Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-29
A Christmas SIeigh.ride.

A Christmas SIeigh-ride.
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 he
tells as follows:
The old gentleman pulled bag from
behind the seat, and taking it on his
lap proceeded 10 show me some of the
contents:
"They seem to be fashioned
toys" remarked.
YES" he said with sigh, "these
new-fangled affairs are of no service to
me. You couldn't get a paddle-wheel
steamer, with real engine, Snto COM
mon stocking. You'd ruin the vessel
or the stocking. And there's scarcely
girl In the land who wears stocking
large enough to hold dolls trunk,
furnished with silk dresses, bonnets,
and all the necessary underclothing.
No, [ have TO confne myself to sucn
things as bear proper proportion to
the feet and legs of children. There
is one thing" said he, turning on me
his still jolly old ,countenance, "that
has had more influence than any one
thing else in causing the general indif-
ference with which I am now regarded. y
sAnd what's that?" I asked.
Furnace-heat, he said. "What
sensible person, old or young, could ex-
pect fellow with bag on his back, to
come down fiue and through an iron
register? It would be absurd to try to
make even child believe that anything
Of the sort is possible"
And then he put away his bag and
took the lines again, with look of res
ignation.
It's all wrong, said I, call wrong
The old way was the best"
"No doubt of it, +" said he, "but what
can you expect? Everything old is
changing, changing, changing"
stHow about old furniture % asked.
"That seems popular enough"
s'That's changing, too," he answered.
s'Coming down out of the garnet into
the parlor. AS to people, in general, I
scarcely know what to make of them.
There will soon be no such thing as
Christmas. Hereabouts it's losing
ground every year, and New Years Day
is taking its place. The jolly old Christ
mas festivities are almost forgotten, and
the young men are satisfied to trot
around on New Years Day and nibble
cake and drink wine at a hundred differ
emit places, while the women sit and
smile at hundred different men-sorne
friends and some strangers-til the
days done. What's all that to the
grand old times we used to have9 But,
as l said before what can you expect2
There are men now who go so far as to
assert that matter contains within itself
the promise and potency of every form
OF life! Would you expect the children
of such persons to hang up their stock
ings?"
mo" I said. CT don't think 1
would"
"Of course not. said he, withscon-
siderable asperity for SO jovial an old
fellow; cit would be entirely out of
keeping. Go long, there Get up,
Vixen Why, I tell you, sir, there are
not half-a-dozen houses in that town
behind us that ]. could get into. If
you do manage to squeeze down a
chimney, you're pretty sure to land in
kitchen fire, or in cellar furnace! I
hate furnaces They're the invention
of the Devil, sir, and pure air and pure
Christianity are dying out with the
open fre-places. Go long. you Blixen |!
1 expect the next thing will be that the
children will leave off their stockings
altogether
I saw that he was getting excited, /
did not wish to say anything that would
fIESher irritate him, SO simply le-
marked that he seemed to be driving
faster.
"Yes," said he, whipping his rem
deer into smart gallop, 9Th going to
fine old farmhouse that stands down
yonder in the valley. There the peo-
pie know how to live. There are great
open fire places with great wood fires in
them-shining brass andkons, big
back-logs and q merry cracking blaze.
Hi there, Vixen. There the children
have been playing wild rollicking
games all this evening, and there they
have hung their stockings by the big
fireplace in the kitchen I! Go long
there, hi! hill"
The old man was now in q glow of
delight. He cracked his whip and
shouted to his reindeer. The gallant
SAOoe04Oo CoOAaCu VI Ch1Cu LIS 01sSQu.
siasm, and they dashed over the snow
at the top Q: their speed.
Isn't this-rather-rapid 2" said I,
as chung fast to the side Of the sleigh.
'sOh, yes /" he shouted, this is the
right sort Of driving. This is the way
people go when they want to get there.
hi! hi! Away with you, you rascals Z
There's the house, right before us!
Are you going to drive-on topa'
said l, almost breathless from the rapid
ity of the ride. =
!" Certainly r he cried "But you
needn't be afraid. Lust take that shed
first, then up to the roof of the kitchen,
and then, clip! and away to the top of
the house ("
At this he rose, and stood up in the
sleigh, cracking his whip and shouting
to his steeds ct the top of his voice.
The reindeer dashed forward like
mad-they reached the shed, they
bounded up, the runners struck the