FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26  
27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   >>   >|  
test harmony," returned the bell next the complainer. "I well know that, but I am tired of my one tone, while you can bear monotony. For my part, I do not mean to answer to the call of the rope to-morrow." "What! not ring on Christmas Day!" exclaimed all the bells together. "No, I don't. You may exclaim as much as you please; but, if you had common sympathy, you would see in a moment how weary I am of singing this one high tone." "But we all have to give our notes," responded a low, sweet-voiced bell. "That's just what I mean to change. We are all weary of our notes, and need change." "But we should have to be recast," said the low-toned bell, sadly. "Most certainly we should. _I_ should like the fun of that. Now how many of you will be silent in the morning when the old sexton comes to ring us?" "I will," answered the lowest-toned bell, boldly. "If part of us are silent and refuse to ring, of what use will the rest be?" said one who had remained quiet until then. "For a chime all of us are needed," she added, sadly. "That's just the point," remarked the leader. "If all will be still, none will be blamed: the people will think we are worn out and need making over. So we shall be taken down from this tower where we have been so long, and stand a chance of seeing something of the world. For _my_ part, I am tired to death of being up here, and seeing nothing but this quiet valley." A murmur ran from one to another, till all agreed to be silent on the morrow, though many of the chime would have preferred to ring as usual. The man who had presented the bells to the church returned at midnight, after a long journey to his native valley, bringing with him a friend, almost solely to hear the beautiful chime on the morrow. As he passed the church, on his way home, the murmuring of the bells was just ceasing. "The wind moves them--the beautiful bells," he said. "But to-morrow you shall hear how sweet they will sing," he added, casting a loving glance up to the tower where hung the bells. A few miles from the valley, close to the roadside, stood a cottage inhabited by a man and wife whose only child was fast fading from the world. "Raise me up a little, mother," said the dying boy, "so I can hear the Christmas chime. It will be the last time I shall hear them here, mother. Is it almost morning?" The pale mother wiped the death-dew from his brow and kissed him, saying, "Yes, dear, it's almost mo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26  
27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

morrow

 

mother

 

silent

 
valley
 

change

 
returned
 

beautiful

 

morning

 
church
 
Christmas

murmur

 

agreed

 
preferred
 
native
 
bringing
 

journey

 

presented

 

friend

 

midnight

 
solely

fading

 
kissed
 

casting

 

ceasing

 

murmuring

 

loving

 
glance
 
cottage
 

inhabited

 

roadside


passed

 

common

 

sympathy

 

exclaim

 

moment

 

recast

 

voiced

 
responded
 

singing

 

complainer


harmony
 

monotony

 
exclaimed
 
answer
 
people
 

blamed

 

leader

 
making
 
chance
 

remarked