' '
"Why?"
"Why!" he continued. "Its master was
once impelled to welcome me to his hearth,
but yielding to his baser nature, drove me off
with scorn and imprecations; hence it is for-
bidden me, by powers whose will I dare not
question, ever to return. Go in; enter boldly,
and remember that you are invisible to mortal
eyes."
200 A NIGHT WITH. ST. NICHOLAS.
"But what shall I do when I get there?"
"I do not know; your own heart must de-
cide your course. I cannot further help you."
"But how shall I reach my home again, if
you forsake me?"
"Never fear, you will have no difficulty.
When the time arrives, you will be taken back;
and so farewell!"
As Saint Nicholas uttered these words, his
coursers whisked him out of sight, and Heze-
kiah saw his face no more. The sleigh-bells
were yet jingling in the distance when the
puritan, in obedience to his instructions,
crossed the forbidding threshold. As he entered
the house a chill came over him, and a strange
repugnance for those within possessed his
mind.
He was in a low-roofed room, with bare
floors, and scarcely any furniture. A fire, that
looked as though it never had been warm, was
THE END OF THE RIDE. 201
nearly out, and a common tallow candle was
expiring in its socket. In one corner, on a bed
of straw, lay the outstretched form of an aged,
dying man. By his side stood a woman; she
was a little past the prime of life, and her sor-
rowful face revealed a heavy heart. She was
unremitting in her attentions, though to all
appearance she herself was not far from death.
Hezekiah scrutinized them closely, and the con-
viction was forced upon him that he had seen
them somewhere under different circumstances ;
but where, he could not remember.
"What day is this?" inquired the invalid.
"It is Christmas eve," the nurse replied.
The voices sounded to the puritan as if they
had been heard by him before; the man's was
not unlike his own, but the woman's hers
had an influence on him like one familiar, but
it was yet a mystery.
"Ah, Ethel, daughter, this has ever been an
202 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
evil day to me. When it returns, I feel the
shadow of a wicked genius upon my soul.
Whether it is the spirit of my own past life, or
of something else, I do not know I hardly
care.''
As the sick man was thus muttering, his
daughter drew yet closer to him and besought
him not to think upon such things, as very soon
all below the sky would lose interest in his
sight. "Then will you be with sainted mother,
in that glorious home from whose golden streets
the redeemed go not out any more forever. "
Could Hezekiah be deceived? He rubbed
his eyes, he tried to recall the past; but though
he fought sturdily against the conclusion, it
returned with ten-fold force, until he was com-
pelled to admit that she who was in his presence
was none other than his eldest born, his much
beloved patient Ethel. But who was the aged
sufferer, the man he knew and could not recog-
THE END OF THE RIDE. 203
nize, the man who was no stranger, but whom
he could not name?
"Dear father, do not fret yourself. Your
anxiety and agitation of mind only hasten the
hour ef your departure from me."
"But I cannot help it, Ethel. From that
Christmas eve whereon I tore the evergreens
from the walls, a curse has followed me. Your
mother changed toward me, and never was again
as she had been in the better days, before that
time. She shrank from me, obeyed mechani-
cally when I spoke, but I never saw her eye
brighten, nor the smile return upon her face to
welcome me from toil; and even you, Ethel,
learned to fear me."
The daughter wept. She could not speak.
What could she say?
It was then that light flashed on the mind of
Hezekiah Jonah. This dying man was he him-
self, as he should be at the close of life. Ques-
204 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
tions of identity perplexed him. If that was
Mr. Jonah, who, then, was he who consciously
perceived his presence, and could discriminate
between the personalities? No solution was at
hand, and he was too deeply concerned in what
was then transpiring to allow the riddle to
occupy him long. With breathless interest he
listened to what followed.
"Then your dear mother died. I shall never
forget that hour. She called me to her side,
and said,
" 'Hezekiah, love Stubbs less, and the Bible
more; and for my sake, for the sake of our
sunny youth, be less severe, more kind and
gentle than you have been to those about you.'
Yet I would not understand her. O, the pride
and stubbornness of human hearts which men
baptize with religious names, and think they
have been transformed into virtues worthy a
crown of life!"
THE END OF THE RIDE. 205
The poor girl by his side was bathed in
tears, and sobbed out mournfully,
"O, father, do not recall the past! Spare me
the bitter thoughts, the withered hopes which
those days summon back."
Heeding her not, the old man went on.
