49
The light of my home was darkened By the shadow of my sin;And want and woe unbarr'd the door, And suffering entered in.********The streets were full one Christmas eve, And alive with girls and boys,Merrily looking through window-panes At bright and beautiful toys.
And throngs of parents came to buy The gifts that children prize,And homeward trudged with happy hearts, The love-light in their eyes.
I thought of my little Charley At home in his lowly bed,With the shadows around his life, And in shame I bowed my head.
I entered my home a sober man, My heart by remorse was wrung,And there in the chimney corner, This little stocking was hung.
Faded and worn as you see it; To me 'tis a precious thing,And I never gaze upon it But unbidden tears will spring.
