The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-12-20

that tented the texture into regular folds
on every side. >-'.~'
now made no effort to conceal my in
terest, ami every one looked on with
breathless suspense and curiosity.
Suddenly All Kin seized hold of the
mantle, wbisked it of, and there in the
center of the mound, was as perfect fir
tree in miniature as the mind could con-
ceive of.
Its tiny branches were thickly hung
with little nuggets of virgin gold, which
sparklcd in the sunshine, and little en-
velope was sticking from the upper
branches, like billet doux from fairy
land.
An exclamation of delighted surprise
ran through the assembly.
All Kin gravely seized the tree by its
slender trunk-it was not much more than
twelve inches high, and exquisitely pro-
portioned-raiscd it gently from the
ground, and thus exposed the genuine
roots and then placing it in small flower
pot that CHANGED to be lying near, pre-
sented it to my wife with the Injunction
that she should te'.c exceeding good care
of it, and picking up the silk mantle, took
his departure without word.
"Wondcrful - exclaimed Mr.. Cameron.
"'The nuggets are genuine, too. There's
two hundred dollars worth of gold on
it,"
ut beats our Christmas tree all hollow"
said one of the Cameron offspring, whose
mother thcreupon sent her home by a
peculiarly spiteful shove.
When they had plenty of time to adj
mirc 1t, we took the wonder tree into the
cottage and inspected it at our leisure.
and in the privacy of our family.
OF course the children were wild with
delight as l shook the solid nuggets from
the magic branches, and collected them
in a glittering heap upon the table.
"Read this missive," said my wife,
snatching off the small envelope. "It's
directed to you, in All Kin's best pigeon
English"
l have not the contents of that mo-
mentous missive before me Just now, and
shall not undertake to give its phrase
ology from memory. Suffice it to saw
that it gave me such minute directions to
take out a claim in the mountains not
more than twenty miles from Red Gulch,
which had never been prospccted over be-
fore, specifying the place in the most
careful manner, that l lost no time in in
shutting the claim in close accordance
with the directions received, and the
mines which opened made me indepen-
IDENTIFY rich.
But our house was broke into that very
Christmas night, and the wonderful tree,
which the grateful Ciinaman had tat least
apparently caused to spring from the
earth for our special benefit, disappeared
and was never seen again. But, inasmuch
/ as had taken care to sccrete its precious
fruits, and the BURGLARS were frightened
from completing their plumber, it was no
material loss, though should like to have
kept the tree for exhibition.
If the reader can offer an explanation
of its strange production, I should be
happy to know it, as have long since
given it up as an incxplicable mystery.
All Kin died shortly after opened the
"Charity Mine"-as call the magnificent
property which his information placed me
in possession of-and after stcadfastly re-
fusing any comper sation for the favors he
had conferred, but leaving a request that
l would embalm his remains and have
them sent back to his friends in China.
which of course l did.
My children are all grown now, and we
seldom spend the holidays together with
out recalling to mind the gratitude of the
poor Chinaman as Cvinced in All Kin's
wonderful Christmas tree.