"You cannot forget how Milly grew in way-
wardness and giddiness; how we tried to ad-
monish her in the Lord, and how vain our
entreaties were ; how powerless the learned ex-
hortations of Mr. Stubbs. Her heart was bent
on mischief; her vanity lusted after worldly
finery and associates. She fell; from our
midst she wandered forth God above knows
whither and we mourned her as one more
than dead."
"Dear father, talk no more about it," en-
treated patient Ethel.
"Child, I must. I must, it does me good to
express the thoughts that are passing through
206 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
my mind. As they assume shape in words, I
see myself more clearly, and realize my folly
and my guilt!"
"Say not guilt, my father! "
"I must say it, for I feel it, and have felt it-
more or less since the day your brother Robert
in a half-drunken frenzy accused me and Stubbs
of driving him to dissipation. I can see him
now his face flushed, his eyes dancing, his
clothing torn and soiled, bearing all the marks
of a long debauch: and as I reprove him, I can
hear his terrible reply: 'Speak not to me. You
have made me what I am you, and that vil-
lain Stubbs. You have made home a prison to
us, forbidden all innocent pleasures from com-
ing beneath your roof; you have regaled our
buoyant spirits with long prayers and dry hom-
ilies; our very smiles and laughter you have
scowled on as on sins, and have taught us that
your God loves winter more than summer,
THE END OF THE RIDE. 207
shadow more than brightness, dense forests
more than flowery meads, night more than
day, owls more than larks, and the slavish fear
of such souls as yours more than the fresh,
generous devotion of joyous youth. Need you,
then, be so surprised that we should reject a
religion such as this, and finding no seasons of
recreation with those we loved at home, should
seek them in the companionship of strangers?
And should you be amazed that we who never
had been taught wise moderation, should be
unable to cope with the temptations of the
world? No, no; our course is natural enough.
Hiding our simple pleasures from you, they
grew to vices; vices have ended in our ruin.'
O, Ethel, Ethel! I never can forget these
words. They have been seared into my heart;
I shall remember them in eternity."
"Say not so, dear father, do not talk so
wildly and despairingly.*'
208 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"And why should I not despair? Have I
not madly driven my loved ones into sin?
Have I not by my fanaticism crushed the con-
science and the innocence of ray children?
Had I made our home more home-like; had I
been more just to God, and revealed him in
my life as not frowning on the joy he has im-
planted in young hearts; had I sympathized
with the great universe, which is not one vast
Aceldama, but a Paradise, whose only stain
and woe is sin, I should have retained the
confidence and affection of my children; their
ingenuous honesty would not ruthlessly have
been destroyed, and then I should have been
able to restrain them from excess, or guide
them safely through the snares of pleasure
snares found not in that path alone, but which
are spread in every highway, even the most
holy, which human feet may tread."
THE END OF THE RIDE. 209
'Think no more of these things, my father,"
implored Ethel, "think only of the Saviour."
4 'And so I do! And so I do! But O, his
face is hidden from me now, when most I need
his presence. I look upwards through the mist
for him, but he comes not to his servant. He
has left me, Ethel, to die alone; alone to cross
the narrow stream, alone to meet his frowns
in judgment ! What shall I say to him ? What
can I answer? What can I do?"
Poor Hezekiah had heard each word, and
seen each look of anguish. With the recital
his interest deepened, and culminated in a fever
of intense emotion. The tears flowed down his
face; his hands were wrung in pain, as though
in his own soul he suffered all he saw. Ee-
straint had even become impossible. Dashing
from the corner in which he stood, he rushed
toward the bed, shrieking at the top of his
harsh voice,
14
210 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
"Repent, repent. O, repent, before it is too
late!"
"Too late! too late!" was echoed from the
wall, and mournfully rung through the chamber
like the wailing of despair.
"No, no; not too late. Let your full heart
trust, let the long pent-up love break forth.
Wash, the past away in tears, and begin a re-
generated future."
He threw himself down by the bedside, as
though to grasp the hands of the dying raan,
and lift them heavenward in urgent prayer.
But they escaped his touch, and only his were
clasped in agonizing supplication. O, how he
prayed! Prayed for another, who ever, as he
prayed, would merge his personality into self,
until at last he forgot all else, and cried, "God
be merciful to me the sinner!"
