Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-12-20
JACK'SC CHRISTMAS.
From ST. Nicholas.
BY EMMA x. PARRISH.

BY EMMA K. PARRISH.
Jack had just heard of Christmas
for the first time! Ten years old, and
never knew about Christmas before
Jacks mother was a weary, over
worked woman, and had no heart to
tell the children about merry times
and beautiful things in which, they
could not share. H Il n
His parents were very poor When
| tell you that they lived in a log
house you might think so, although
some people live very comfortably in
Lighthouses, But when / say the snow
drifted through the cracks in the roof
until the chamber floor was fit to 90
sleighing on, and that it was so cold
downstairs that the gravy froze on
the chIldren's plates while they were
eating breakfast, and that the little
girls had no shoes bat cloth ones
which their mother. sewed to their
stockings, you will see that they were
poor indeed. Mrs. Boyd, Jacks
mother, generally went about her
work with a shawl tied around her,
and a comforter over her ears, on ac-
count of the ear-ache !; and on the
coolest days she kept jacks little sis
tiers wrapped up from head to foot
and perched on chairs near the stove,
so they wouldn't freeze. No; she
didn't feel much like telling them
about Christmas, when she didn't
know but they would freeze to death,
or, may be, starve, before that time.
But Jack found out. He was going
to school that winter, and one learns
so much at school! He came home
one night Drlm-Iun vf the ncws th~s
Christmas would be there in three
weeks, and that Santa Claus would
come down chimneys, and say, " l
wish you Merry Christmas !" and
then put lots of nice things in all the
stockings. ua
Mrs. Boyd heard him talking, and
was glad the children were enjoying
themselves, but hoped from her heart
that they wouldn't expect anything,
only to be bitterly disappointed. Most
of that evening little Janey, the young
est girl, sat singing:
Wis you Nelly Kitsmas
Wis you Nelly Kitsmas!P
in quaint, little minor key, that
wasn't plaintiff enough to be sad, nor
merry enough to be jolly, bat only a
sweet monotony of sounds and words
showing that she was conteDted, and
didn't feel any of the dreadful aches
and pains which sometimes distressed
her so.
For a week, Jack wondered and
within himself how he could get
something for Christmas presents tor
his little sisters. He couldn't make
ANYTHING at home without their seeing
it, nor at school without the teachers
seeing it, or else the big boys plagu-
ing him about it. Besides, he would
rather buy something pretty, such as
they had never seen before china
dolls in pink dresses, or something OF
that kind. One morning, however,
Jack discovered some quail tracks in
the snow near the straw.stack, and he
no longer wondered about ways and
means, but in a moment was awake
to the Importance of this discovery
That every evening he made wooden
trap, and the next morning early set
il near the stack, and laid an inviting
train of wheat quite up TO it, and scat
tered a little inside. He told his Sis
ters, Mary and Janey, about the trap.
but not what be meant to do with the
ouails when he caught them. That
afternoon Jack went to his trap, and
to his unbounded Joy found an impris-
oned quail, frozen quite stiff lie
Quickly set the trap again, and ran to
the house with his bird. All that
evening he worked at qusil.traps and
made three more.
1t was so much warmer that thelI
mother let the children stay up little
later than usual; and Mary ventured
to bring out her playthings and
Janey's. These were two dolls, some
bits of broken dishes, and few little
pine blocks. Mary watched her moth
er's face until she was sure she was
"feeliug good" before she ventureC
to begin q play, because on day
when mother was very discouraged
it made her feel worse if the children
were noisy, and so they would keel
quiet and speak in whispers.
"Does Santa Claus bring dolls
asked Mary. suddenly, of Jack.
sob yes; dolls with pretty dresse
on end little bunnits and pink shoes
and little cubberds to keep thei
clothes in, and chairs, and every
thing" said Jack, enthusiastically.
sob, my!" sighed Mary, as sh'
looked dolefully at their poor littl
heap of toys. .
Reader, their dolls were cobs, will
square pieces of calico tied aroun'
them for dresses and after hearin!
what Jack said, it wasn't SO much fu1
PLAYING, and the little girls soon wen
to bed. After they were asleep, Mrs
!. Boyd said, reproachfully: q.
Jack, I wish you wouldn't sa
anything more about Christmas to tn
children"
"Why, is it bad ?" asked Jack, $
astonished that he stopped whiting