The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-12-24
JACKS CHRISTMAS.


man, and mad no heart to tell the chill
dren about merry times and beautiful
things in which they could have no
share.
His parents were very poor. When
tell. you that they lived in a lOg-hOuse you
might tuihk SO, although some people
live very comfortably in Lighthouses.
But when | say that The snow drifted
through the cracks in tue roof until the
chamber floor was fit to go sleighing on,
and that it was so cold down stairs that
the gravy frOze ON the childrrn's plates
while they were eating breakfast, and
that the little girls had no shoes
but cloth ones, which their mother
sewed to their stockings, you viii see
that they were poor indeed. Mrs. Boyd,
Jacks mother, generally went about her
WORK with Il shawl tied around her and
u comfort over her ears, on account of
the earaChe: and on the Coldeot days
she kept Jacks little sisters wrapped
up from head to foot and perched on
chairs near the stove, SO they wouldn't
freeze. No, she didn't Ieel much like
telling them about christmas, when she
dtdu', know but they would freeze to
death, or may be starve, before that
| time. But Jack found out. lie was
going to school that winter, and one
learns so much at schoOI! lie came
home one night brimlul OF the news that
Christmas would be there i'll three
weeks, and that. Santa Claus would
come down chimneys and say, 81 wish
you Merry ChrIstmasr' and then put
lots Of nice things in all the stockings.
Mrs. Boyd heard him talking, and was
glad the chIllren were enjoying them
| selves. but hoped from her heart that
they Ouldn't expect anything, only TO
be bitterly disappointed.
| For u week Jack wondered and mused
within himself how he could get some
thing tor Christmas presents Tor his lit
tie sisters. He couldn't make anything
at home without their seeing it, nor al
school without the teachers seeing It,,
or else the big boys plagung him about
| it. Besides, he would rather buy some
thing pretty, such as they had never
| seen before-china dolls in pink dresses,
or something of that KIND. One morn
ing, however, Jack discovered some
QUAIL tracks III the snow near the straw
stack, and he no longer wondered about
ways and means, but In d moment was
awake to the Importance of this discov-
cry. That very evening he made a
| wooden trap, and the next morning ear
| ly set it near the stack, and laid an in
Viting train OF wheat quite up to 1t, aud
scattered little inside. lie told his
sisters, Mary and Janey, about the trap,
| but not about what he meant to do with
| the Quails when he caught them. That
/ afternoon JACK went TO MS trap, and to
| his unbounded JOY found an imp risoned
quail, frozen quite stltt. He quickly set
! me Trap again, and ran to the mouse
with his DIrd. All that evening he
| worked at quail traps and made three
more.
1t was so much warmer that their
mother let the children stay up little
later than usual; and Mary Yentured 10
bring out her playthings and Janey's.
docs Santa Claus bring dolIsW asked
Mary, suddenly, Of Jack.
.'Oh, yes; dolls with pretty dresses
on: and little bonnets and pl shoes
ana little cuDbards TO keep their olothe >
in, and chairs, and eVerythlng," said
Jack, enthusiastically.
"Oh, my p sighed Mary, as she looked
dolelully at the poor little heap of toys.
Readers, their dolls were cobs, with
square pieces Of calico tied around them
tor dresses; and after hearing what
Jack said, it wasn't SO much fun play
ing, and the little girls soou went TO bed.
Alter tney we're asleep, Mis-. Boyd said,
reproachtully:
Jack, wish you wouldn't say any
thing more about Christmas TO the chill
dren."
"Why, is 1T bad?" asked Jack, so as.
| tonished that he stopped whiting.
ono eff course not; but you're getting
| their heads full OF notions about nne
| things they can never haVe."
Jacks eyes twlnkled.
"Oh, but you aOn't understand, moth
err said he; may be Sanity Claus will
come this year."
His mother shook her head.
"You know caught one quail to-dayT'
whispered Jack.
sWellp said his mother.
"Well, Pm going TO save 'em all the
| week. and Saturday take 'em to the
meat-man in the village. l guess he'll
buy 'em. l heard that quails were fetch.
| ing two cents apiece. And Pm going to
ret enough money 10 buy the girls some
| tnIng nice. and you must make 'em hang
UP their stockings, mother, and then
we'll put the things i'll after they get
| asleep"
HIS mother smiled cheerfully. "W ell" !"
said she, 'do the best you cam"
| Their father was away that evening.
He was generally away evenings, be-
cause most OF the neigubors had cozier
dresides Than his, besides apples, and
sometimes cider, and 30 be passed many
| A pleasant hour III gossip and farm ia k
while his own little family suiYereu
gIoOmily at home.
| BY Saturday morning Jack had ten
oualls. Inc four traps had not been as
| fruitful as they ought to have been, per
uaps, but this was doing very well, and
he trudged joyiully to town with mis-
game hanging on q stick over his snOul-
| der, The meat-man did indeed give two
cents apiece for qualls, and be invited
Jack to bring as many more as he could
get.
The next Saturday was only two days
before Christmas, and how beautiful
| were all the stores on the village street!
| Even the groceries had Christmas toys
and Christmas trees. A good many boys
| and girls stood around the store win
dows pointing out the things they most
ADMIRED, anu wondering what Santa
Claus would bring them. Jack had fl
teen quails, which brought MIN thirty
cents, 80 he was now the owner OF hall
a dollar, which was more money than ne
mad ever possessed in all his life before.
But wheE TWO dolls were bought, and
| they weren't very fine dolls either, there
were only twenty cents leii. Jack did
mean to buy something for his mother,
too, but he had to give that up, and after
looking over the bright coloreo toy books
| in the showcase, ne selected two little
primers, one with PINK cover and one
with blue one, and, with big ache In
his tn roat narted win his last ten cents