Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-12-21
MIsER PERKINS CHRISTMAS.

N.
Miser Perkins little black house
looked almost ablaze in the Christmas
morning sunshine. The weather-stained
roof and the bits of old rag carpet that
stuck in the broken windows were Gov
cred with the whitish snow. liz.
peace on earthr' said the pure snow,
as it lay like vast mantle covering
every defect.
s"G Good will TO mani" said the bright
sunshine; and the north wind ceased
his clustering and gently repeated:
"Peace on earth; good will to menr'
But what cared the miser for the
wind, snow or sunshine? What did the
snow know about money? Who would
think of talking to the sunshine about
goldP And as for the north wind, it
had no more respect for bank-bill
than for a dead leaf. To be sure, the
old man n-was glad it did not blow quite
so hard as it had yesterday, for he had
promised to cart some wood for man
who lived the other side of the village;
and he already felt the money he should
receive burning in his cold hand as he
umbolted the shaky door and started
fer the barn TO give old Adam scanty
armflil of hay.
For years the old gray horse had an
swered thesqueak the shaky door with
Joyful neigh; but this morning there
came from the barn no sound. A hor-
rible thought came into the miser's s
mind, and he recalled the words of his
little neighbor Dolly: "You will 90
some time in the morning and find poor
oldaAdam dead, and then You will wish
you hadn't been so stingy; and you will
havenobody to call you in the morning,
ana when l am gone everything will go
wrong"
Perhaps he was foolish, he thought,
not to put few dollars on the old house
and keep the widow and little Dolly
there, for the widows fire took the chill
OF the Whole house, and she paid her
rent Well, but she wanted the chimney
fixed and the front door painted. Now,
wasn't that just like woman? He al
most laughed at the idea of painted
front door. On the whole, it was better
that he had let the widow 60. Besides,
he was getting altogether too easy with
Dolly.1 He was sure she had often fed
old Adam. What if she had fed him
unbeknown TO him-and now, she was
gone, he had died! What could he do
without hinl?' ia
He opened the barn-door in haste,
and, lnsteadsof the usual hungry neigh,
camesa crunch! crunch! crunch! The
miser listened, spellbound; yes, the
sound surely came from old Adam $
stall As he came nearer the stall
sight met his eyes such as he had
never seen. Old Adam, his horse,
stoodSbefore rack of hay-not meadow
hay, such as he usually had, but sweet
English hay-the very hay he was to
cart .later. in the season to Farmer Dan
forth=-the rich Farmer Danforth! The
manger WIS full of corn; and while the
old horse crinched the sweet kernels
he Kept q contented watch on the rack
above.
live quarts, if there's kernelr'
ntuttsred the old man, as he tried to
scoop the precious stuff into pail.
The horse thrust his head into the pail
for farewell mouthful, and then be-
gan to eat, the hay. When the miser
went to. remove the hay his eyes fell on
bit of paper tied to the rack; he cut
the string and saw these words written
OMIT; - 49,.
Ak merry Christmas to old Adam!
From Santa Claus"
Perhaps the miser recalled to his
mindfhe patient old horse, as he pulled
that very hay in the midday sun,
through the heat and dust, uncomplain-
ingiy, TO the great gray barn; or per-
hapslt the word" Christmas recalled a
kindly face that bent over him many
years ago, and voice that read to him
of the birth of Jesus; perhaps, being
busy with his thoughts, he forgot the
hay. for'he came away, leaving it in the
rack. r..s
He sre-entered the house with q
thoughtful face; he did not believe in
thinking much; II was Improbable, he
said; vet he could not help thinking of
the time when his father and mother
had lived in the small black house, and
his little brother Ben, who was baby,
when he was almost man; how he
had cried when little Ben died-old and
hard as he was now, he was not
ashamed of it; he wished Dolly didn't
remind him of Ben when he scolded
her; but she was gone now, so it made
no, diHerence; and, driving little Ben
and Dolly both from his mind, he went
~ iHc CNYuydIQ III 'bnt corner OF tne
Kitchen for his breakfast. When he
Opened the door he stood as astonished
as when be visited old Adam
s@ Qn the lowest shelf he saw large
boV Of splp with substantial pieces of
a Iiumn ehlfkeh ijoating gayIy around
in 4 Ilille pie some fresh bread, two
smaH bits Of candy, and chocolate
mQilsejs behind the bowl there was
pain.of hand-knit stockings. In some
plassssthestitches were very tight, and
in others very loose; and some were
dropped ppd picked up again in most
unaecohntabie manner. But they were
stockings, and warm ones; and the
miser had noyth0ught of criticisipg ar
ticles which cost nothing.
He tasted the soup, ~ must not eat
il ifii.'n Ne said,,-'' here is enough 10 last
healthKi llaR "a week or more; and
the pie!-nothing. viii keep like pier'
In spite Of his prudentresolutions he
ate half " tbes soup. Then he started
TO leave the cupboard, determined to
save the remainder for another day;