LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
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 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
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CHRISTMAS EVE 
 
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 " Sit with me by the homestead hearth, 
 And stretch the hands of memory forth, 
 To warm them at the wood-fire's blaze ! " 
 
 — Whittier. 
 
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 NEW YORK : 
 
 J. W. PRATT, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 75 FULTON STREET. 
 
 1879. 
 
 / ; 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1879, 
 By Ellen D. Quetting, 0)-J^ 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
Co mm P^ntjjer, 
 
 THESE RECOLLECTIONS OF OUR EARLY HOME ARE 
 INSCRIBED BY HER LOVING CHILD, 
 
 ELLEN D. QUETTING. 
 
4f(mtitta$ in h %m\^mt 1{all 
 
 Blest Memory ! whose silent flashes bright 
 
 lUiinie the realm of mind ; 
 Give back the smile and glance of light 
 
 In heart enshrined. 
 
 Blest Memory ! whose lingering echoes sweet 
 
 The rolling years prolong, 
 Give back like bugle-blast the voices of the past, 
 
 And cheer my song. 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Wrapped in sweet musings of the past, 
 
 There rises on my sight 
 The scenes and home of other days 
 
 In clear and vivid hght. 
 How bright and gay the old hall looks ! 
 
 Who did the garlands weave ? 
 It seems a green and leafy bower 
 
 This merry Christmas Eve. 
 The doors are wreathed with mountain-ash. 
 
 Glistening with berries bright ; 
 The walls festooned with hemlock, 
 
 With cross and star bedight. 
 This home in festal splendor, 
 
 So dear to one and all: 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Was christened by our uncle. 
 
 Dear Frank^ as ^^ Branksome Hall/^ 
 The house was built of wood, 
 
 As strong as any fort ; 
 And was^ for all the country ^round, 
 
 The open^ free resort. 
 The friend, the neighbor, welcome found ; 
 
 The poor, the sick, forlorn ; 
 No rest the Doctor had from calls, 
 
 From eve till dewy morn. 
 The wanderer found a downy bed, 
 
 A rest from all his cares ; 
 He turned no man away, lest one 
 
 Were ^^ angel unawares. ^^ 
 
8 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 The mistress of the mansion, 
 
 True angel, friend and wife, 
 Bore with brave heart the burden 
 
 With which her world was rife. 
 She nursed the sick, mourned with the sad, 
 
 She clad the needy poor ; 
 And none went empty-handed 
 
 Who asked alms at her door. 
 The Doctor quoted Holy Writ 
 
 His virtuous wife to praise. 
 Who in the path of life had walked 
 
 Consistently always. 
 '^ Tour mother is as good,'^ said he, 
 
 '' As any saint of old ; 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 ^^ And she would never think of doing 
 ^^ Their deeds in Scripture told/^ 
 
 Father and mother^ sister and brother^ 
 
 Are seated in the Hall. 
 This Christmas eve are gathered there 
 
 EUen^ George, Mary, all 
 Their friends — another Mary, 
 
 Ellen's great friend is here 
 (From a pretty village, miles away), 
 
 To taste the Christmas cheer. 
 Her open look and clear gray eyes 
 
 Have heart and good will won. 
 The beaming face and blooming youth 
 
10 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Are fair to look upon. 
 
 Here come our uncles^ Ad. and Frank, 
 
 Our mother's younger brothers, 
 With us as much at home, I ween, 
 
 As any of the others. 
 Dear Ad., with heart like sound, good fruit, 
 
 Which time more fully mellows, 
 By the whole village is esteemed 
 
 ''The Prince of all good fellows;^' 
 And Frank ! companion welcome ever, 
 
 How paint thy social merits, 
 That make thy company to all 
 
 Like good wine for the spirits ? 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 1 1 
 
 What is tliy humor, Frank, to-night ? 
 
 From memoiy^s full treasures, 
 Wilt Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Scott, 
 
 Repeat in ample measures ? 
 Or Virgil/ Cicero, and Livy, 
 
 With rapture so translate. 
 One feels the classic mind of old 
 
 Thy genius well can mate. 
 Macauley, Webster, Clay, and Burke, 
 
 With voice, and look, and tone ; 
 Thou canst for hours their words repeat. 
 
 As if they were thine own. 
 Wilt, in thy attitude and style. 
 
 With Kean and Forrest vie. 
 
