The Christmas Angel

The Christmas Angel

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Christmas Angel, by Abbie Farwell Brown This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Christmas Angel
Author: Abbie Farwell Brown
Release Date: April 25, 2005 [EBook #15709]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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By Abbie Farwell Brown
* * * * *
THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL. Illustrated. Square 12mo, 60 cents, net. Postage extra.
JOHN OF THE WOODS. Illustrated. Square 12mo, $1.25.
FRESH POSIES. Illustrated. Square 8vo, $1.50.
FRIENDS AND COUSINS. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.00.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.00.
THE STAR JEWELS AND OTHER WONDERS. Illustrated. Square 12mo, $1.00.
THE FLOWER PRINCESS. Illustrated. Sq. 12mo, $1.00.
THE CURIOUS BOOK OF BIRDS. Illustrated. Square 12mo, $1.10, net. Postpaid, $1.21.
A POCKETFUL OF POSIES. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.00, net. Postpaid, $1.09.
IN THE DAYS OF GIANTS. Illustrated, 12mo, $1.10, net. Postpaid, $1.21. School edition, 50 cents, net, postpaid.
THE BOOK OF SAINTS AND FRIENDLY BEASTS. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.25. School Edition, 50 cents, net, postpaid.
THE LONESOMEST DOLL. Illustrated. Sq. 12mo, 85 cents, net. Postpaid, 95 cents.
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON AND NEW YORK

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL
[Illustration: YOU HANG IT ON THE TREE, ANGELINA (page 26)]
THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL
BY
ABBIE FARWELL BROWN
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY REGINALD BIRCH
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge
_Published October 1910_
SECOND IMPRESSION

CONTENTS
I. THE PLAY BOX 1
II. JACK-IN-THE-BOX 8
III. THE FLANTON DOG 12
IV. NOAH'S ARK 15
V. MIRANDA 20
VI. THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL 25
VII. BEFORE THE FIRE 32
VIII. JACK AGAIN 37
IX. THE DOG AGAIN 44
X. NOAH AGAIN 49
XI. MIRANDA AGAIN 53
XII. THE ANGEL AGAIN 62
XIII. THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE 68
XIV. TOM 73
XV. CHRISTMAS DAY 76

ILLUSTRATIONS
YOU HANG IT ON THE TREE, ANGELINA (page 26) Frontispiece SHE LOOKED UP AND DOWN THE STREET 22
_PING!_ OUT SPRANG THE JACK-IN-THE-BOX 42
BOB COOPER SAVES THE BABY 46
HE GRASPED A RAILING TO STEADY HIMSELF 64
MARY RETURNS THE DOLL 78
From drawings by Reginald Birch

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL
CHAPTER I
THE PLAY BOX
At the sound of footsteps along the hall Miss Terry looked up from the letter which she was reading for the sixth time. "Of course I would not see him," she said, pursing her lips into a hard line. "Certainly not!"
A bump on the library door, as from an opposing knee, did duty for a knock.
"Bring the box in here, Norah," said Miss Terry, holding open the door for her servant, who was gasping under the weight of a packing-case. "Set it down on the rug by the fire-place. I am going to look it over and burn up the rubbish this evening."
She glanced once more at the letter in her hand, then with a sniff tossed it upon the fire.
"Yes'm," said Norah, as she set down the box with a thump. She stooped once more to pick up something which had fallen out when the cover was jarred open. It was a pink papier-mach�� angel, such as are often hung from the top of Christmas trees as a crowning symbol. Norah stood holding it between thumb and finger, staring amazedly. Who would think to find such a bit of frivolity in the house of Miss Terry!
Her mistress looked up from the fire, where the bit of writing was writhing painfully, and caught the expression of Norah's face.
"What have you there?" she asked, frowning, as she took the object into her own hands. "The Christmas Angel!" she exclaimed under her breath. "I had quite forgotten it." Then as if it burned her fingers she thrust the little image back into the box and turned to Norah brusquely. "There, that's all. You can go now, Norah," she said.
"Yes'm," answered the maid. She hesitated. "If you please'm, it's Christmas Eve."
"Well, I believe so," snapped Miss Terry, who seemed to be in a particularly bad humor this evening. "What do you want?"
Norah flushed; but she was hardened to her mistress's manner. "Only to ask if I may go out for a little while to see the decorations and hear the singing."
"Decorations? Singing? Fiddlestick!" retorted Miss Terry, poker in hand. "What decorations? What singing?"
"Why, all the windows along the street are full of candles," answered Norah; "rows of candles in every house, to light the Christ Child on his way when he comes through the city to-night."
"Fiddlestick!" again snarled her mistress.
"And choir-boys are going about the streets, they say, singing carols in front of the lighted houses," continued Norah enthusiastically. "It must sound so pretty!"
"They had much better be at home in bed. I believe people are losing their minds!"
"Please'm, may I go?" asked Norah again.
Norah had no puritanic traditions to her account. Moreover she was young and warm and enthusiastic. Sometimes the spell of Miss Terry's sombre house threatened her to