American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-09
vol. XIV.

IL am very 0xious to go, and am will
ing to pay weli for being taken"
The landlord leaning over the ba
How machg"
told his what was willing to pay
I'm go II the stage ready" he said
After all, twas only the higher price h.
had been citing for.
In five minutes the stage was at tn
door 1t gas an ordinary box wagon oil
good strdg springs, having cottoI
cover ope1in front The horse was
half-starved, jaded looking beast. Itool
all this inas stood on the porch wait
ing for til driver. Getting impatient a
last aslpd:
"Whee is the driver?"
The landlord, without speaking
pointed b An ill-clad boy standing a
the horss head. 1 looked closely al
him. y might be, l thought, fifteer
years on or he might not be more thar
ten. d eyes were clear blue, and he
hearingny question, turned them full
upon me, u frank, boyish smile rebuk
ing the listrust my words implied, and
lightinfnp every feature of his delicate
face. Is complexion was like that of a
girl. hiSnouth small and tender, his hail
yellow, lis figure slight and sinuous.
looled at him, standing there SILVER
ing wild the cold, out through the driv.
mountain road we were to travel to-
gether, End asked: "Are you not afraid
to gos"
The hmlord interrupted:
at doR matter if he is afraid. He
belongs ume. He shall 60"
No" lssid, "he shall not go if he il
not quiteFilling-"
81 ami lot ut all afraid" the boy re-
piled, d" d am quite willing to go. l
have gd, often and Often through
worse st5ms than this"
even in te way he shook the gathered
fakes f3m his battered cap, and in his
voice tire was such a hearty, CHEEKY
ring til from that moment 1 trusted
and low the boy.
jun{ed into the stage, took the back
seat, div my great frieze coat close to
my leg3and we drove off from among
the ga1hg. sooty crowd Of miners into
the lol1y mountain road into the cruel
est std of wind and snow that ever
Thefpy sat on the front seat, waiting
to be token to, looking straight aheod.
Wh} we were quite clear of the
struggling huts of the miners on the
outer7bst limits of the town l asked
him name.
"TSy call me Lewis shively," he
III " old are you, Lewiss" was my
urteen next April, SIR"
you live at home with your father
and yother'"
q" lat man yonder is all the father or
mottr have, and his stable loft is the
only hOme have had since he took me
fro1t the pOor-house. That was better
me bmething there"
uere were no complaining chords in
thetones in which these bitter words
we1 said, and while he was speaking he
wa<drawing the whip gently across the
hobs back, brushing off the snow that
ha(fallen on it.
Have yon been driving on this road
lo1." inquired.
Going on three years. 1t will be
THE years in March"
is 1t cold out theres Colder than in
he, 1 means"
n think it is" he replied; 1.-The wind
" get used to rough weather up in
Use hills
wish you would come in here my
cht will cover us both"
No, l can't, ".he said. Il must watch
Il road now. We have to go pretty
Disc to the precipices sometimes"
II How closer" / asked.
p Within few inches. l cant see now
4e yards ahead, the snow falls so heav-
L. Do you think it safe, then, to go ony"
E"Quite safe, siri and don't mind the
Did" But his teeth chartered as he said
nd 1,op vrAd v oil oil
lis cheeks.
cid not talk more then. There were,
discovered, wide cracks in the bottom
" the stage, through which the wind
koured mercilessly. was chilled
through to the heart in less than an hour
Sfter starting. I do not know how far
pc had gone, or how long we had been
bpon the road, when heard the boys
FOice, CHEEKY and bright, asking:
How are you now. SIR Feeling
pretty comfortable, sir?"
nodded my head, and crept closer in
to the corner. But he was wiser than /,
and would not let me have the sleep l
coveted.
You are in hurry to get home," he
said, for want of something better to say
with which to rouse me.
YES" l replied. II want to be at
home on Christmas Eve"
The best days I ever knew were
Christmases-a good while ago."
He said it as if he were ever and ever
so old, and, what was saddest of all, as if
he were done with Christmas forever !
told MIN of the tree was to get, and
how Christmas Day was kept in the great
cities. He was most interested in the
tree, making me tell him again and again
about it. But after awhile, as if he were
tired of it, he said:
az never saw tree like that know
about Christmas, though. About the
star and the shepherds and the Christ
child you spoke Of-thst they laid in a
manger"
"Then you know all that anyone in the
world need ever care to know" l said
1t may have been an hour, or two
hours, but it seemed but q minute, after
this that the boy shook me roughly by
the shoulder.
1--WE are to get out here" he said.
l was very stiff in my joints, but l
could get up and climb out of the stage,
and no more. If was cold l did not
know it; my limbs were numb, yet other
wise l was comfortable enough. l
crawled out and followed the boy into a
MISUNDERSTANDING hanty by the roadside,
in front of which we had stopped.
the room, there was q thick, black haired,
brawny-l looking man behind it, and
there were two or three kegs of liquor
behind him. There was an iron stove in
the middle of the room, q bench along
the wall, and that was ALL TIE boy
asked for some brandy, drank glass of
it after handing one to me, which
drank, and felt 80 much better for drink
ing that l called for another and got it