Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1890-12-18, Page 8years ago, and I guess we can gc hack the same way. " I don't see why we can't, even if folks don't travel auuch that way nowadays. If only Ohl Charley will hold out to get us het e O14. Charley was a bouy and feeble horse, tied at that moment to a wheel of the cart Outside. He had. accompanied them in all their wanderings for the past tenyears, and had dream the wagon from gulch to gulch and from camp to camp. Poorly fed and seldom housed from summer rains and winter snows, hishardships had been many. By nine o'clock the next morning Louts 'their small store of money grew smaller from day to day, as they purchased the food t1>y must hav • at the wiel scattered , ranch -houses and in the shabby villages through which they passed on their journey— whither they knew not. At each village Louis now tried to find 1 employment, always unsuccessfully. But often, when they encamped near a town or farm-house,curious-minded but kind-hearted men andwomen would come out to the wagon, and the children went on their way with gifts of food and clothing, and often they found shelter at night and on stormy days in hospitable ranch -houses. It stew the day before Christmas that they pinned a pair of her ragged, stockings to t h outside of the wagon cover, " There now," she said, when this was 5 to her satisfactionwon't doneh s ti a tot itbethe e a sf ct Ileastest bit of trouble for Santa Claus to I eauilt my s oe kihere on his ngs to swithout oeven wn, and e ting l out of his sleigh." getting Laois and Huldah sat silent around the -camp-fire, looking at the pair of empty ,' stockings dangling from the pins that held ' theta. ,Suddenly the boy said, " We aint {{, got but forty cents in the world, Huldah, but I'd rather spend it all than have her I get up in the morning and find them stock- . ings empty," haPALITM&S Ah SHOR T pros: essina of roughly dressed nriners,teeether with ar few ead:Lweti woven, tante bit/11'1y and quietly dawn the reeky and narre.sw trail leadiirg twin z little group of gleamy and stunted pines to a dee en or more small log houses, and three or four tents half -nay lnetween the summit ft* a lofty and desolate rocky mount: it mad the narrow and harren gulch below. One of the women led by the baud as little girl of five or six years, on whose tae there "Was the questioning and saber look often seen ou the faces of children tern young to understand what death mc.tus, but old enough? to be awed into silent wonder by Its presence. Behind the wuiga» and child there walked a stoutly built and manly -looking bay of aboutizeventeen years who hail given his arm to a slender, pele•faced girl of fifteen. There were tears in their eyes, stud in the eyes of the womt'n woo hail just seen the father of the children laid in his grave under the small group of pines. Their mother had died the spring before, and their father, always a rest:e:sa, wander- ing man, had strayed from minim; camp to mining camp, stud had reached Vamp Fancy but four weeks before his death. Sow his children were alone in the world, their only friends the few poor miners who were almost strangers to them, their home a dilapidated wagon, with a ragged canvas cover and an. equally ragged little tent, while their only fortune was a few silver dollars in the boys ,pocket. Their lot could not have been cast in a drearier or more unpromising place than Camp Fancy—a half -deserted and depress- ingly desolate hamlet half -way up thebarren aide of a rocky mountain, ten miles from the nearest town, and ten times as far from the nearest railroad. Its two or three promising arsines had gone through the process vulgarly called " petering out," and within a few -reeks the eamp would be wholly abandon- ed. The Hoydens had temporarily taken up their residence in a deserted cabin. The nig ht after the day on which their lathe: was buried, Louis and Huldah Hay- den sat before the sparkling fire, and soberiy discussed their future, while Nellie, the little girl, slept peacefully on her bunk filled with pine boughs and buffalo skins in a cor- ner of the cabin. We can't stay here, that's certain," said Louis, decidedly. ""I don't want to stay, "replied Huldah. "Nor I," said Louis. "I'm sick of the nnonntains." " Then you don't mean to be a prospector, like father?' questioned the girl. "No, I won't. It don't pay. It kept father poor all his life, and I've often heard mother say she was worn out wandering round from place to place, and never having any place she could call home." had OM l" tease' hiti•heel to the wagon, in evidela their few poseeeeions lead been played. A t •w c4 the kind•he:sated ruiners and their wiyes?;iathered arnund the wagon to gay go,i-by to the eeildreu, and to wish them gocel Inc%. An hour later Wile drove Old Charley around a sharp curve in the wenn- tido road, and they saw the half -leeched log limes and tents of Camp Fancy no more. A cold wind was coming un trcm the fiultd, and there were a few tine flakes of snow whirling in the air, but the young emigrants hoped to Lind it warmer with each descending mile, as the autumm had been an tutu►uatlly ittild oue. .