12 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 And show the worthies of the town 
 
 In matchless mimicry. 
 Thou know^st in hvely wit and jest, 
 
 And sprightly repartee^ 
 In friendly bout to sally out 
 
 In '' goodlie companie.^^ 
 
 Now come the Academy teachers, 
 And neighbors with their dames, 
 
 And children in the sitting-room 
 Play noisy, happy games. 
 
 As conversation now begins 
 Its mingled busy hum, 
 
 A loud knock at the door is heard — 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 13 
 
 What visitor has come ? 
 A figure, wrapped in snowy garb, 
 
 Chilled from a long, cold ride, 
 Is ushered in — he cannot stay — 
 
 Tis messenger and guide. 
 On the lake shore, ten miles away, 
 
 By an unbroken road, 
 A child is sick — brooks no delay — 
 
 Must haste to the abode. 
 The Doctor must with him at once. 
 
 At duty^s earnest call. 
 Our host and father turns straightway. 
 
 And passes from the Hall. 
 A quick good-bye — a backward glance 
 
14 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 At cheerful home and hght- — 
 And speeding on at mercy^s call, 
 
 He vanishes in night ; 
 And silence for a moment falls 
 
 Upon the busy throng, 
 And sympathizing glances 
 
 From eyes now pass along. 
 Our mother, trained in duty^s path 
 
 Unquestioning to walk, 
 With one brief sigh says quickly 
 
 Kind words to link the talk. 
 
 '^Oome, Julia, tell some legend old 
 Of Knights of high degree — 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 1 5 
 
 Of Lords and Ladies — Tournaments 
 
 And deeds of chivalry ! 
 Some stirring romance of old days^ 
 
 Or tender^ moving lay^ 
 Above the train of common thought — 
 
 Befitting festal day/' 
 
 JULIA'S STORY. 
 
 Baron Arnold Von Collen lay dyings 
 And tossing and moaning in pain ; 
 
 And the Lady Elizabeth's tears, 
 
 And weeping, and sobbing, were vain. 
 
16 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 The good Baron was of the Church 
 
 A faithful and dutiful son^ 
 But his ancestors in the dim past 
 
 Were heretics — every one. 
 
 They fought with the Brandenburg army, 
 With Gustavus Adolphus for might; 
 
 And many a rood of good land 
 
 They won by stout arm in the fight. 
 
 When the thirty years' war was all over^ 
 The Barons Yon CoUen had store 
 
 Of worldly goods^ land, and of gold — 
 Could their children e'er want any more? 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 17 
 
 But time plays strange pranks in its course, 
 With whirlwind and battle full rife ; 
 
 And, two centuries after, the broad lands 
 Had vanished in war, waste and strife. 
 
 The old crumbling ruin at Jiilich, 
 Where the Baron lay dying to-day. 
 
 Looked down on the remnants of birthright — 
 Two lone, straggling villages gray. 
 
 The Baron now begged his sad wife 
 
 For Father Ignatius to send ; 
 Fears, doubts and perplexities vexed him, 
 
 Consolation the Church could now lend. 
 
18 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Acolytes came with bell and with book, 
 
 Chrismatorium with holy oil, 
 And bearing on high, cross and pyx 
 
 The poor dying man to assoil. 
 
 The Jesuit brother came after — 
 
 A monk gaunt with penance and fast — 
 
 With expression cold, austere and sad — 
 Eyes with zeal and devotion o'ercast. 
 
 To the Father the Baron now said : 
 ^^ What penance can I, ere I die, 
 
 For the sake of my soul and the dead. 
 Do, in God's name, for sweet Charitv?'' 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 19 
 
 ^^ For the deeds of the past, my dear son, 
 
 Thy ancestors many a year 
 Have inherited torments and pains 
 
 In the regions the wricked nov^ fear. 
 
 ^' Of thy goods, and thy houses and lands. 
 Give the Church nov^ no poor meagre dole ; 
 
 And from pains, and from wrath and distress. 
 In mercy, deliver each soul.^^ 
 
 '' Good Father, I have wife and child, 
 To heart and affection most dear ! ^^ 
 
 ^^ Thy wife St. Ursula's Abbess shall be ; 
 Thy son in the Holy Faith rear.^^ 
 
20 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 He guided the hand of the dying man. 
 The deed was done ; and the Churches ban 
 Rested no longer on his race ; 
 And a smile lit up the pallid face. 
 The monk now ended his holy function^ 
 And the faithful man received the unction ; 
 And the spark of life no longer fanned, 
 The Baron passed to a better land. 
 
