sons," said Mr. Stovepipe. "Yet I went in for the Fugitive Slave
Bill, and was one of Marshal Tukey's 'fifteen hundred gentlemen of
property and standing.' My God forgive me!" "Amen," said Mr. Broadside,
a great, stout, robust farmer; "I stood by till the Nebraska Bill put
slavery into Kansas, then I went right square over to the anti-slavery
side. I shall stick there forever. Dr Lord may try and excuse slavery
just as much as he likes. I know what all that means. He don't catch old
birds with chaff."

Uncle Nathan went about the room talking with the men and women; they
all knew him, and felt well acquainted with such a good-natured face;
while Aunt Kindly, with the nicer tact of a good woman, introduced the
right persons to each other, and so promoted happiness among those too
awkward to obtain it alone or unhelped. Besides this, she took special
care of the boys and girls from the poor-house.

What an appetite the little folks had for the good things! How the old
ones helped them dispose of these creature comforts! while such as were
half way between, were too busy with other matters to think much of the
eatables. Solomon Jenkins and Katie Edmunds had had a falling out. He
was the miller at Stony Brook; but the "course of true love never
did run smooth" with him; he could not coax Katie's to brook into his
stream; it would turn off some other way. But that night Katie herself
broke down the hindrance, and the two little brooks became one great
stream of love, and flowed on together, inseparable; now dimpling,
deepening, and whirling away full of beauty towards the great ocean of
eternity.

Uncle Nathan and Aunt Kindly, how happy they were, seeing the joy of
all the company! they looked like two new Redeemers,--which indeed
they were. The minister said,--"Well, I have been preaching charity and
forgiveness and a cheerful happiness all my life, now I see signs of
the 'good time coming.' There's forgiveness of injuries," pointing
to Colonel Stearns and Mr. Wilkinson; "old enemies reconciled. All my
sermons don't seem to accomplish so much as your Christmas Festival,
Mr. Robinson," said he, addressing Uncle Nathan. "We only watered the
ground," said Aunt Kindly, "where the seed was long since sown by other
hands; only it does seem to come up abundantly, and all at once." Then
the minister told the people a new Christmas story; and before they went
home they all joined together and sung this hymn to the good tune of Old