The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-12-16
MY NIGHT IN A STAGE COACH.
A True Story of Christmas Eve.

\ True story of Christmas Eve.
The year was 1856-the month De-
a3ember place Tamaqua. was q
young man then, and strong one. /
did good deal of travelling through the
State OF Pennsylvania, going from county
town to county town from the beginning
of the year to the close. 1t was pleasant
business enough, for there was less rail
reading to be done then than now, and
more staging, and not infrequently long
rides on canal boats in the summer time.
I was not often hurried on my trips, and
took my own time. My exact business
at the county seats consisted of hunting
up titles to obscure, wild lands, paying
taxes upon them, and getting them in
good condition for Immediate sale.
In consequence of the nature of this
business, I knew a good deal about the
topography of Pennsylvania, and good
deal that, at the time, was worth know
nag about its roads and its inns. ALI of
the latter were bad, but some were better
than others. One of the worst of them
was at Tamaqua, and possibly it is there
vet, though when / last slept under its
roof, it was In altogether such lament
able condition of decay, and its roof was
such very leaky roof indeed, that l
doubt not it long ago disappeared out of
the sight of men, and possibly out OF
their memories also-Tamaqua having
achieved a railroad since, and, of
course, grown as only railroad towns do
grow.
I arrived there in that December of
1866, on Monday afternoon, which'was
quite as cold and disagreeable Monday
afternoon as / remember ever to have
known, though, when compared with the
Tuesday that followed, it might be con-
ssidered rather warm than otherwise.
WIS half frozen when / got there, and !
was not quite thawed out when [ left, fU'
I had yielded to burning curiosity to
visit coal mine, and fancy that Tama-
qua is nothing but coal mine, with q
thousand mouths that every morning
swallow so many thousand miners and
disgorge them every night. 1t was then,
and / think 1t is now, very black and
ssOoty place, with a canal In front of it, a
hiII behind it, and the huge mine have
spoken of under it. It was not only
black and sooty itself, but its
peopIe were similarly black and
.soofy; and so were its horses, Oh
rather its mules, for it seemed
TO have few of the former and great
many of the latter. Even it's dogs and
aeats partook of the general sootiness
and we're evidently greatly depressed by
It. / was very cold when ] went dowI
unto the mine-which had its shaft JUS
Behind the hotel-and was colder still
when came out of it. Invent to bee
odd, and got up cold, so cold indeed
that ] thought / would never be warn
any more. When / went down into the
frozen breakfast-room, / looked out o.
fIe w ndow, and saw that the ground
was covered, deep with snow, and that i
was still showing as if it meant to exhaust
the whole winters supply in five
minutes or so, being very greatly pressed
eGO do it Immediately. / drank my cold.
sslack coffee and ate my cold, tough beef
steak in gloomy silence, thinking more
then had done for a long time before
of home, of its pleasant cheer ant
vaFaath, and of the loving boys anC
/, girls In it who were even then, no doubt
expecting my speedy coming, for Thu
was Already the morning of Tuesday, anC
Thursday would be Christmas Day. II
that home / was ST. Nicholas himself
for it was ] that hroughs home In th'
night the brave tree with its spreading
green branches; it was that planted i
firmly in the middle of the wide parlor
it was that found the infinite variety o
toys, cakes, bon-bons, and glitterint
baubles which covered it; it was tina
EDaaced the ever-beautiful image of thu
Christ Child on the topmost bough;
that lighted the many-colored tapers