 The Lady Elizabeth many a day 
 Lived in the walls of St. Ursula, gi'^y ; 
 And many a prayer and mass were said 
 For the son now living, and the Baron dead. 
 The brotherhood received the son 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 21 
 
 As a soul for the Church's bosom won ; 
 But the fires of heresy were not dead, 
 And from the Jesuits he fled. 
 
 To a distant land his steps he turned, 
 And a fierce unrest within him burned. 
 Outcast, he wandered many a year, 
 And crossed to the Western Hemisphere. 
 By the Duke of Hesse to England sold, 
 With the Hessian ranks he fought for gold ; 
 And like his ancestors, long dead, 
 By his strong arm he won his bread. 
 
 The Jesuit College, endowed with his lands, 
 
22 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 For a century flourished in their hands; 
 And the hghts are ht, and the mass is said, 
 O'er the faithful Arnold's escutcheoned bed ; 
 But his recreant son, for heresy banned, 
 Lies buried unknown on a foreign strand. 
 No stone for his head, no mass for his soul, 
 And his name erased from memory's roll. 
 
 With kindly words, this ballad strange 
 
 The patient listeners greet; 
 But the mother gravely and sadly says, 
 
 ^'This tale is for our ears not meet.^' 
 And Julia answers, ^^I can naught change, 
 
 What e'er your feelings be, 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOMK HALL. 23 
 
 I narrate everything for truths 
 As it was told to me/^ 
 
 A tone of sadness pervades tlie Hall^ 
 
 And now one calls for a song. 
 Whose voice is in tune^ young maidens? 
 
 We wait — don^t hesitate long. 
 Hettie, sing us the rhymes you have written, 
 
 Although simple the ditty may be; 
 We will give to our friends a warm welcome — 
 
 Let the chorus ring out cheerily. 
 
 She has a bad cold — Will, must join the refrain; 
 She has sung nothing for — oh, ever so long. 
 
24 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 But plucking up courage with ahem — ^hem — 
 ^hem — 
 She strikes up the tune^ and sings us this song : 
 
 HETTIE'S SONG.. 
 
 TUNE AULD LANG SYNE. 
 
 To Branksome Hall each honored guest, 
 
 Welcome and cheer to-night; 
 For you weVe wreathed the walls about^ 
 And hung the berries bright. 
 
 So, Merrie Christmas to our friends — 
 
 A Merrie Christmas, all ! 
 May each be happy as a king 
 To-night, in Branksome Hall 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 25 
 
 For you the hearthstone high is piled ; 
 
 For you we sing our songs; 
 And they shall be of right good will 
 
 That to the time belongs. 
 
 So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 
 
 The star that o'er Judea's hills 
 
 Rose the first Christmas night, 
 Has never yet returned again 
 
 To dazzle human sight. 
 
 So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 
 
 But myriad shapes in flame and gold 
 As symbols now are seen; 
 
26 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 And we have made a star for you 
 Of shining evergreen. 
 
 So^ Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 
 
 All ^round the earth shall circle still, 
 
 From eve to early morn, 
 The tidings of that glorious day 
 
 On which our Lord was born. 
 
 So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 
 
 The bells shall ring from belfries high, 
 The chimes from each church tower; 
 
 And angel choirs shall chant their song 
 When strikes the midnight hour. 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 27 
 
 Then let us keep this hohday 
 With peace^ good will to all ; 
 
 May each be happy as a king 
 To-night, in Branksome Hall. 
 
 » 
 Our mother lifts her hand, and says : 
 
 ^^ In all our joy and mirth, 
 Let us recall in distant lands 
 
 One absent from our hearth. 
 Far, in the pleasant sunny South, 
 
 Are generous homes and free; 
 May one its circle ope' for him 
 
 In hospitality. 
 May our dear Lord, this festal night. 
 
28 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Keep him within his ken/^ 
 And every heart in silence there 
 Answers a deep Amen. 
 
 I glance around^ and see uncle Frank 
 By the bright rays of the moon, 
 
 Through the half open door beyond the Hall^ 
 Like a goldsmith burnish a spoon. 
 
