and he fears he will have to return to Eng¬ 
land with his mission unaccomplished. I 
believe it is a will case and he is hunting 
up a lost heir, who would be but a mere 
boy, and will fall heir to many thousands 
of dollars if he can be found. It seems odd, 
where so many are endeavoring to find 
thousands and never gain them, that thou¬ 
sands should be se' king some one to claim 
them. As well as I can remember there 
was a couple in England who were the 
only children of parents who were onl} r 
children. The first couple I mention hac~ 
but one daughter, and she, marrying one 
whom they did not wish her to, was cast 
off, and she and her husband came to 
America where a boy was born. The 
grandfather of the lad died a few years 
since, and before he passed away, made 
a new will, forgave his daughter and left his 
entire property to her and her child or child¬ 
ren. Father has learned that the daughter 
and her husi and are dr ad, but the boy I hare 
in* ntioned, survived them. It is for this lad 
father is searching, to t >ke him to England 
and find a sui;able guardian to take care of 
him unt 1 he sha U have become of age to care 
for himself. But. as I have said, the lad 
cannot be found and he may be dead. And 
he had one of the most singular names 1 
ever heard of. Let me thi.ik if I can re¬ 
member it. I do call it to mind now 
because it was so odd. It was Marlstone, 
and the father's name was Edward.” 
I scarcely know what I said or did; bur 
Ned jumped up from his seat, exclaiming 
as he did so, “Why, my name is Edward 
Marls i.u *!” 
And then I told the lady how Ned had 
come to my house so many Christmas eves 
ago—straight fr in the poor farm—saying 
that he had lost his Christmas and wanted 
to find it, and how the little fellow gave 
Id in self to me as a Christmas present and 
1 had accepted him and brought him up 
as my ov\ n child. 
The lady’s father was telegraphed to 
and he came the next day and was able to 
join the severed chain by finding the 
missing links and establishing the boy’s 
identity and proving him to be the missing 
heir. 
Of course, Ned had to go to England but 
he would not go without m£, and insisted 
that I should be his guardian; and he said 
he was going to give me half his fortune 
because I had taken him when he was 
poor and forsaken. The administrators of 
the estate did very hanesomely by me and 
I always had a home with Ned, who never 
failed to make me handsome presents. My 
boy grew up and married; but still my 
home was with him, and this is his houses 
and there is his step on the stairs, for my 
boy Ned is your own father, as you must 
have guessed as soon as I mentioned his 
name. 
There, darlings, there is grandma’s Christ¬ 
mas eve story, and that was my Christmas 
gift and what came of it. But if you do 
not hurry to bed it will be “Merry Christ¬ 
inas” before you get a wink of sleep. 
LOST. 
Inscribed to E .— 
The crisis has come and the last hope has p> s 
ished. 
The hope that illumined life's long weary years. 
Tho’ carefully- nurtured and tenderly cherished. 
Hath brought for a harvest but sorrow and tears. 
Out from the waste of years, tied forever; 
A phantom arises in cerements clad 
In its hands are life’s flowers that will bloom agaia 
never, 
Which speuE of a soul that is darkened and sad. 
'Igd the i ). gh storms of earth they Im.e withered 
and faded 
From a life left alone in a wild desert land: 
They were all it possesed, yet were spurned ami 
upbraided. 
Left,—smitten to die by a merciless hand. 
Ah! oft. in my day dreams I see thee before me. 
As once. I have seen thee in years fled a my. 
All the old love returns, and the spell v. ill slevl 
o'er me. 
With which thou didst find me- tore rush and’ betray. 
Only a lift full of sorrow and sadness, 
Only a heart with its happiness slain: 
That thou mayst dnuk of earth's pi-azures and 
gladness. 
Forgetting me heart that is burdened with pain. 
Yet oft,, in the years that are fanning and going. 
M.v sad heart will dwell oath.* dream that is fit d; 
And at last when life’s sands are fou vir min. wr¬ 
ing. 
It will cling the ceremcuts cling to Hie d< ad. 
