Kenosha tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1855, 1855-01-04

| little boy indeed to want to go to bed so
/ early on Christmas eve, and that for her
part, she shouldn't have, been sleepy in
the least; blit would have liked to sit up
all night. This l knew was intended as
hint for me to allow both Fanny and
herself to stay up beyond their usual bed
time; so let the hour go by without dis
missing them, and continued my story.
The chamber which / was to ocbupy
with my grandmother was very large
one, filled with old fashioned furniture
and remember she told me that the
greater part of it came over in the May
flower. along with the Pilgrim Fathers.
and while she untlressed me she told me.
long story about Captain Miles, Stand
Fish and Governor Carver, and the Indi-
ans, and Plymouth Rock, the greater por-
| ton of which ! can still recall to mind
Here Mary wanted me to tell her what
| 1t was, but Fanny said, ';No, wait till pa
! pa has finished telling US about himself"
! SOD continued as follows: sgs
! i"Ehere seemed to my sleepy little eyes
1 to be quite an army ofchairs ranged about
1.-The room, and with their high straight
! backs and long, slender legs, they looked
so strange, it was difficult for, me to keep
4 from watching them.-bI half expected to
see them step out intot the middle of the
room and make formal bows to each 9th
er. There was aIarge black-walnut book
case on. one side of the room, filed with
/ great dusty volumes. that looked as if
| they could never have been read and /
recolIect. walking bodily up to it in my
nlght-go0n: and finding that the books
4 on the lowest shelf were just as tall as /
4. was, and wondering whether would eT-
or be able to read such huge volumes"
! Here Fanny clasped her hands, and
/ wauted'to know it. wlIen came to be a
man. l Mad ever seen those great books
Fagain; and whether.og not they HAD many
/ pictures in them. q Sol told her that some
I Of those same books were now in my Ii
/ brary, and that they were the very ones
she and Mary so often, Of rainy Sundays,
were fond Qfslooking at, and having NE
explain the pictures to them. This piece
Of news seemed to astoaish them very
much, so that they both got down and
/ went to the bookcase to look at those
| wonderful books, yslich 50 many years
before had wondeaed at, whena little
boy. They were very anxious to know
how itcame to pass that | now owned
! them. and [ told them that one day, the
good old lady, their grandmother's friend,
who first possessed them, died, when al
her furniture and books acre sold, and
had boughtthese with many others. Here
| Fanny said, "Poor old LADY, and crossed
her little arms meekly oyer her breast,
looking up into my face most piteously
I while her eyes filed with tears. But
Mary asked, sWhere was her husband ?
why didn't he keep her books" So /
had TO tell her that he had been soldier,
! but was killed at the battle of Bunker'S
/ Hill soon after their marriage.
I At length ] continued: "Among 9th
or things in the chamber that particular
! ly attracted my attention were several
portraits, in gilt frames, upon the walls,
so old and duslly that thought to my
self, They too, must have come over in
the Mayf1ower.' There were two oval
! framed mirrors in the room, and a great
bunch OF peaeocks' feathers in. one cor
ner. But the bedstead itself was the
browning wonder; SO grand and gloomy
did it look, that | quite feared to sleep
in it. Heavy, blue velvet curtains sur
rounded it on every side, upheld by four
tall posts at the corners. v hen my
! grandmother, however, parted the cur
tains in the middle, and rooted them up
at the sides with the great silk tassel
=. thereby revealing the white counterpane
and lacc-edged pillowcases, began to
think that there might be worse place
for sleeping in than that would prove to
be- SO raised was the bed from the floor
that had to- be lifted into it, as it quite
excelled my powers Of climbing, even by
the aid Of chair. When ] sunk Town
in the feathers / could but just see the
top Of my grandmothers turban, as she
stood at the bedside smoothing the COW
cred about ire.
"Aftcr had repeated my prayers, and
my grandmother had gone down stairs
and was left alone, with only the tick
ing Of the clock upon the nantel and the
light of the blazing wood-tire upon the
hearth to keep me company: remember
ed that 1t was Christmas-eye, and that
occupied as had been, had forgotten
to hang up my stocking
Here Mary got down from my knee
and crcpt quietly to the chimney corner
where She hung up clean, white stock
ing, with which hcr mother had proyid
ed her, and, coming back laughing, said
n she would'ni forget such thing for al
tho world.
Nor viii T." said Fanny, $50 soon q:
papa finishes his story" SO kissed M
little daughters ard continued;
"What to DO did not know. | coulC
not get ont Of bed with any certainty o
heing able to get back again, and as foi
: going to sleep Withneyera stocking hang
inr for Santa Claus TO fill. it was not tc
be thought of. SO | determined to keeI
}. VIDE awake till either the. good saint OF
!, nv r,ritdmothcr should arrive; but
found it very difficult for my sleepy eve;
to keep open, as eSs.y few moments The
old sandman came along and dropped
black sand into them, till FIRST one clos
| ed and. then the other, and al last, in spite
Of ell / could do, they both shut UP tight
| and went TO sleep"
Here Mary opened her large eyes very
wi lc. as if to let me see that no sand
man had come to trouble her vet
'tlter had slept what seemed TO me
long time, was suddenly aroused by
hearing the tinhling Of sleigh bells and
as | raised myself suftly IN bed, saw
: Just by the fireplace, Santa Glars him
SET Ike as he is described in the Christ
mas verses"
p Here Mary clapped her hands, But Fan
'ncStlcd closer to my side. 7