THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume II, Issue 56, 25 January 1868, Page 4

THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

“By this time my feet were almost raw with the hitherto burning sand, and I was thankful that at least one of my troubles would be eased by the shades of night. The good woman, without whom I should have been altogether lost, procured some leaves, that she said were of a cooling and healing nature, and bound them to the soles of my feet, and with .these, and no other covering, I proceeded in comparative ease. " The next part of our route lay close by a massive jungle, and the fear of wild animals added another to the list of our terrors and cares. But I will not ■distress you longer by the tale of my troubles on that weary journey. We reached its end at Isst; and I would wish for no greater reward than that look of overflowing gratitude that the colonel gave me when I delivered up to him his children safe and well. We were instantly housed in comfortable quarters, and I was cared for with all tne solicitude that you, my dear parents, would yourselves have bestowed upon me.” Neither of the old couple could speak for several minutes, they were so deeply affected by their daughter’s little history. Each had taken hold of one of her hands, and from time to time kept rasing it to their lips. "The colonel sent an escort for his sister immediately, and when she arrived she was more dead than alive. She never recovered from- the illness brought on by her over-exertion; and, as the colonel was constantly engaged with his military duties, the care of her and the two dear children fell to my sole charge. After much suffering, the poor lady died, and we buried her in Lucknow, just before that dreadful seige. " Fortnately for us a large party of the colonel’s friends were going south about this time; and as the disturbances were gaing ground everywhere about us, he thought it best, though very reluctant to part with his children, to let us go to a place of safety, whilst we had the chance of such an escort. The faithful ayah was our chief attendant still. Indeed, we have brought her home to England with us.” “And has the colonel come, too? You surely didn’t come all the way alone with her and the barns?” said her mother, with sunrise.” “ Oh no,” replied Maggie, The colonel received a dreadful gunshot wound in his leg that incapacitated him for service: so he got leave of absence, and managed to get conveyed to us. I had him to nurse then for several weeks, and when he was able to get about again, peace was all but restored. About this time letters of importance to him having arrived from England,jhe took advantage of his leave of absence and came by the overland route, and brought us to our own happy shores again. We arrived in London early yesterday morning; but as be said that business would bring him into this neighborhood to-day, I would not write to you, with a chance of seeing you so soon.” “So you are really staying near us now ? ” said the mother, delightedly. " Yes mother we are indeed,” replied Maggie; " and now, what’s more, I have an invitation from the colonel for you and ray father to come and take your Christmas dinner with me. He is such a dear, kind, good, delightful man you cannot but be pleased with him.” " Child,” said ha- father gravely, " I hes wronged thee very grievously once, and will never dare to entertain a doubt of thee again. But let me give thee a little word of advice—nothing thee never yet despised from yer plain old parents, like the dutiful child thee always was. Beware how thee thinks too much of this, no doubt worthy man. Remember that thy path and his must take different ways in life, and let not his kindness deceive thee into thinking more of it than it’s worth.”

“ No, father,” said theamiahlefMaggie with a steady voice, “ I thank you very much for your kindly warning; but to think of the colonel too highly I never can. You have paved the way for me to tell you what else I had scarcely courage to do. lam now his happy wife.”

“Thee married, child! And to the colonel himself! ” were the father’s and mother’s astonished exclamations.

“Yes, it is true,” said Maggie, with a blush of pleasure that the revelation of her‘happy secret was at length made. “ I wished very much to wait until we came to England, and I could tell you first. But he said that he could not wait so long, and he would help me to avert your wrath. So here Tam at your mercy. Do you think you can forgive me, father ? ” A fond embrance and fervant invocation of Heaven’s choicest blessings on her head, was the old man’s only reply; while his wife stood looking proudly on, tears of joy streaming down her furrowed face.

“Oh, missus,” said the father, when they _ had recovered from their great surprise, “as our Maggie said herself just now, isn’t this happy moment worth all the year of suffering we have had ? ” “ Ay, an’ it’s worth ten years o’ such to see our Maggie safe whoam again, Heaven bless her!” was the wife’s reply.

The village gosips had very soon another subject for wonder in the news that the new Lord of the Manor had arrived, and that Maggie and the old folks had been the first in the place invited to dine with him, and all because Magggie, they said, was an “Injee heroine.” But their astonishment knew no bounds when the marvellous tidings spread that Maggie was the great man’s wife.

Some were jealous, and many envious, as in a small community sucn are ever to be found; but all agreed lhat no one could be more deserving of the proud position than she who graced it so well.

The next thing that served for a nine days’ talk was the removal of old Mr, and Mrs. Leyburn from the shop to a beautiful house in the neighbourhood, that had lately been vacated by the death of its tennant. It was not large, but in every way adapted to the comfort and hapiness of the good old couple; and Maggie had the pleasure of selecting the furniture, and arranging everything for them; the house and its contents, when completed, being the gift of their son-in-law. The furniture of the old house, and the stock and good-will of the. shop, were sold to the highest bidder; and the nice little sum thus raised, added to their life-long savings, with a goodly lift from Maggie’s private purse, formed a snug little income for the old folks on which to live at their ease for the rest of their days. The carrier’s wife had striven hard to obtain the shop as soon as she knew that it was to be at liberty, for the carrying business had fallen suddenly to the ground on the opening of the new railroad near them. She was so little liked, however, that her offer was speedly outbid, and she had to fall back upon her poultry-yard, with the addition of a dairy-cow, to help her husband to earn even a scanty livelihood. Fortunately, he was better liked than his wife; and many being concerned at his loss, the rumour of it soon reached Maggie’s ears. Ever ready to help the distressed, and with a heart as large as her purse was well filled, she proposed that he should take out a licence to run a daily omnibus from his own two adjoining villiages, to and from the new railway station. The idea was quickly accepted, and, which was perhaps more to the purpose; so was the nandsonme new omnibus, and pair of strong, useful horses, that followed the suggestion. "I’ll tell thee what, John,” said Mrs. Gibbs, as she stood with her husband in the yard, admiring the newly-arrived handsome gift that the liberal donor judged rightly would be a general boon to the neighborhood as well, “ I’s very sorry that I ever spread that false tale about our new squire’s lady, poor Maggie Lerburn as was then. She’s a rare good sort, after all. Why,, maister, this grand consequential thing T1 he the making o’ ye.” And so it was. In twelve months’ time John was able to start an inn; and Mrs. Gibbs could not forget to whom they owed their prosperity—the amiable young girl whom she had so sinfully wronged two years ago. The crime, however, weighed heavier on her concience with each new accession to their wealth, until it became so unbearable, that, as a trifling reparation, when the following Christmas Eve arrived, a hamper addressed to Mrs. Leyburn, was discovered on that elderly lady’s doorstep, with no sign of how it came there; and its contents proved to he a pair of thick new blankets, a handsome black silk dress-piece, and a Bank of England five-pound note. CONCLUDED.