 The group around him merry grow 
 
 At the story that comes after, 
 And at the end there follows now 
 
 A hearty burst of laughter. 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 2D 
 
 Asicle^ I propose to Mary to go 
 
 And visit the sitting-room, 
 To see what mischief the children do. 
 
 We open the door, and before us loom 
 Two tall ghosts spooking about. 
 
 The children shriek and laugh by turns, 
 Half in fear and half in doubt, 
 
 While the lamp, turned down, dimly burns. 
 Eva and Belle, each with a broom. 
 
 Wrapped in a sheet, with nose and eyes 
 Pinned on, stalk about from room to room. 
 
 (Oh, childhood ! Oh, youth ! How time flies ! 
 I have played the same games, 
 
 And have had the same fears : 
 
30 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Laughed as merrily oft as any of you, 
 And reaction has ended in tears). 
 
 Like sudden bursts of April showers 
 That dim the glowing skies, 
 
 O^er-charged abundance spends its force — 
 Refreshed all nature lies. 
 
 At our appearance, the children all 
 Came running at full speed, 
 
 Glad to be rescued from their fears, 
 In this their hour of need. 
 
 '^Come, aunt,'^ says Clayton, ^^tell a story- 
 Let it be something good ! 
 
 Tell us of good St. Nicholas, 
 Or of bold Robin Hood.^^ 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 31 
 
 THE AUNT^S STORY. 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE. 
 
 Twas the night before Christmas, 
 
 Just ten years ago, 
 The icicles glittered 
 
 Like diamonds in snow. 
 The man in the moon 
 
 Took a peep o'er the wood, 
 And the evening star twinkled 
 
 Near by where he stood; 
 And we knew 'twas the herald 
 
 To prelude the morn 
 That should tell to the world 
 
32 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 That the Christ-child was born. 
 Old Prancer and Dasher 
 
 Champed their bits at the door^ 
 While the sleigh stood behind 
 
 With the driver before ; 
 
 And John^ with his fur cap 
 
 And shag coat of brown, 
 Looked as if he ^d just come 
 
 From an Esquimaux town. 
 The children were muffled 
 
 In tippets and mittens, 
 And were tucked in the sleigh robes 
 
 As snus: as the kittens. 
 
 George, Walter and Philo, 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 33 
 
 Lucj; Mary and I 
 Had just said to our mothers 
 
 A parting good-bye. 
 Aunt Lucinda lived on 
 
 The great road to the East, 
 And here all the children 
 
 Expected a feast. 
 We plunged through the snow — 
 
 Hurrahed for the night — 
 Were ever young hearts 
 
 More joyous and light! 
 The dogs followed after 
 
 With hearty good-will; 
 Now behind — now before — 
 
34 CHRISTMAS EVE IX BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 As we sped up the hill. 
 The bells jingled loud 
 
 In the frosty night air ; 
 And we joked^ and we laughed, 
 
 Without sorrow or care. 
 We passed the gnarled chestnut trees 
 
 Of the dark woods; 
 By the thicket of hemlocks, 
 
 All wrapped in white hoods. 
 From each cosy farm-house 
 
 The glimmering light 
 Told of joy and good will 
 
 And feasting to-night ; 
 And the smoke from the chimneys 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 35 
 
 Seemed to ns but a type 
 Of the ascending clouds 
 
 From St. Nicholas' pipe. 
 We passed by the country road, 
 
 Turned to the right, 
 And the lonely brick school-house 
 
 Appeared in our sight. 
 Here the wind had piled up 
 
 The snow banks so high^ 
 ^Twas a question to know 
 
 Could we pass safely by ? 
 We cry, here 's Mont Blanc ! 
 Which we scale in a trice. 
 The horses step slow 
 
36 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 On the glare of the ice. 
 We safely ascend 
 
 To the top of the knoU^ 
 But descending^ npset, 
 
 In the snow we all roll. 
 What a scramble^ and shoutings 
 
 And laughter we raised ! 
 One had thought for a truth 
 
 We were all somewhat crazed. 
 George alone cried aloud^ 
 
 He had broken his nose ; 
 But the rest of us only 
 
 Complained of our toes. 
 John righted the sleigh : 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 37 
 
 We were soon in again, 
 And he gave to old Prancer 
 
 And Dasher the rein, 
 And we soon came in sight 
 
 Of the cheering lamp-hght, 
 That shone through the windows, 
 
 So beckoning and bright ; 
 And through the great gate- way 
 
 We drove with a shout, 
 That brought both the man 
 
 And maid-servants out. 
 Our aunt at the window. 
 