When this petition rose from his repentant
breast, the scene before him became more and
THE END OF THE RIDE. 211
yet more indistinct. But still he cried the
louder, as though he would be heard in realms
invisible, whither all that he had seen was
going. A quiet peace streamed from their
path back into his heart, and he heard, or
thought he heard, the sleigh-bells faintly ring-
ing, the fay-step lightly dancing, and all the
children frolicking. Their little feet were pat-
tering, their little voices clattering, tbeir little
forms were rustling, and their little hands were
clapping around him in the room. And over
all he heard merry roars of laughter, peal upon
peal shaking the earth and air; and through
them he caught the sound of a familiar, genial
voice, exclaiming, *
"Stop, Vixen! Stop, Dasher! Stop, Blit-
zen ! Get you to your rest. Our journey for
this night is ended."
CHAPTER IX.
THE MORNING.
"Lite circles -widening round
Upon a clear, blue river,
Orb after orb, the wondrous sound
Is echoed on forever.
Glory to God on high, on earth be peace,
And love towards men of love, salvation, and release."
"An I dreaming?" inquired Hezekiah of
himself, as he rose from a suppliant posture
before the fire, which was now almost extin-
.
guished.
He had fallen asleep, with his head on the
old chair, by which he was accustomed to kneel
in his private devotions. His neck felt stiff,
and his body had not entirely escaped the
numbing effect of the winter cold. There was
(212)
THE MORNING. 213
a vague, questioning, doubting look upon his
face, and any observer would have said that
Mr. Jonah's thoughts were not clear on this
good Christmas morning.
As he busied himself in restoring the fire,,
he kept peering into every corner, as though
he expected on this day to be saluted by some
supernatural powers.
He drew the chair before the blaze he had
succeeded in kindling, and listlessly sat down.
Soon he TOS lost in meditation; sunk in a rev-
erie so deeply, that he heard not the neighbor-
ing clock strike six. As he thus mused, his
lips would mutter a few disconnected words,
such as these, and which we, invisible wit-
nesses of his night's experience, can easily
understand,
"Of course it was a dream! But how like
reality how very like. The room here is
just as it was late last night not a thing
214 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
disturbed. Well, he was comical ! But then,
how serious what I saw and who shall
interpret it? Is it superstitious to believe
in dreams? Believe what?" Then came a
lengthened pause.
''It cannot be; the Bible tells us of the
dreams of Joseph, of Pilate's wife, and of many
others; these, undoubtedly, were from God,
and designed to bless mankind. It cannot,
then, be sinful to attach importance to them.
And somewhere I have read how a (irunkard's
dream led him to reform. Yes, many cures
have been wrought by this mysterious agency."
Another pause, and then he spoke again.
"Has it not strangely affected me? Has it
not filled me with repugnance for many things
in which I once delighted? Do I not feel
different? These evergreens enrage me not;
the simple joys of loving hearts have lost their
depravity in my eyes. I am conscious of a
THE MORNING. 215
yearning to embrace my children, and I even
feel that I could laugh, without regard to the
good opinion of Mr. Stubbs, and without dread
of a calamity overtaking me, were I to do so."
With perplexity and indecision apparent in
his actions, he rose, and paced the room un-
easily. The clock struck seven.
"What shall I do? Mabel wiU soon be up,
and the children, too. I do not think that I
can act as I did last night. What course shall
I pursue ? May it not be that God has sent the
vision of the night to save me from my mor-
bidness, and to aid me in my duty toward my
wife and babes? And if this is so, should I
reject the message? Should I, who believe in
His wise providence, cast its wisdom from me ?
I dare not do so! Nay, Father of my soul, I
do not want to do so, and I will not."
Would you suppose it possible, gentle reader,
do you think it credible that Mr. Jonah ever
216 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
could look handsome ? It does seem imaginary
beyond a parallel to admit the fact of so won-
drous a transformation. But all the town will
bear me witness, that from this Christmas
season he had renewed his youth. One friend
declared that he had "mightily freshened up;"
another said that "he was young again;" and
all who had dealings with him at least, bore
testimony to the brightness of his eye, to the
color on his cheek, and to what is better still,
the gracious kindness of his words, and the lov-
ing gentleness of all his actions.
He heard the children stirring, and to the
door he went. But there he halted ; a lust strug-
gle was taking place. Pride whispered, "Your
family will laugh at you, and will deride
you for your weakness." The conflict was
not over in a minute, but its termination
was heralded, when he replied, "I have always
acted out my character and convictions. When
THE MORNING. 217
they were dark and ugly, I did not conceal
them ! Shall I be less honest now ? I was not
ashamed of my uulovelincss, shall I blush to
own that I desire to be more like my Master?"
That was a clincher; the battle ceased, the
victory was won. He paused no longer, but
opened the children's chamber door just a little
bit, and hailed them with cheery voice. "Get
up, you idlers, and wish your father a Merry
Christmas, as he does you."
