Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-12-20

who sat and stood about the stove.
aiTake 'em home to your little folks
if you don't want 'em," he said, when
! any one hesitated. efsi aHfat sl7'
There were three or four apples
apiece, and Mr.. Boyd put all his in
his pockets, with slight feeling of
Christmas warmth beginning TO thaw
his heart. aiti dsa1Ht -s7
After this CHEEKY purchaser had
gone, some one asked )" Who is that
chap /? ''ita aameo ~ ssa
{" He's the new superintendent of
the iOrphant Asylum, answered Mr..
Munger, rubbing his hands again !;
"and a mighty nice man he u.s., too.
Pays for all them things out of his
own pocket. Very fond of children.
Always likes to see 'em happy"
There were two or three men
around that stove who hung their
heads, and Mr.. Boyd was one of them.
He hung his the lowest, perhaps be-
cause he had the longest neck. I
don't know what the other men did,
something good and pleasant, |
hope, but Mr.. Boyd thought and
thought. First he thought how the
Complaints " were going to have a
brighter and merrier Christmas than
his own children, who had both father
and mother Then he thought about
sweet, patient little Janey, and quiet
Mary, and generous Jack, who had
taken so much pains to give pleasure
to his sisters, and great rush Of
shame filled his heart. Now, when
Mr. Boyd was once thoroughly
aroused, he was alive through the
whole of his long frame. He thumped
his knee with his fist, then arose and
walked to the counter, where he dealt
out rapid orders to the astonished
grocer for nuts, candies and oranges );
mot in such large quantities, to be
sure, as the Complaints " friend had
done, but generous enough for three
children. And he bought calico
dress for his wife, pair of shoes for
each of the little glrls,i and cap for
Jack. That store contained every
thing, from grind stones to slate-pen-
ellis, and from whale,oil to pepper
mint. drops. I These purchases, togeth.
er with some Beeaful1 groceries, took
all Mr.. Boyd's money, except a few
pennies, but Christmas don't, scare
feeling pervaded his being, and he
borrowed bag, Into which he slowed
his goods, and set out for home. Id
1t was pretty heavy bagful, but
its heaviness only made Mr.. Boyd's
heart the lighter. When he rea ched
home, he stood the bag up in one
corner, as if it held turnips, and said,
"Don't meddle with that, children"
Then he went out and spent the rest
of the short day in chopping wood,
hich was very cheering to his wife.
So many Sundays had dawned with
just wood enough TO cook breakfast,
that Mrs. Boyd began to dread that
day particularly, for her husband was
Breakfast and s. spend if tie waaSisa Haay
the neighbors' houses, while his own
family shivered around halt empty
stove. 1t
Mr.. Boyd said never word about
the bag, and the unsuspecting house
hold thought it contained corn or
some other uninteresting Vegetable,
aud paid little attention to it. 1t also
stood there all the next day, and the
children grew quite used to the sight
of it. e 4it 1854
Sunday went by quietly, and, to
the surprise of all, MIR. Boyd stayed
at home, making it his especial bust
ness to hold Janey on his lap, and
keep the stove well filled with wood.
Janey wasn't feeling we'll that day,
and this unusual attention to her
made the family very kindly disposed
toward their father, whom of late they
had come to regard almost as an
alien.
Jack, whose shoes were not yet
worn out, went to Sunday school,
and after his return the winter day
was soon gone. Then he began to
fidget, and was very DESTROYS that
his mother should put the little girls
to bed ; while. strange to say, his
father was DESTROYS that the whole
family should go to bed, except him
self. In course of time the little girls
were asleep in their truDdle bed,
with their little red stockings hang
ing behind the door. Mr. Boyd sat
with his back to the door, so Jack
slipped in his presents, without his
fathers seeing BIN, and went to bis
cold bed upstairs.
saint you gong TO hang up your
stocking, mother r" asked Mr.. Boyd
after Jack had gone.
Mrs. Boyd looked startled.
Why, me-" she answered, hest.
tatingly, not knowing whether
the question was asked in irony or
in earnest..r. 4sft.a So 3 s.
/" You BETTER" said Mr.. Boyd,
going to the bag in the corner, and
beginning to unite the strings.
He laid out package after package
on the floor. His wife knelt down
by them in maze of astonishment.
Then, with great deal of enjoy
ment, Mr.. Boyd united them one by
one, showing candy, nuts, oranges,
shoes, and all the rest, except the
calico dress, which he kept out of
sight i,s -
Aladdin felt very fine when he
found the cave-fulh OF precious stones
| but | don't believe lie was much hap
pier than Mrs. Boyd. Her eyes
were so full of tears that there SEEM
ed to be about eight pairs of shoes,
/ ten bags, and half q dozen Mr..
Beyds; but che managed to lay
| hands on the real one, and him she
embraced fervently. Then she brought
out the cookies and sugar balls she
had made, and said TO her husband,
in very shame,faced way:
"See my poor presents ! didn't
know the children would have any,
thing nice, and | made these.
guess | won't put 'em in their stock
ings though now
| But Mr.. Boyd insisted on their
going in with the other things, and
| think they were priced by the
children little more dearly, if such