The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1876-01-06

at Iamaquaj ana possibly IL Is there
yet though when last slept under
its roof it was in altogether such q
lamentable condition of decay, and
its roof was s1ch very ieaky one in,
deed, that Edo not doubt it long age
disappeared out of the sight of men,
and possibly out of their memories
also-Tamaqua, having acquired a
railroad since, and Of course grown rs
only railroad towns do grow. arri-
we'd there in'that December Of 1856,
on a Monday afternoon, which was
quite'as cold and disagreeable Mon
day afternoon as | remember ever to
have known, though, when compared
with the Tuesday that followed, it
might be considered rather warm
than otherwise. | was half frozen
when | got there, and Twas not quite
thawed out when l left, for | had
yielded to 4 burning curiosity to Wis
it a coal mine; and fancy that Tam
aqua is nothing but a coal mine, with
a thousand mouths that every morn
ing swallow so many thousand min.
ers and disgorgc them every night
1t was then, and | think it is now, a
very black and sooty place, with a
canal in front of it, a hill behind it,
and 4 huge mine | have spoken OF un-
der it. 1t was not only black and
sooty itself, but its people were SINH
larly black and sooty, and SO were its
horses, or rather Its mules, for it seem
ed to have 4 few of the former and q
great many of the latter. Even its
dogs and cats partook of the general
sootiness, and were evidently greatly
by it.
/ went to bed cold andI got up cold
so cold, indeed, that ! 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 it
was still showing as fit meant to
exhaust the whole winters supply in
five minutes or so, being very greatly
pressed to do it Immediately. /
drank my cold, black coffee, and ate
my cold, tough bccfstcak in silence,
thinking more than | had done for a
long time of home, of its pleasant
cheer and warmth, and of the loving
girls and boys in it, who were even
then, no doubt, expecting my speedy
coming, for this was already the morn
ing 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 trecn 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 | that placed the ever-beauti.
ful image of the Christ-child on the
tophIost bough; | that lighted the
many-colored tapers, and | that in
the auspicious moment suddenly
threw open the folding doors and let
in the children to behold the glory Of
that wondrous Christmas miracle.
Inmy frequent journeyings through
the State ! had seen many places
which l wanted to get away from
quickly, but 1neyer saw another that
| wanted TO turn my back upon so
much as Tamaqua. 1t was not in
any manner pleasant place, and,
besides, if those nephews and nicces
of mine were to have a Christmas
tree at all this year, 1855, thought
| must 60 home as fast as | could
travel. | had come to Tamaqua in a
stage, and | must go away from it in
a stagc-not to Philadelphia exactly,
but to the next railroad town, and
that was distant | knew not how
far
l arose shivcring from the dreary
breakfast, and hunted up the land
lord of the inn, He was easily found,
and was 10 better or warmar-looking
4 man than his accommodations pro
missed him to be. | paid his cxtrav-
agant charges, and then informed
him that | wished to reach as quick
ly as possible the nearest railroad
station, and to take the first train 60
ing East,
"The nearest station is 1lium; Iii.
um is twenty-five miles distant; you
can not get there before night, if at
all, | think you won't get there at
all"
All this was spoken reAoctiyoly,
and with dclibcrNtion.
"lf can get there by ten o'clock
tonight can | make the Eastern ex-
prossW
"You can, but | doubt if you can
get there at all"
"Why?" asked,
He was not u man to waste words,
He only said;
"Thc stage won't go on account Of
the storm"
"Arc you sure Of thot2" I vcnturcd
TO ask,
"Quito sure" and ho closed bis lips