\s they ,trove slowly along, with little Neil seated between them wrapped in a great l.utllalo robe, Louis and Huldah s.ueaeeitheirP r prospects. They were strangely ignorant regarding the names and whereaabouts of any of their re.,ttives. 'Their information was confined to vague and indefinite remembrances of the fact that "• ma had a sister iu Iowa," and pa as brother in Kansas." They ball heard of an :runt 'Mary living "somewhere iu Missouri," and of en Uncle Harvey in Ohio, but their mother had been notch too busy to -rite, and their father Intel so far lost track of his own people, that of late years he did not know where auy of his four brothers and sisters lived,—if they still lived,•—and the children felt themselves to he utterly rien,ness and alone in the world. But Louis was grown amanly, courageous goy, and hardship hail made Huldah old and wise beyoud. her years. " We'll get along some way, I reckon," she said hopefully. They Isad now gone well down the rocky trail into the gulch, overhung by resinous pines and noisy with the splashing of the narrow mountain stream, alone the banks of which thin edges of ice had formed during the night. My idea is to go as far East as we can before winter sets in in earnest, and then stop until spring at some town where I can find work. Perhaps you and Nell can go to school a. few months. I've hear mother tel] how there was places in Kansas where a fellow can get good farming -land free from the government. I think 111 be a farmer. I know t d like it from what I've hear' about that kind of a life." So they journeyed on down mountain. slopes and through long canons until they came out among the low foothills, and, for the first time an their lives, looked out across the wide, unbroken plain that stretch- ed toward the east. It was now November. The season had been a warm one. The prairie before them was free from snow the days were sunny, and the nights not too cold for them to sleep comfortably in the wagon. So they started off across the plains, a forlorn little company. Their well-nigh disabled wagon, the horse's too prominent bones, and the peculiarities of their appearance and method of travel ex- cited both interest and amusement in the ' Yes I know," saicl Huldah, with a sigh. "".1 wish we could have a home somewhere, Louis," " We will, but not here. I want to go, back East to the places, I've heard mother Ana :Sather -talk about, and I'm going." Hew gr "ren the wagon. It's the only way. We iiawen't money to go on the ears. Father and mother came out here in a wagon fifteen towns through which they passed. The old horse grew bonier and more feeble as their journey grew longer. They bad to travel very slowly. There were some days when Cid. Charley was too lame and tired to carry them on at all. On such; days they hada dreary time, sitting areend,the ea'mp- fire or in the wagon while the December vlrrn� .,wept across the plains unbroken by hill or Line, found themselves teeing a strong, cold wlnd from the north,as the; drove toward a little town far in the distance, but plainly visible in that flat and almost treeless country. The wind Happen' the ragged rover of the wagon as it rattled along over the frozen ground. and late in the rimy flakes of snow t,caaln flying in at the open trout of the yva• g""n. Old Charley walked slowly and unsteadily along, while' Louis eat on the front seat holding tho limns in his chilled hands, Hul• ria►la and little \ell sit oa the straw in the black part of the wagon, warmly} wrapped in l ullalt and bear skins of which, forte aetc t '- ly. they had a good supply. Nell was a ligltt•he.uteal little creature, even amid her elisnal surroundings, and .; onee her curly head, ties' up itt it red nubia, appeared .eared above the mese of robes anon 1 P, as she said " Sa , �siusah rho sat, e y, Louie's" " r he replied. " Is to -morrow Christmas :"' " woeld I," replied the Rid, atom tis. "" couldn't, bear to halve her troth- s " t I a t tat r i tu,, a sill in thein." " I reckon she'd sleep sound enough and not waken if you and 1 went u Into the town and boght her something, a her c, p for stockings.