He quickly closed the door, but not in time
to drown the noisy greetings of his amazed but
delighted offspring. All was hurry and confu-
sion in their room. A few minutes sufficed to
dress, and when they entered where their father
was, which they did simultaneously with their
mother, they were surprised beyond expression
to see him standing on a chair, securing to the
wall the evergreens which he had pulled down
the evening before. How can I describe the
218 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
joy they all experienced, how Ethel expressed
it in her tears, Milly in her ringing laugh,
and Master Bob in hurrahs repeated oft and
continued long.
As Mabel, with anxious face, inquired why
he had not been to bed, he descended from his
lofty station, and folded her most tenderly in
his arms, and kissed her many times. That
was a novel sight to all, and struck young Mas-
ter Bob so strangely that the half-uttered shout
was suddenly suppressed, and ended in a most
peculiar whistle.
"But what does it mean?" said blushing
Mabel, looking up with the old happiness beam-
ing in her face.
"It means," responded Jonah, "that I have
spent the night with Santa Glaus, and have
found him to be a most agreeable companion."
Of course they were all perplexed, and
pressed him to explain; but he would not then,
THE MORtfltfG* 219
and bade them wait a fitter time. Young Rob-
ert put his hands into his breeches pockets, and
gazed inquiringly at his thick-soled shoes; for
to him, his parent's words were damaging to
the reputation of St. Nicholas. How could his
father be pleased with him unless he were rigid,
prim, and disagreeable, like himself. K he had
been able to shape his thoughts, and utter them
in speech, he would have said, "Can oil and
water mix? Can light and darkness reign to-
gether?" But, happily, he was neither philos-
opher nor orator, and the problem which he
could not state so as to succeed in solving, he
treated as many school-boys do their puzzling
sums, he dismissed it altogether.
The breakfast hour had come, and they par-
took of the simple meal, provided with far
different feelings from those with which they
supped. When finished, the morning prayer
was breathed. The father read that portion of
220 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
God's holy word that sublimely tells how He
who made the worlds was born of woman, and
how the angels sang of peace on earth and good-
will to man. They kneeled together, and he
prayed as they had never heard him pray be-
fore," so tender, loving, sympathetic, and
Christlike were his words. When they arose,
the old smile was on his face the smile that
Mabel knew the one he wore upon that day
when before another altar he had vowed to love,
to cherish, and protect her.
But there were other surprising joys in store
for them. Just as the clock struck nine, a
heavy knock was heard; and when the door
was opened, a porter with a hamper on his back
came in. He put it down upon the floor, and
said, "This, Mr. Jonah, is for you."
"Who sent it?" they all inquired.
With many a knowing squint and wink, the
porter answered, "I suppose it's from Saint
THE MORNING. 221
Nicholas; don't I look like one of his attend-
ant sprites?"
In very truth, he did not; and Master Bob
gave him to know as much. As for Hezekiah,
the doubt returned. Could his midnight jour-
ney be nothing but a dream? But he uttered
not the thought ; he only thanked the porter for
his kindness, and as he parted with him at his
door, politely wished him and his, a Merry
Christmas.
Then followed the opening of the basket. It
was crammed with gifts. Within its capacious
bounds the family discovered turkeys, raisins,
spices, fruits, dolls, drums, whips, and horses,
with many curious things from foreign climes,
as heavy silks and India shawls. Rolled up
with care with other odds and ends of golden
ornaments, was a pretty, tiny watch, on the back
of which was engraved the name of Patient
Ethel. Their hearts were filled with wonder
222 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
and delight. But who could be their benefac-
tor? They guessed and guessed, but all in
vain. It could not be one friend, for he had
not so much to give; nor could it be another,
for he lacked a bounteous heart. They were
completely mystified. But wicked Bob declared
that he was sure these many presents came not
from Mr. Stubbs.
Their council was broken up by the appear-
ance of a stranger in their midst. They knew,
indeed, his person, but not his name. It was
the sailor youth whom they had seen the day
before, and who appeared to Jonah 'in his
dream. Mabel smiled a welcome, so did gentle
Ethel, and demonstrative Bob greeted his com-
ing with a wild ovation. The puritan could
scarcely believe his senses, but he restrained
himself, and kept back the name which rose
involuntarily to his lips.
"You seem to know my family, young man,"
THE MORNING. 223
said Jonah, "and by their looks, I guess you
are not entirely unknown to them; therefore,
on their behalf, and for the sake of Him who
came this day in lowly form to earth, I bid you
welcome."
