The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-01-27
A MIGHT IN a STAGE.
A True story Of Christmas.

The year was 1756-the month of De-
cember-the place Tamaqua. / was a
young man then, and strong one.
did good deal of travelling through the
State of Pennsylvania, going from county
town TO county town from the beginning
Of the year to the close. 1t was pleasant
business enough, for there was less rail-
reading to be done then than now, and
more staging, and not unfrequently long
rides on canal boats in the summer time.
/ was not often hurried on my trips, and
took my own time. My exact business
at the county seats consisted of hunting
up titles to obscure, wild lands, paying
taxes upon them, and getting them in
good condition for immediate sale.
In consequence of the nature of this
business, / knew good deal about the
topography of Pennsylvania, and a good
deal that, at that time, was worth knowing
about it's roads and its inns. All of the
latter were bad, but some were better
than others. One of the worst of them
were at Tamaqua, and possibly it is
there yet, though when [ last slept
under its roof, it was in altogether such
a lamentable condition of decay, and its
roof was such a very leaky roof indeed,
that doubt not it long ago disappeared
out Of the sight of men and possibly out
of their memories alsO-Tamaqua having
achieved a railroad since, and, of course,
grown as only railroad towns do grow.
/ arrived there that December of 1866,
on a Monday afternoon, which was quite
as cold and disagreeable a Monday after
noon rs l remember ever to have known,
though, when compared with the Tues
day that followed, it might be considered
rather warm than otherwise. / was half
frozen when / got there, and / was not
quite thawed out when left, for / had
yielded to a burning curiosity to visit a
coal mine, and / fancy that Tamaqua Is
nothing but a coal mine, with a thousand
mouths that every morning swallow so
many thousand miners and disgorge
them every night. It was then, and /
think it is now, very black and sooty
place, with a canal in front of it, and a
hill behind it, and huge mine have
spoken of under it. 1t was not only
black and sOoty itself but its people were
similarly black afs9 sooty; and 50 were
its horses, or rather its mules, for it
seemed to have few of the former and a
great many of the latter. Even its dogs
and cats partook of the general sootiness,
and were evidently greatly depressed by
it. / was very cold when ] went down
into the mine-which had its shaft Just
behind the hotel-and was colder still
when | came out of it. went to bed
cold, and got up cold, 80 cold indeed
that l 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 1t
was still showing as if it meant to ex-
haust the whole winters supply in five
to do il Immediately. / drank nv cold,
black coffee and ate my cold, tough beef
steak in gloomy silence, thinking more
than ! 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, expecting my
speedy coming, for this was already the
morning of Tuesday, and Thursday
would be Christmas 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 I that planted it firmly
in the middle of the wide Parlor; it was
/ that found the infinite variety of TOYS
cakes, bon-bOns, and glittering baubles
which covered it; it was / that placed
the ever-beautiful image of the Christ
Child on the topmost Dough; I that
that, at the suspicious moment, suddenly
threw open the folding-doors and let il
the children to behold the glory of that
wondrous Christmas miracle.
In my frequent journeys through the
State, had seen many places which
wanted to get away from quickly, but
never saw another that / wanted to turn
my back upon so much as Tamaqua
was not in any manner a pleasant place
and besides, if these nephews and niece
of mine were to have a Christmas tree a
all in this year, 1856, thought, mus
90 home as fast as ] could travel / hat
come to Tamaqua in a stage, and ] mus
go away from it in a stage-not to Phils
delphia, exactly, but to the next raj
road town, and that was distant, l kne,
not how far.
/ arose shivering from the drear
breakfast, and hunted up the landlord {
the inn. He was easily found, and ws
no better or warmer looking a man tina
his accommodations promised him to b,
| paid his extravagant charges, and the
informed him that / wished TO reach
quickly as possible the nearest railroa
station, and to take the first train for tn
east.
The nearest station is at Hum
Hum IS % miles distant; you can nc
get there before night, if at all. l thin
you won't get there at all"
All this was spoken rehectively, an
with deliberation.
" If I can get there 10y 10 O'Clock t,
night, can | make the eastern express
I" You can, but doubt if you can g,
there at all"
Why?" l asked.
lie was not man to waste word
He only said:
THE stage won't go-on account
tho Storm
Are you sure of that?" I venture
to ask.
Quite sure" and he closed his Iii
with a snap, as if he knew all about it.
Who owns the stage ?"
al do" he replied. And / won
let It 90, because the road lies over TIL
mountain yonder; it runs close to Il
edges of precipices several hundred fe
high, it is rough and slippery, the sno
is deep now, and getting deeper ever
minute, and I don't believe any hor
could pull through it,"
] Thought of the little children waitir
for me yonder; Of their bitter disappoin
ment Il l did not come. Then | salt
az am very anxious to go, and | a
willing to pay well for being taken.