•' " Oh yes ; she never opens her eyes after she once gets to sleep, and there a no «auger of her naming to harm here." So, after feeing that Nelle was well covered under the robes, and the wagon cover closely drawer in front and behind, Louis and 1'fnldaht wanted up the unlighted street of the dreary little town, in which there were no signs of Christmas eheer. There were but three or four stores, and the ('hristanes toys on sale were few and poor, But they seemed valid and 1br dato this s hayand a s 'real •s , 'v . , of 1 trl who had ]t , It their It es nt muntain girl, and on mountain tops. Theybought. a largeyellow orange and. a tin lab on wheels, un then went on um village. The riders intended to make visit to this saloon,—after that no one, no even thems lties, couldtould saywhat form. theii festivities would take. The old wagon with its flapping eove actraet d their attention as they cane gal loping along. They reined up their horses before it and began joking gaily about ite dilapidated appearance, the still bucnin �rr eaanp-fire revealing its rickety end ragged g ;a condition, ""That'd be a gay old rig to rN ride up an' down Queens Avenuein, wouldn't it . said one of the men. f" It's seen mighty tough times, that's sure," said another. " Wunder where the owner of such an elegant outfit is? If he dint careful somebody'li steal it. It aint safe to lot valuables lie 'round, loose in this country for—well, I'll be everlastingly ding- fiddled—look there 1" He pointed with his whip at Nellie's stock Tugs, as a sudden flame from the fire reveal ed them tlappin " in the breeze, " If some youngster unit ung up its stockings fox UIiristmats l" The other sten drew near. One or two then dismounted, and one tall, lank man, older tha.» his companions, took one of the stockings and felt it, saying "" Well, old Santa Claus aint filled it yet and I don't reckon—hello l" He stepped back in surprise as a early head was thrust from the rear of the wagon, and a childish voice said " Are elan Vister Santa Claus ?' The men on the horses laughce, and one of them said, "She caught you that time, Cap," •, Well, who be dente, anyhow :" asked the man addressed as Cap. "" I'm Helen May Hayden." ""W►, you be, be you? Where's all your folks r" "I dint got none, only just Louie and Iinldah, aud I s'posc" they've gone ori to hunt Sznta Claus. Do you sliest: they'll find him ?" "" It h. hard tellin' whether they will or not. What if if they don't The elder's lips quivered and voice trem- bled as she said, "` `Then I s'poss any mock. Inge '11 be empty in the morning, and they, dint never been empty a Christmas yet." "" Where'll you none, from anyhow ?°' ""From the ntountuins way sat growler." She thrust one arm ant raid waved it toward the west in the chart ness. " And your dad didn't conte with you He couldn't—he's dead." "Nor your menu ":She's Bead tao." "And there sunt nohocly in the cart with 4„ a stockings to the top, and tied the other bundles to a wheel of the cart. Then he r stood still for a few moments, his head bent e forward and resting on the cart wheel,. A moment later he mounted his horse and rode a few rods in the direction of the town.f —then, wheeling. suddenly and furiously';' around, he clashed madly away in the darks, nese over the plain in the direction from. whence he nett his companions had come, while they waited in vain for Ids return.. " I jest bet ye Cap's went back to that there wagon," s•,id one of the men. " He's a queer one, is Cap, It aint the first time I've knoywed hint to act queer after running across some tattle youngster, an' I b'leeve there's something in that story I've heerd 'bout him once haven' a little gal of his own, and her ena and her dein'. and him heir' reckless ever senee. He'll be sober for six months now, le's.a queer one anyhow," When morning came and Louis climbed out of the wagon, he gazed in open-mouthed snrprlse at the stockings and the res ,n wheel ',elate them. In one stocking;Las the of great doll he and Huldah had so wished they jJ might buy the night before, and in one of the bundles were the dishes Iluldah had ,aid little Nell would 5" most go crazy over." In the bottom of tate stocking were twenty-five shining grout dollars in a bttekskiu purse, while is the banshee were, many goos; and useful things. They had not such a breakfast for mouths, andlinldallsaid sheshould heable to getup a "real Christmas dinner," But in the mielst of her preparations for it the good woman who heel invited them to the church the , night before fount' her way dower to tbs we.. gon and took them to her own eoi nfortal,le little heu-'e, and that was the end of their warderiuge for that winter. A place for Lonis was found in ono of the stores, and the kindly die osedpeople of the town, with true \Veetern itospit .Iity, Itelpcal them in co many ways ti,at the, hardships of the past Wei'' soon forgotten in what they regarded a, the wonderful prosperity of tite present.. The little town is ,a proeiserous esly now. and Zonis 