The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-12-07

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| Agamemnon and Solomon John. The
little boys and the small cousins were
never allowed even to look inside the
room.
Elizabeth Eliza meanwhile went into
town a number of times. She wanted
to consult Amanda as to how much ice
cream they should need, and whether
they could make it at home, rs they had
cream and ice. She was pretty busy in
her own room; the furniture had to bo
changed, and the carpet altered. The
"hump" was higher than she had ex-
pected. There was danger of humping
her own head whenever she crossed it.
She had to nail some padding on the
ceiling for fear of accidents.
The afternoon before Christmas,
Elizabeth Eliza, Solomon John and
their father collected in the back parlor
for council. The carpenters had done
their work, and the tree stood at its
full height at the back of the room, the
top stretching up into the space Or.
ranged for it. All the chips and shay
ings were cleared away, and it stood on
neat box.
But what were they to put upon the
treel
Solomon John had brought in his
supply of candles, but they proved to
be very "stringy" and very few of
them. It was strange how many bay
berries it took to make few candles
The little boys had helped him, and he
had gathered as much as q bushel of
bayberries. He had put them in water,
and skinned off the wax, according to
the directions, but there was SO little
wax
Solomon John had given the little
boys some of the bits sawed off from
the legs of the chairs. He had suggest
ed they should cover them with gilt
paper, to answer for gilt apples, without
telling them what they were for.
These apples, little blunt at the end,
and the candles, were all they had for
the tree.
After all her trips into town, Eliza
beth Eliza had forgotten to bring any
thing for it.
81 thought of candies and sugar
plums," she said, 6" "but l concluded if
we made caramels ourselves we should
not need them. But, then, we have lot
made caramels. The fact is, that day
my head was full of my carpet. L had
DuupSu III prStty Dhuly, toO'
Mr.. Peterkin wished he had taken,
instead of fir tree, al apple tree he
had seen in October, full of red fruit.
"But the leaves would have fallen off
by this time" said Elizabeth Eliza.
"And the apples, too" said Solomon
John.
at is odd I should have forgotten,
that day I went in on purpose to get the
things" said Elizabeth Eliza, musing-
ly. " But went from shop to shop,
and didn't know exactly what to get. 1
saw great many gilt thugs for Christ
mas trees, but I knew the little boys
were making the gilt apples; there were
plenty OF candles in the shops, but I
knew Solomon John was making the
candles"
Mr.. Peterkin thought it was quite
natural.
Solomon John wondered if it were too
late for them to go into town now.
Elizabeth Eliza could not go in the
next morning, fer there was to be
grand Christmas dinner, and Mr.. Peter
kin could not BIS spared, and Solomon
John was sure he and Agamemnon would
not know what to buy. Besides, they
would want to try the candles to night.
Mr.. Peterkin asked if the presents
everybody had been preparing would
not answer2 But Elizabeth Eliza knew
they would be too heavy.
A gloom came over the room. There
was only Pickering gloom from one of
Solomon Johns candles that he had
lighted by way Of trial.
Solomon John again proposed going
,,,f1 In tal, 4a
anime the newspaper about the trains.
There were plenty of trains comi-g out
at that hour, but none were going in ex
cept very late one. That would not
leave time to do anything and come
back.
"We could go in, Elizabeth Eliza
and l." said Solomon John, "but We
should not have time to buy anything"
Agamemnon was summoned in. Mrs.
Peterkin was entertaining the ulicles and
aunts in the front parlor. Agememnon
wished there was time to study up some
thing about electric lights. II they
could only have calcium light! Solo-
mon Johns candle sputtered and went
not.
At this moment there was a loud
knocking at the front door. The little
boys, and the small cousins, and the
uncles and aunts, and Mrs. Peterkin,
FASTENED to see what was the matter.
The uncles and aunts thought some
body's house must be on fire. The door
was opened, and there was a man, white
with flakes, for it was beginning to snow,
and he was pulling in large box.
Mrs. Peterkin supposed it contained
some of Elizabeth Eliza's purchases, so
she ordered it to be pushed into the
back parlor, and hastily called back
her guests and the little boys into the
other room. The little boys and tine
small cousins were sure they had seen
Santa Claus himself.
Mr.. Peterkin lighted the lamp. The
box was addressed to Elizabeth Eliza.
1t was from the lady from Philadelphia
She had gathered hint from Elizabeth
Elizas letter that there was to be
Christmas tree, and had filed the box
with all that would be needed.
1t was opened directly. There was
every kind of gilt hanging thing, from
gilt pea-pods to butterflies on springs.
There were shining flags and lanterns,
and bird cages, and nests with birds sit.
ting on them, baskets of fruit, gilt
apples and punches of grapes, and, at
the bottom of the whole, large box
of candles and q box of Philadelphia
bonbons !
Elizabeth Eliza and Solomon John
could scarcely keep from screaming.
The little boys and the small cousins
knocked on the folding doors to ask