The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-04
A Christmas sieigii-Rfde.

ton deserves. ....,..a .-,. ~.
A Christmas Sfeigt-Rfde.
Mr.. Frank r. Stockton was out late one
Christmas eve when he fell in With an OLD
gentleman who invited him into his sleigh.
What then happened hetells in Scridner for
January: So. .... ...,.-. ~
The old gentleman pulled bag from be-
hind the seat, and taking it on his lap pro-
ceeded to show me some of the contents
! ,"They seem TO be old-fashioned toys" l
remarked. = 3.
eyes" he said with a sigh, "these new.
tangled affairs are of no service to me. You
couldn't get paddle.wheel steamer, with a
real engine, into com mon stocking GOn
ruin the vessel or the stocking. And
there's scarcely girl in the land who wears
q stocking large enough TO hold a dolls
trunk furnished with silk-dresses, bonnetS,
and all the necessary underclorhes. No, l
have to cenfine myself to such things;as bear
a proper proportion to the feet and legs of
children. There is one thing,T said he. turn
ing upon me his still jolly old countenance,
"tbat has had more influence than anything
else in causing the general indifference with
which an now regarded"
"And what's that 20 asked. WI
Furnace-hcat," he said. What sensible
person, old or young, could expect fellow
with bag on his back, to come down a:flue
and through an iron registerS It would be
absurd TO try TO make even a child believe
that anything Of the sort is possible"
And then he put away his bog and took
the lines again, with look of resignation.
OPS all wrong" said ], call wrong! The
old way was the best" .-.... ......... g..
"No doubto it, said he, e but what can
you expect. Everything old is changing,
changing, changing"
~sIIow about Old furniture: I asked.
"That seems popular enough" @s.f ;
"That's changing, too," he answered.
"Comng down out of the garnet into
the parlor. AS to people, in general, l
scarcely know what TO make of them. There
will soon be no such thing as Christmas.
Hereabouts its losing ground every year,
and New-Gear7s day is taking its place. The
jolly old Christmas festivities are almost for
gotten, and the young men are satisfied to
tret around on New-Yeafs day and nibble
cake and drink wine at q hundred different
places, while the women sit and smile at q
hundred different men-SOEe friends and
some strrngers-tll the days done. What's
all that to the grand old tines we used to
haze? But, as i said before, what can you
eXpectt There are men now, who 60 so
far as to assert that matter contains within
itsclf the promise and potency Of every form
Of lifel Would yen expect Ghe'children Of
such persons to hang up their stockings?n
"No,n said. az don't think would.'
HQf coarse not, ," said he, with considera-
bic asperity for so 6eyial an old fellow; /" it
would be entirely out of keeping. Go 'long,
there! Get up, Vixenl Why, ( tell you, sir,
there are not half dozen houses in that
town behind lis that could get into. If you
do manage 50 squeeze down chimney you
ore pretty sure to landin akitchen fire, or in
q cellar furnace! hase furnaoes.l They're
the Invention of the devil, sir, and pure air
and pare Christianity are dying .o.t with the
open fre.plaees.. Go 'Iong, you SlMen,! i
expect the nest thing vii! be that the chill
dren will leave off their stockings alto
gether:" .fF.,. i. fs,sstis s,.g-.ss
I saw that she was getting excited, and l
did not wish to say anything that would
further irritate dim, so simply remarked
that he seemed te be driving faster.
.aYesss said be, whipping his reindeer
iuto smart galloP, "fm going to a!&ne old
fasm. house that stands dowa yonder in the
valley. There the people know how to live.
There are. great open tre-plases with grand
old wood|tires in tbem-shiniug brass and.
irons, big bsck-logs, and merry cracking
blaze. Hi there, Vixen! There the ehil.
dren have been playing wild roliickipg games
all this evening. and Rlere they have hung
their stockings by the big Fireplace in the
ktchena Go 'iong these, biz his" H. tGf
The Old mas was ROW in glow of de-
light. lie cracked his x:aip and shouted to
his reindeer. The gallant creatures seemed to
catch his enthusiasm, and they dashed over
the snow at the top Of theie speed.
"Isn't this-rather-rapid?" said I, as L
clung fast tG the side of the sleigh.
sob, yessn he shouted, "this is the right
sort Of driving. This is the way people go
when they want to get there. Iii! biz Away
with you, you rasealsi There's the hoase
right before u.s."
y Are you going to drive-on top?" said
[, almost breathleSs from the rapidity Of the
ride.
Certainlyw be cried. "But you needn't
be afraid. just take that shed first, then
up to the roof Of the kitchen, and then, clip
and away to the top Of The housed"
At this he rose, and stood up in the sleigh,
cracking his whip aud shouting to his steed |
It the top of his voice.
The reindeer dashed forward like mad
hey reached the shed, they bounded up, the |
uunerS struck the caves with bang, aud |
mt shot into a snow.bank."-" Etch,ngs,"
;cribaer for january. a3-se