 The rest at the door — 
 And we met such a greeting 
 
38 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 As never before. 
 Up the great stone chimney 
 
 The fiery flames leaped 
 From the back-log, and fore-stick, 
 
 And pine knots, high heaped ; 
 And the gleams on the floor, 
 
 And the gleams on the wall 
 Cast a reflex of comfort 
 
 Alike over all. 
 In his arm-chair sat nncle 
 
 Content as conld be, 
 With the Albany Journal 
 
 Spread ont on his knee, 
 And he beamed o'er his spectacles 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 39 
 
 On the gay crowd; 
 Took his pipe from his mouth, 
 
 And shook hands as we bowed. 
 We played bhndman's buflf, 
 
 Ate nuts and pop corn — 
 The happiest children 
 
 That ever were born. 
 Charles told of adventures 
 
 By sea and by land, 
 And we listened in silence, 
 
 A wondering band. 
 The wind now arose; 
 
 And the roar of the blast 
 Made us draw 'round the fire 
 
40 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 To wait till ^twas past. 
 Maple sugar in a kettle 
 
 Was hung on the crane. 
 Then little recked we 
 
 Of the storm or the rain. 
 The candy was poured 
 
 On a great cake of ice — 
 Was ever the like . 
 
 So delicious and nice ! 
 The wind-storm blew louder; 
 
 The sleet and the rain 
 Pattered down on the roof, 
 
 And shook each window pane. 
 The tall clock struck midnight — 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 41 
 
 ^' Merrie Christmas ! ^^ shout all, 
 For our aunt said^ ^^ To-night, 
 
 None depart for the Hall." 
 Each lighted his candle, 
 
 And with kiss and good-night, 
 We retired to our rooms 
 
 To rest till daylight. 
 My sister and I chose 
 
 The curled maple bed, 
 With the blue plaited canopy 
 
 Over its head. 
 The curtains were chintz, 
 
 Where the hounds on fox-chase 
 Were with hunters on horseback 
 
42 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Pursuing the race. 
 These I often^ for hours, 
 
 With wonder admired, 
 And of subject and figures 
 
 I never grew tired. 
 One sounded a horn, 
 
 His gun shing by his side; 
 Others leaped over fences, 
 
 Or ditch long and wide. 
 We mutter our prayers. 
 
 Ere asleep we now fall, 
 And we think of our stockings 
 
 At home on the wall : 
 When faint from afar 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 43 
 
 Came the sound of a horn — 
 Had the stage-coach passed by, 
 
 Ere the breaking of morn? 
 But nearer it came, 
 
 Borne on wings of the blast, 
 Till close to the gateway 
 
 It sounded at last. 
 Then a knock — a low voice 
 
 Was now^ heard, and a moan. 
 That had moved any heart 
 
 That was not made of stone. 
 I arose, dressed in haste. 
 
 And opened the door. 
 And there stood St. Nicholas, 
 
44 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Just as of yore^ 
 With his white beard and pipe, 
 
 And his monstrous great sack 
 Full of drums, dolls and trumpets, 
 
 Strapped well on his back. 
 He entered, all shivering 
 
 And trembling, and cold; 
 And he looked pale and ghastly, 
 
 And feeble and old. 
 He threw down his pack. 
 
 And dropped down by the fire, 
 And gasped, as if ready 
 
 At once to expire. 
 The yule-log still flickered; 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 45 
 
 The embers I stirred. 
 He gazed at me now, 
 
 Aud said never a word. 
 I lighted a lamp, 
 
 And brought him some wine. 
 He leaned on his elbow, 
 
 And made me a sign. 
 He told me his story 
 
 In accents all broken; 
 And his Will to his children 
 • He left as a token. 
 ^^ My sleigh was upset 
 
 On an icy snow drift; 
 My reindeer broke loose, 
 
46 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HAI -I 
 
 And have left me to shift 
 In the wmd and the sleet 
 
 Of this cold winter night; 
 And Fve vrandered around 
 
 Till this house came in sight. 
 Now, spent by my toils, 
 
 My labors are past — 
 I have made my lone journey 
 
 To die here at last. 
 This land has great mountains 
 
 Of silver and gold, 
 Such as tales of 
 
 Arabian Nights never told. 
 Indians riches no long:er 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 47 
 
