Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-02-02
StlttttO Storll.
Prom scriburr.. Nor ,lL,.
MY NIGHT IN A STAGE COACH,

The year vas loJ6-lhe menu De
cember-ihe place Tomaqua. vas a
Young man then. and strong ore.
did = good deal OF travelling throug the
State Of Pennsylvania. going from country
town 10 country town from the beg ming
10 the close. Ny exact business ,t The
country seats consisted of hunting up
titles to obscure. wild lands. paying axes
upon them, and getting them in good
condition Tor immediate sale.
arrived at Tomaqua in that Dece nber
Of 1856. on Monday afternoon hieb
was quite as cold and Gisagreeaple a
Monday afternoon as remember ever 10
have known. though. when comp ared
with the Tuesday that followed, it II ight
be considered rather warm than o her
wise. was bali frozen when l got u ere.
and Was not qsile tdawed out when |
leil. Tor had yielded 10 burning ouri
osiiy TO visit coal mine. and fancy that
romsquA il nothing but coal mine. With
a thousand mouths that every morning
swallow so many miners and disgorge
them every night. Il was then, AID |
think il is now, a very black and sooty
place, with q canal in front OF II, q hill
behind il, and the huge mine lave
spoken OF under it. II was not only
black and sooiy itself. but its people we're
similarly black and sooty; and so we're
its horses. or rather its mules. icr II
seemed 10 have few OF the former and a
great many OF the latter. Even its dogs
and eats psrtook OF the general sooiins ass.
and were evidently greatly depressed by
it. was very cold when l went down
into the mine,-which had its shaft Just
behind the hotel, and Was colder Nill
when came out OF it, ! went to bed
cold. and l got up cold, so cold. indeed
that thought / would never be warm
any more. When / went down into The
frozen breakfast room, looked out OF The
window, and saw that the ground was
covered deep with snow, and that it was
still showing as II Il meant TO exhaust
The whole winters supply 10 five minutes
OF so, being very greatly pressed to dc Il
Immediately. I drank my cold, black
coffee, and ate my cold, tough beefsteak
in gloomy silence. thinking more than
had done for long time before OF home,
Of It's pleasant cheer and warmth, and OF
the loving boys and girls in it who were
even then, no doubt, expecting my speedy
coming. for this was already the morning g
Of Tuesday, and Thursday would be
Christmas Day. In that home | was s..
Nicholas himself, for it was that brought
home in the night the brave tree with lis
spreading green branches; it was | ,hst
planted Il firmly in the midst Of the wide
parlor: il was | that found the infinite
variety of toys, cakes, bon bOns, and
glittering baubles which covered 1t; it
was | that placed the ever beautiful
image Of the Christ Child on the topmost
bough; I that lighted the many colored
tApeIs, and that, at the auspicious mo.
ment. suddenly threw open the folding
doors and let in the children to behold
the glory OF that Christmas miracle.
In my frequent journeyings through
the State, | had seen many places which
] wanted to get away from quickly, bat
never saw another that l wanted to
turn my back upon so much as Tsmaqua.
Il was not in any manner pleasant
place. and besides, if those nephews and
nieces of mine were to have Christmas
tree =, all 10 this year. 1856, | thought,
must 90 home IS last - could travel.
[ mad come To TamsquA in stage. and
| must 20 away from II IN stage,-noI
10 Philadelphia. exactly, bu, to the next
railroad town. and that was distant l
knew not how Tar.
| arose shivering from the dreary
breakfast. and hunted up the landlord oil
The inn. paid his extrayagant charges,