Abashed the sailor stood at this unexpected
courtesy, and immediately explained, "that
they had met the day before, for he had called,
as he was the bearer of a message from beyond
the sea. You were not within, and I told them
I would come again. I have kept my word.
At your door I knocked ; but as no one heard
me, I made bold to enter, for my errand to
you admits of no delay."
The little group were sobered by his earnest
manner, and instinctively they waited for the
message. In simple terms, the sailor told his
story :
"My name is Cutts, Walter Cutts, and I am
the son of Samuel, your former partner." As
224 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
he thus prefaced his narrative, looks of intelli-
gent meaning passed between the older members
of the family, but there was no outbreak on
Jonah's part, as they might reasonably have
expected. He did not speak, however, but
rather compressed his lips together tightly, as
he -waved his hand for Walter to continue.
The youth obeyed.
"When we left America, I was but a child,
seven years old, or thereabouts, and only
knew that we were bound abroad, with others,
on matters of great business enterprise. Of the
outward voyage I need say nothing; through
all its storms we safely rode, and reached the
haven for which we had weighed anchor. At
some other time I may be allowed to tell you
how fair a land the Eastern India is; what gor-
geous flowers, transparent streams, and rolling
plains salute the traveler's eye. But, with all
its beauty, it is cursed with roving bands of
THE MORNING. 225
robbers, warlike hordes of wild marauders, and
crowds of desperate villains, who combine to
make the country a wilderness.
"Their British rulers, in self-defence, main-
tain almost a constant struggle of lesser or great-
er magnitude, and all the outlaw classes plead
their presence, and the usurpation of their soil,
to justify their vile atrocities. In such a land,
my father found himself. At once he busied
himself in examining the money-scheme which
crazed half Europe, and in the collapse of
which so many princely fortunes perished.
He saw the worthlessness of the proposals, and
declined investing in so ruinous an enterprise.
His gold and notes were safely committed
to the keeping of a banker of respectability, for
which he received, as the amount was large, a
certificate of deposit.
"Not wishing to return to America without
accomplishing something that would satisfy his
15
226 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
firm, he visited many places, had conference
with many people, and at last perceived the
opportunity he had sought for, wise invest-
ments and large returns. He matured his
plans, but never lived to see them realized.
"Traveling near the mountain region, a wan-
dering tribe attacked his party, and all were
slain except myself, and I was only spared
because a young sheik took a fancy to me, as I
lay moaning over the bleeding body of my
father. What it was that moved his heart to
pity I do not know, but beyond a doubt he
shielded me from death, and made me a com-
panion with him in his tent. Before I bade
farewell to the remains of him I loved, I was
permitted to take from his person whatever I
desired^ as a keepsake or remembrancer. In his
pocket I discovered a picture of my mother,
and enclosed within the little leathern case was
carefully folded the banker's certificate of de-
THE MORNING. 227
posit. This I was allowed to appropriate, as I,
by signs, explained how 'near the original of the
likeness had been to me. From that hour my
life was changed. I grew in favor with the
sheik, my master and defender. He taught me
many arts, and confided to me many wondrous
secrets. Soon I acquired the language of the
tribe, and with it some of their reckless habits.
I could ride as well and as fearlessly as the
boldest, could endure long marches, and in the
battles waged between them and their no less
savage neighbors bore a part.
"In learning their lessons and acquiring their
skill, my earlier days were passed. When
eighteen years of age, as I was strong and active,
I was received more on the footing of a com-
rade. For two years after this I rode with
them wherever they went, fought with them
side by side, and loved their roving life as I
did the person of my master. But I had not
228 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
forgotten home, and of ten-times at night, when
keeping watch, I'd think of my own dear father-
land, and yearn to see its face again. When
twenty years of age, a change occurred in the
condition of the tribe, which prepared the way
for my deliverance. It met with signal re-
verses in the field, and extermination threatened
it on every side, especially from the arms of
England. The troops were on the march to
allay the strife then raging among the natives,
and to protect the foreign travelers from
marauding arms. In one of the engagements
which ensued, our chief was wounded mortally,
and I was with him in his tent when he breathed
his last. I shall never forget that dying sheik.
He commended me to the favor of his God,
advised me to seek the British lines in the
confusion that would follow his demise, and
conferred upon me many precious stones as
mementoes of his friendship.