 SiiflB.ce to supply 
 Christmas presents — nor gifts 
 
 For my children to buy. 
 Times and manners have changed, 
 
 Wealth 's increased, luxury spread ; 
 And 'tis time, like my fathers, 
 
 To rest with the dead. 
 Will you, my dear child, 
 
 My testament write. 
 Set down the last words 
 
 Of my Will, here, to-night? 
 Take down the great ink-horn 
 
 From off the high shelf. 
 And a leaf from the Ledger 
 
48 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Is surely no pelf/^ 
 
 ^'My blessing to children 
 
 All over the earth, 
 Whose stockings I've filled 
 
 Since the days of their birth. 
 Let these children henceforth 
 
 For their children a tree 
 Of evergreen raise, 
 
 In remembrance of me. 
 Let them fill it with gifts 
 
 For their households — the poor 
 With a dole for the beggar 
 
 That calls at each door. 
 
CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 49 
 
 Let my efl&gy stand 
 
 On the uppermost bough 
 The Genius of Christmas 
 
 Forever^ as now/^ 
 
 His voice now grew fainter — 
 
 St. Nicholas smiled — 
 '' Make the sign of the Cross — 
 
 Write Xmas, my child.'' 
 
 He stretched out his hand 
 
 To subscribe to the Will^ 
 But his cold fingers stiffened — 
 
 His great heart grew still. 
 
50 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 His eyes softly closed^ 
 
 And he lay back his head, 
 And I saw good St. Nicholas 
 
 Wan, cold, and dead. 
 My aunt stirred the curtains : 
 
 I opened my eyes, 
 And met her sweet smile 
 
 With a look of surprise. 
 '^The breakfast is served, 
 
 Tou alone we await; 
 Hasten now, to get ready, 
 
 Or you '11 be too late.'' 
 ^^ And is it not true 
 
 That St. Nicholas 's dead ? " 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 51 
 
 Said I, lifting the counterpane^ 
 Raising my head. 
 
 ^^I think/^ said Herbert^ ^^that a tree/ 
 
 Hung all about with toys^ 
 Would make a very pretty show 
 
 For all the girls and boys.^^ 
 ^^I knew ^twas all a dream/^ said Houghton, 
 
 ^^For every Christmas night 
 IVe hung my stocking on the wall, 
 
 And had it filled up quite. ^^ 
 
 Dream '^ of such stuff" as dreams are made/' 
 Inwardly to myself I said: 
 
52' CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 Our grandsire oft in visions saw 
 
 The future all unfold; 
 And with prophetic word and look, 
 
 Its scenes has oft foretold : 
 And I possess this instinct fine, 
 
 And presage often feel 
 As deep, indelibly engraved, 
 
 As writ by pen of steel. 
 '^ Now, boys, ^tis time you all retire ; 
 
 Lay down your tired heads; 
 St. Nicholas, when he arrives. 
 
 Must find you in your beds.^^ 
 So, with ^^good-night,^^ and hearty kiss, 
 
 We leave the roguish dears, 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 53 
 
 To sleep in peace till Christmas dawns — 
 Which flying time soon nears. 
 
 We pass into the kitchen, 
 
 And find before the fire 
 Master George, with jack-knife, making 
 
 A graven image dire : 
 He has hollowed out a pumpkin, 
 
 And cut out nose and eyes. 
 And with a lighted candle. 
 
 Anticipates surprise. 
 
 Devillo enters from without, 
 Clad for a frosty night. 
 
54 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 And opening wide his lantern^s door, 
 
 Blows out the shining hght. 
 True guardian of the fold and stalls — 
 
 He ^s filled the racks with hay, 
 That horses, oxen, cows and sheep, 
 
 May have their holiday. 
 For he has read, on Christmas night 
 
 To dumb brutes speech is given, 
 That all God's creatures may rejoice 
 
 On earth with those in heaven. 
 
 On a foot-stool sits Patsy Bloom, 
 
 In the warm chimney corner : 
 She ^s eating Christmas pie with plums, 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 55 
 
 Like little Jacky Horner. 
 The Doctor found her in a hut, 
 
 Its shivering inmates chilled 
 With biting cold and icy blasts, 
 
 That every crevice filled. 
 He wrapped her in a robe of fur, 
 
 And brought her to his wife 
 To warm, and clothe, and cherish her. 
 
