Mrs. Forester sought to infuse into 1i
their hearts the true spirit of Christmas, I
and in thus deitmg, taught them the llean- '
ing of the blessed day which too many b
childred (and I fear grown people, as
well), are apt to associate almost ex- e
cInsively with Santa Claus and holiday.
pastintns.
Little Elain, more especially than her T
brothers (perhaps because girls are nat
urally more thoughtful than boys), had,
from earliest child hood, hlearned to gather a
about tie t thought of Xmas, all holy asso- 5
ciations, and thanksgiving, for the price- '
- lees Gift to mankind more than eighteen
centuries a o. 1
i The days sped rapidly away, and now
a it was Christmas Eve-a real Louisiana
e day, warm, clear and bright. Elaine's
I father had made a little arbor for her,
and trained over it a flowering vine.
IHere she could sit, with birds caroling
ha tseot titnlodies among the trees : and be
y, ondl the garden she could see the river
n adl fields stretching out in a birouad ex
pausne. She took in, r littliie ihbl, and
sought her favorito place. Slowly alnd
li reverently she read the sacred words, full
l of promise of the white worlds far away;
11 of the eterinal Home beyond the stars of
ir which this is but the dim shadow and
- symbol; of thel river of litf, and the
is trees whose leaves are for the healing of
to the nations;of the city that hath no
il need of sun and 1noon, because the Lamb
" of Cod is the Light thereof.