THE MORNING. 229
"As soon as his eyes were closed in death,
and lamentations filled our camp, I availed my-
self of the distraction that everywhere prevailed,
and, mounting my swiftest steed, escaped. The
commander of the English forces received me
kindly, and at the earliest opportunity trans-
ported me to the city of Bombay. I called on
some Americans, and for the first time learned
that my father's integrity had been questioned,
that the banker to whose care he had com-
mitted the funds with which he was intrusted,
had disclaimed all knowledge of him or them,
and that it had been currently reported and be-
lieved that he had absconded with the money.
I was indignant, and in my anger failed to
realize that I possessed the means to prove his
innocence, and visit his enemy with a severe
and crushing retaliation.
"Unaccustomed to our methods, not appre-
ciating the value of the certificate in my pocket,
230 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
and not knowing how to proceed, or who to
trust, in my impetuous rashness I decided to
join the India naval service, which was in
harmony with my roving habits, and offered
the opportunity I sought, of proving by an
honorable career that the name I bore was
above reproach. I shall not relate the history
of my voyages, how I succeeded in winning
distinction and promotion for my services, but
hasten to the close. Having saved my captain's
life, I was commissioned with despatches to
the Captain-general, that he in person might
commend me for my gallantry. In doing so,
the rough old soldier inquired about my past,
and I candidly related all my history. He was
deeply interested, and requested me to show
him the picture of my mother. As he opened
it, the certificate of deposit fell upon the ground.
I handed it to him, for I did not wish him to
THE MORNING. 231
suppose that I had anything to conceal. As
soon as he had glanced over it, he exclaimed,
" 'Why, young man, this paper is the most
conclusive proof that you could offer of the
truth of all that you have stated.'
"Need I relate how the wily general called
upon the banker, and obtained from him a dis-
tinct denial of such a trust, how he produced
the certificate of deposit before his eyes, and
established his guilt before a legal tribunal; or
how to save the credit of the institution a
compromise was effected, which restored me
principal and compound interest, and which
consigned my father's slanderer to a prison?
"All this he did, and more than I have time
to tell. And now, sir, you can understand the
message that I bring, and why I intrude upon
your hospitality on this Christmas day. More
than half this wealth is yours, and I restore it
232 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
gladly to its owner, only regretting that my in-
experience prevented me from doing it sooner.
"Ever since it came into my possession, I
have prayed to live that I might see this hour
an hour that clears my father's name from foul
suspicion, and reinstates you in your rights
again."
There was a painful pause. The bronzed-
faced youth was weeping, and Jonah, who had
sunk into a seat, with Mabel kneeling at his
side, clasped his big hands in an agony of
remorse, while the tears flowed down his cheeks.
Ethel, through her sadness, which hung like a
mist over her radiant eyes, saw not the gold
the youth had brought, but only saw the hero.
Here let us draw the veil. The explanations,
the joyous welcome, and the pleasures of that
day need no description. I need not tell you
what a merry Christmas it was to all within
that house, how Miss Cutts was sent for, and
THE MORNING, 233
arrived; how little gifts were sent to Tony
Tripp, and how poor Dick came into remem-
brance, in the shape of a great doll sent round
to Deacon Convert's, with the best wishes of
Mr. Hezekiah Jonah.
It is unnecessary for me to relate how Mr.
Jonah grew from year to year more affectionate
and tender; how Walter became his partner,
and succeeded beyond his expectations; how
religion became more precious to them all; or
how the children sat in solemn judgment on
one Mr. Stubbs, and condemned him to the
flames. I need not relate the glory of Patient
Ethel's womanhood; how she grew strong
under the influence of a more genial home,
and how beautiful she looked when three years
after she stood before the altar, Walter's
bride. And it need not be told how Ethel's
children gloried in bachelor Uncle Bob, and
234 A NIGHT WITH ST. NICHOLAS.
thought Aunt Milly an angel in disguise. No;
these things need not be written.
Let it suffice that all were happy, and ever, as
Christmas Eve returned, the aged puritan would
gather his grandchildren and all beneath his
roof around his antique chair, and would
relate strange things to them about Saint
Nicholas and the fairies, which, he laughingly
said, he saw on the first night he ever spent
under winter evergreens. Then would they
clap their hands, and patter up and down with
glee, and in their joy call upon Old Criss ever-
more to be their friend.
Thus it was that Patient Ethel's prophecy
was fulfilled. "The redemption had come to
their home; its gloom and poverty had de-
parted with the rising of that Christmas sun."
And so may gloom and care be driven from
your homes, and richest blessings follow you
through all the year. Amen, and amen!
m
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