1Ia "len 15 rate of its inset activeand snctessfia�young business men. He hats ,a hone of his own on the very spot. on which he and hie sisters kept their Christens in i► wagon. Denoratitig t Churoh .A.ltax. Palms oil'''ier patted plants are aerially used i n the Christmas decorntion of the chute h ; but a ntncit liner effect can be sr. • euresi lay grouping these at paints (Malt from the altar, and decorating, that with tines or evergreens. ?f holly is procurable. it cut be massed about the?altar, endearan .. "•No, ma'am -®nobody." " Who's Louie and ltuldali " brother and sister ;mrd the . . splendid. "Tidg"Of find Santa Claus. Louies got forty cents for him. I heard hire tell SIS 50." "Oh, be has d better crawl haek the among the bedclothes That's what you'd better "" Goad-night,a Santy Claus you'll tellugsl" ()h •es. to tight." "" Good -night.• Christ- mas." The to fount their at l men mountedho rode rocs and a a away in the starkness, the tall man called (,'app dashing silently on ahead of the others. When Louis anti Huldah returned they found little Nell sleeping as peacefully ae • t Well, gntess 'situ' there and snuggle desats till they 'vacs, ter do, y Good, at' mister ; if ,yon 'ic lint 'bout any stoc Iii cod•uight, and alcep 1ywhisyounMerry „ Yes,,, " 011, goody a" Louis and Huldah were silent. There were tears in both their eyes, for, poor as their parents ha,d always been, they had al- ways made much of Christmas, " saving up" for it for weeks beforehand. Only last Christmas they had had a tree, the memory of which made little Nell's eyes sparkle and her cheeks glow, although it had been only a poor little tree, after all, strung with pop- corn, and having fewer things on it than many children find in one of their stockings. With the tree still in mind, Nell asked, " We'll have another, won't we, Louie ?" "I—I----I'm afraid not." "Nor nothing in my stocking ?" Louis thought of the throe or four small pieces of silver in the pocket of his ragged vest. It was the last of their money, but he said, as cheerily as he could, " Yes, yes, little one. You shall have something in your stocking, anyhow." " Can't we have even a little teenty-tonty tree 9" "I'll see, dear." "Ain't there any old Mr. Santa Claus in this country 9" "I guess so.,, " Well you must send him a letter soon as we get to that town, and tell him I want to tree, a big tree, with forty thousand bush- els of things on it, and I shall go right to work now and pray real hard for what I want most. What shall I pray for for you, Louie 9" " Oh, nothing." " What, not even some merlasses candy ?" " Oh yes. I'd like that." " Well, I'll ask for that for you, and a lovely blue silk dress and a perlanno to make music on for Huldah.' There was silence for a long time after that. The short, dull day was ending in gloomy darkness when they reached the out- skirts of the little town. They unhitched Old Charley on the low bank of a little stream a short distance from the nearest house. The wind had gone down. A light snow was falling, and it was warmer. Louis built a fire and while he went to town' for a loaf of bread" Huldah made .t ea. After their frugal supper was eaten there was nothing left for them to do but to " snuggle up," as Nellie said, in the buffalo robes and strawin the wagonand go to, sleep. Before she lay down for the night the little girl " . "el the end of the wagon and the street until they came to the small wood- en church in which there was a Christmas tree for the children of the town. A woman alone to enter sawthem trying to peep in at the windows, and asked them to go in with her. They shyly accepted the invitation. They were mistaken in their theory that no one would go near the wagon while they were gone. Hardly had they entered the town,than there came ridingswiftlyand bois- terously across the plain ahilariouscompany of half a dozen horsemen of the class known throughout the West as cowboys. Their hilarity is not always of the most when they left her. They put the orange into one stocking and the toy lamb into the other, together with a little bag of candy that had been given them at the church. They climbed up into the wagon and were soon sleeping by Nell's side—three homeless young waterers under the Christmas skies. It was after ten o'clock when a man rode silently and slowly out from the town, cast- ing half•furtive glances back, as if fearing he might be followed by some of the com- panions who had long ago missed him from their revels in the saloon. He had heard one of them come to the door and call after him as agreeable sort, and it is sometimes danger- ous, partieularly if it has been inspired by liquor. When they ate sober they are not only kindly, but sometimes reckless, in their generosity. The men who now came