 And brighten her young life. 
 ^^ We '11 keep her, Ma, through this cold time. 
 
 Until there comes a thaw.'' 
 And here she sits, nor heeds the wind, 
 
 Nor cold, nor weather raw. 
 The cat is purring by her side, 
 
56 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 The ruddy fire-light streams^ 
 And Caper hes upon a rug, 
 And growls low in his dreams. 
 
 Two younger Maries, with a grave 
 
 And very important air, 
 Are helping Norah to arrange 
 
 The good, substantial fare. 
 Rosy-cheeked apples mixed with green, 
 
 All sorts of nuts and cake, 
 And cider, wine, and steaming punch, 
 
 Will cheerful spirits make. 
 But the chief sight that greets our eyes 
 
 Is a long line Against the wall, 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 57 
 
 From which hang stockings ready^ now, 
 
 For Santa Clauses call. 
 Can the old fellow make his way 
 
 Down such a chimney^ roaring 
 With blazing fire from hickory logs^ 
 
 Up which the flames are soaring ! 
 ^^ Faith can move mountains/^ children know; 
 
 Santa Claus^ with his pack. 
 Will surely find his way within 
 
 Through chimney, door, or crack. 
 
 Our visit to the kitchen ended. 
 
 The children fast asleep, 
 We look out of the window, 
 
58 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL, 
 
 And see the snow piled deep ; 
 And earthy fence, tree and roof, 
 
 In light of the full moon, 
 Glitter and sparkle in the night 
 
 Like gems in rays of noon. 
 The silver fleeces on the trees, 
 
 That look so white and cold, 
 Are all illusive — all a myth — 
 
 Like Jason^s fleece of gold. 
 The stage, on runners, from the East, 
 
 Is coming down the hill; 
 We hear the blast of driver's horn 
 
 In the frosty evening still. 
 And the runners creaking in the snow. 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 59 
 
 As the stage comes rushing on — 
 And the horses^ speed increases, ' 
 For they know the goal is won. 
 
 How speeds the time in leafy Hall, 
 
 Under the evergreens? 
 Let ^s join the merry company, 
 
 And view the festal scenes. 
 Some at the tables deal out cards; 
 
 Two sit at chess apart ; 
 Others are talking politics, 
 
 And earnest glances dart. 
 Of slavery, speak in warning words. 
 
 In which sound '^ wrong ^^ and ^^right,^^ 
 
60 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 
 
 As if the subject soon might breed 
 
 A civil war or fight. 
 We join a group^ playing ^^Old Maid^^- 
 
 Game with a fatal card ; 
 And with whole heart we enter in 
 
 ^Gainst the last queen to guard. 
 Just as the old maid falls to Martha^ 
 
 Norah comes walking in 
 With plates and napkins — too late now 
 
 A new game to begin. 
 The guests around the tables, 
 
 The circles open wider; 
 The young folks Philopenas eat, 
 
 The younger ones drink cider. 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 61 
 
 And thus the hours soon speed away, 
 
 And midnight now draws near, 
 And Christmas chimes upon the clock 
 
 In tones of loving cheer. 
 With hearty wishes to each guest, 
 
 ^^Merrie Christmas, one and all/^ 
 The guests depart, and leave behind 
 
 Silence in Branksome Hall. 
 
 My lay is of old fashioned days, 
 
 Ere luxury^s prodigal hand 
 Corruption and foUy^s seeds had sown 
 
 Broadcast throughout the land. 
 Ere a new race of paupers came 
 
62 CHRISTMAS EVE IJnT BRANKSOME HAl I . 
 
 And filled the land with tramps^ 
 And civil war demoralized 
 
 With license of the camps. 
 In these good days men slept in peace, 
 
 Secure with doors unbarred, 
 Nor life nor property must each 
 
 With constant vigil guard. 
 Then each man sought with honest toil 
 
 To earn his daily bread; 
 And labor done, conscience at rest, 
 
 He slept in peaceful bed. 
 These days were filled with usefulness — 
 
 Each helped his suff'ering brother; 
 
CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 63 
 
 The countiy^s rights and wrongs none left 
 
 To be righted by another. 
 And [here my truthful tale I end 
 
 Of the good old-fashioned times — 
 Of the early ways and customs 
 
 Told in plain^ old-fashioned rhymes.