Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-25

stiffness of the house excited his curios-
ity, and, without moving from the bed,
be cautiously opened the door with his
disengaged hand, and looked into the
main room. To his infinite surprise, It
was dark and deserted. But even then
a smOulderiDg log on the hearth broke,
and by the uprising blaze he saw the
figure Of Dick Bullen sitting by the
dying embers.
"HellOp'
Dick started, rose and came some
what unsteadiy toward him.
"Whar's the boys?" said the Old
Man.
"Gone up the canon on little pdedsT.
They're coming back for me in a mint;
I'm waiting round for lem. What are
you staEin' at, Old Man, he added with
a forced laugh, ado you think Pm
drunk?
The Old Man might have been par
doned the suppOsitiOn, for Dicks eyes
we're humid and his face flushed. He
loiteTed and lounged back to the chin
ney, yawned, shook himself, buttOned
his coat and laughed. "Liqu0r amt 50
plenty as thar, Old Man. Now don't
you get up" he continued as the Old
Man made a movement 10 release his
sleeve from JOhnny's hand. "DOn't
you mind manners; sit jist where you
be; Pm going in jify. Thar, that's
them now"
There was a low tapat the door. Dick
Bullen opened the door, nodded Good
night TO his host, and disappeared
The Old Man would have followed him
but for the hand that still unconscious
ly grasped his sleeve. He could easily
have disengaged it; it was small, weak
and emaciated. But perhaps because it
tUds small, weak and emaciated he
changed his mind, and drawing his
chair closer to the bed, rested his head
upon it. In this defenseless attitude
the potency of his earlier rotations sur
prised him. The room fiickered and
faded before his eyes, reappeared, faded
again, went out, and left him-asleep.
Meantime Dick Bullen, closing the
door, confronted his companion. 'Are
you ready"' said Staples. "Ready,"
said Dick ;'''what's the time?n "Paat
twelve, p was the reply; lean you make
it?-it's nigh on fifty miles, the round
trip hither and yon.p II reckon" re-
turned Dick, shortly. "Whar's the
mare?' chill and Jacks holdin' her
at the erossin'.u "Let 'em hold on
mint longer" said Dick.
He turned and re-eRtered the house
softly. By the light of the guttering
candle and dying fire, he saw that the
door of the little room was open. He
stepped toward it on tiptoe and looked
in. The Old Man had fallen back in
his chair, snoring, his helpless feet
thrust out in a line with his collapsed
shoulders, and his hat pulled over his
eyes. Beside him, on narrow wooden
bedstead, lay Johnny, mufs1ed tightly
in a blanket, that hid all save a strip of
forehead and few eurls damp with per-
spiratiOn. Dick BulIen made q step
hesitated and glanced over his
shoulder into the deserted room. Every
thing was quiet. With sudden resolu- |
ton he parted his mustaches with both
hands, and stopped over the sleeping
boy. But even as he did so, mischiev- |
BUS blast, lying in wait, swO0ped down !
The chimney, rekindled the hearth, and |
lit up the room with a shameless glow, |
rom which Dick fed in bashfuI terror. |
His companions were waiting for him /
1t the crossing. Two of them were |
in the darkness with some /
strange, misshapen hulk, which, as Dick |
,ame nearer, took the semblance of a /
great yellow horse.
1t was the mare. She was not pref
" picture. From her Roman nose to |
Ter rising launches, from her arched /
pine, hidden by a Mexican saddle, to
Ter thick, straight, bony legs, there was
Tot line of equine grace. In her half
blind, but wholly vicious white eyes, in
Ter protruding underlip, in her mon
trous color, there was nothing but ugli-
less and vice.
"Now, i..then," said Staples, "stand
Par Of her heels, boys, and up with
-Ou. Don't miss your first holt of her
name, and mind We get your Off stirrup
quick. Readyp'
There was a leap, a scrambling strug-
lie, bound, avid retreat of the crowd,
circle of flying boots, two springless
caps that Jared the earth, rapid play
nd jingle, plunge, and then the voice
f Dick somewhere in the darkness, GAN
ightlD
"Don't take the lower road back, on
ess you're hard pushed for time. Don't
lold her in down hill. Well be at the
ord at five. G'lang! Hoop Muial Gop'
Asplash, a spark struck from the ledge
q the road, a clatter ON the rocky cut
'eyond. and Dick was gone.
The Old Man started and awoke. The
ire on the hearth was dead, the candle
u the outer room fiickeTing in its socket,
nd somebody was rapping at the door.
lie opened it, but fell back with cry
,efore the dripping, half-naked figure
has leeled against the dOor-pOst.
"Dick?'
"Hush! Is be awake YETI"
'iNo-but Dick?-"
''Dry up, you old fool! Get me some
whisky quick! The Old Man flew and
eturned with-an empty bottle! Dick
would have sworn, but his strength was
ot equal to the occasion. He stagger-
d, caught at the handle Of the door, and
aentioned to the Old Man:
Thar's suthin' in my pack yer for
ohnny. Take it Off ean't.u
The old man unstrapped the pack and
Lid it before the exhausted man.
g Open it, qulck.n
He did so with trembling fingers. 1t
only a few poor toys-cheap
nd barbaric enough, goodness knows,
Ut bright with paint and tinsel. One
them was broken; another, I fear,
as irretrievably ruined by water; and
q the third-ah, me. there was a cruel
Dot
ut don't look like much, that's
ct, ;" said Dick ruefulIy. . "But
IS the best we could do, Take
M, Old Man, and put em in his stock
lg; and tell him, you know-nold me
I'd Man" The Old Man caught at
is sinking figure. "Tell him." said
lex with weak little laugh, "that
anita Claus has come" =
And even so, bedraggled, ragged, I'M
haven and unshorn, with one arm
angling helplessly by his side, Santa
laus came to Simpsons Bar and fell
hitting on the first threshold. The :
hristmas dawn came slowly after,
uching the remoter peaks with the
sy warmth Of ineffable love. And it
Oked so tenderly on Simpsons Bar
lat the whole mountain, as if caught
a generous action, blushed to the
ties.