riding across the snowy plain had not the best of intentions in visiting the little town. There was a tiptoed near iu the darkness, his arms and a p he stole away, but they knety that he was a man whom it was best for them not tc fol- low, so they went back to their cups, expect- ing aim to return soon. He rode straight to the wagon, dismount- ed, and stood for a moment listening to make sure all was silent within. ' Then cautiously saloon of the lowest el ass lust outside tl,.e' ockets fu11 of bundles: Ile filled the little ed along the chancelrail in a earelenity artistic way, and be made tnueis more etl'e>rt• ive than any patted plants, as the latter al - 1 ways have a, more or lees formal air about, them in spite of all efforts to avoid it. If you have tall palms place them in the back. round. If both holly or evergreens ansi !lowering units are used do not to li 1 , corn - bine but keep the flowers to one side. The two do not harmonize. Ono " kills " the other, to make use of the term which artists use to express inharmonious combine ations of calor&. In this ease. it is not so much a clash of colors as it is of indivihal- ttJ, l1 ► ati crand leaves require .o - thing in tt a shape* of flowers to bring out their beauty, het show to the best alivautuge, by themselves, or wh ► ue ed ywitfr ©yet•. greens. fn wreathing,* the ehaneehrails, fasten the sprays to a tope os cord with tine wire or string, and do not attempt any regularity in the situ or shape of festoons when you come to put the wreathing; in place. Aim to produce an unstudied effect. A charming effect is produced by sprink- ling the leaves of the holly or evergreen with mucilage, and sifting powdered inieet over ' them. This will glisten in the evening like frost. If the supply of holly berries is ltm• ?ted, crystallized grasses can be worked in effectively, There aro varieties of shrubs growing in swampy places, which bear sear - lot fruit which retakes a very satisfactory substitute for the Holly. If holly leaves are not procurable, go to the florist, or some person having a private greenhouse or con- servatory, and borrow an old plrnt of Eng; lish ivy. Throw the vines over the altar, letting the ends of the branches trail on the floor at sides and front. Among the dark green foliage—which should be washed be- fore using to bring out its glossy beauty— fasten the berries gathered in the swamp, and use grasses among them, if you choose. Some of the berries can be dipped in mucil- age and dusted with mica, and. combined with tho scarlet clusters. The frosty white glowing scarlet harmonize well and contrast strongly, and heighten the effect of each other. The rich green of the ivy will throw out the colors most effectively. In some respectoI prefer the ivy to holly as its long branches are much easier to arrange satis- factorily. Simply throw them on the altar and they seem to almost arrange themselves. A pure white cross can be placed on the altar with sprays of ivy winding about it and trailing over, its arms. If thought pre- ferable, a cross or star made entirely of berries either in their natural color or frost- ed, can be p'aee 1 in front of the altar, against a background of ivy or evergreens - In this case I would not use clusters of ber- ries at other points of the altar decoration, but confine the effect to the designs into which they are worked. Christmas Trinkets. The boat hook in gold or silver still finds a place in feminine favor as a hairpin. A unique jewel case of Viennese make is of solid silver, and lined with quilted blue satin. An exact counterpart of a boa constr' for in oxidized silver, winds its uglybody arsind a knife -edged lace pin. Bracelets of twisted rope pattern are stud- ded promiscuously with enameled pansies. Six small loops of diamonds interlocking, and set on a large gold circle forms a pretty but expensive brooch. Cuff buttons of burnished gold have one- haif ornamented with chased flowers. A genuine oddity in scarfpins is one that has a dull gold hand holding a " straight flush," the index finger just exposing to view a tiny diamond ring. Scarfpins mounted with two cricket bats in Romanold, and separated by a pearl are noticed of late. A now tobbacco box is of the barrel pat- tern in oxidized silver, and has ,a pretty spaniel squatting upon it. The fancy of the hour in match -boxes is one composed of two cigars of oxidized sil- ver, neatly bound together by gilt bands. A square cake of agate carries on its sur- face a brass sleigh, on which is a rough block ', of crystal held by two chains, the whole iornaing a desirable paper. weight. It is stated the French Government is not, anxious to capture the assassin of. Gen. Seliverskoff, being doubtful whether e Paris eery would bring in a verdict of guilty;