Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-12-23


left, for I had yis lded to a buruins
curiosity to visit coal mine, and
n fancy that Tsmsqua is nothing but
coal mine, with thousand mouth
a that every morning swallow so man,
thousand miners and tlisgorged then
every night. It was then. and
think it is now, very black ant
Q sooty place. with canal in. front o
it, a hill behind it, and the huge
, mine / have spoken of under it. II
was not only black and sooty itself
but its people were similarly
black and sooty; and so were its
, horses, or rather its mules, for il
seemed to have few of the former
and a great many Of the latter. Even
its dogs and eats partook of the gen
eral sootyness. and we're evidently
greatly depressed by it. / was very
cold when 1 went down into the
mine,--which had its shaft just be-
bind the hotel,-and / was colder
still when ! came out of it. 1 went
to bed cold, and I got up cold. so
cOldiindeed that thought / would
never be warm any more. When /
went down in the frozen breakfast
room, l looked out of the window,
and saw that the ground was cover
ed deep with snow. and that it was
stiilsnowing as if it maant to ex-
hau4t the whole winters supply in
fiyehinutes or so, being very greatly
pressed to do it Immediately. l
drank my cold, black coffee, and ate
my cold, tough beafsteak in gloomy
silence, thinking more than l had
done for long time before Of home,
of its pleasant cheer and warmth,
and of the loving boys and girls in
it who were even then, no doubt ex
pecting my speedy coming, for this
was already the morning of Tnes-
day, and Thursday would be Christ
mas Day. In that home | was ST.
Nicholas himself, for it was | that
brought home in the night the brave
tree with its spreading green
branches; it was | that planted it
firmly in the middle of the wide par
lor: it was | that found the infinite
variety of toys, cakes, bon -bons, and
glittering baubles which covered it;
it was l that placed the ever-beauti-
ful image of the Christ Child on the
topmost bough; ! that lighted the
many-colored tapers, and | that at the
suspicious moment, suddenly threw
open the folding doors and let in the
children to behold the glory of that |
wondrous Christmas miracle
In my frequent journeys through |
the State, | had seen many places
which l wanted to get away from
quickly, but never saw another that
WANTED to turn my back upon so
much as Tamaqua. 1t was not in
any manner a pleasant place. and be;
sides, if those nephews and nieces of
mine were to have Christmas tree
at all in this year, 1856, | thought l
must go home as fast as | could
| had come to Tamaqua in stage,
and must go away from it in a
stage,-not to Philadelphia, exactly,
but to the next railroad town, and |
that was distant, l know not how
far
l arose shivering from the dreary
breakfast, and hunted up the land
lord of the inn. He was easily
found, and was no better or warmer
looking man than his accommoda-
tions promised to be. l paid his ex-
travagant charges, and then inform
ed him that | wished to reach as
quickly as possible the nearest rail
road station, and to take the first
train for the East.
''The nearest station is at Ilium,
Ilium is twenty 1.-TWO miles distant;
you cannot get there before night, if
at all. Think you won't get there
at ALL"
All this Yas spoken redectively,
and with deliberation.
''If l can get,there by ten o'clock
to night, can L make the Eastern Ex-
pressY
"You can, but / doubt if you can
get there at ALL
"WhyY l asked.
He was not man to waste words.
He only said:
''The stage won't go-on account
of the storm"
Are you sure of that?" 1 ventured
to ask.
Quite sure" and he closed his
lips with snap, as if he knew all
about it.
''Who owns the stage?"
81 do" he replied. "And / won't
let it 90 because the road lies over
that mountain yonder; it runs close
to the edges of preeIpices several
hundred feet high, it is rough and
slippery, the snow is deep now, and !
getting deeper every minute, and |
don't believe any horse could pull ;
it," II
/ thought of the little children
waiting for me yonder; of their bitter |
disappointment If l did not come. 3
Then | said: Il ala very anxious 1
10 go, and am willing to pay well
for being taken"
The londlord leaning over the bar {
asked:
"How much? II
l told him what l was willing to {
pay.
"Fll go get the stage ready" he i
said. After all, it was only the high t
price he had been waiting for. Il
In five minutes the stage was at |
Lhe door. 1t was an ordinary box '
wagon on good strong springs, hav- /
ing a cotton cover, open in front. y
The horse was a half starved, jaded- !
looking beast. l took all this in as | i
stood on the porch waiting for the a
driver. Getting impatient at last, l ,
asked:
II I