The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1878-12-20
susla laae', c|Hlvlnos.


~ 0%@@NFA@ 8884@&7f
Thr~ sksih@. barn vrNs s,tsls /
!, s&fa ~ fstsssah'N iAsnt hsss shr ~,
sstn ''' Ana shr rsssrn ~~.lslinr \"
The niA r.ss4si lnrgs ~. rullsns
N~Ns ifum she gais. - i.s,l,n Maria lsans
/ fAllsl. ~ rather msv~mssl. ~slA saasne
shssllnrss ~ s,ire. shess PARTING slsfsr
tians. nat Hasan nssshss huls.l iarl
aes answered en the contrary. ihe ltanf
ish " whip MAS snasaehtsssls visible,
the hast~ started hSskls fnf~nssl. and
the hugcy whifl~l intn the nain rial
Well. ! nevvr'" lydia Maria ~.
clAimrsl, ~ shc drew The shawl arsnh,l
her shoulders. Nnd f~.ted her rlln~s ~
ihr gAternst n don't hrlie,r she halt
knows what she's Mlnni, m ii,lvrty all
n onc~, and her hands ~ hot | lnpc
" Rootlnrss II isnt the tsphns."
II ~Ms the slay lcfufc Christmas. sn.
-~ns biNurst turkey WAS Ia hr caught
and killed that afternoon. anl there
werr various articles cranberfiss heing
mol tho least important among them 10
be procured nj the village slurr. The
sky WAS uncertain. and tho Pheasant
brown landscape was darplcl with
CLEANS of struggling sunshine, Int there
waA just that touch III healthy cnld In
the Hir which makes December, In south.
crn Pennsylvania, as lovely as any nn.
tnmn month. Lydia Marin. a tall and
wiry spinstcr of--wcll. VIZ may allow 10
years, but not day overlooked intn
tho garden aud noticed that thc snrc
and parsley were still tolcraily fresh.
As she pulled the hest nprirs, with a
view To the to-morrows turkey, faint,
delicious otior surprised her nortrils
In that warm corner which was sheltered
by the clMmp of box whole bed of
white violcts hnd suddenly hloomcsl. !.
Tho perfume and the sight of thc flow.
crs made her think ~ Suknn again, and
MI unusual. softcncd expression came
over hcr rigid fncc while she gathered
enough 10 till saucer.
Somehow, Il wMx always Susan's lur.
key which wAs tAkcn for Christmas. In
fact, Il wns owing 10 Susan alone TINT
Christmas hnd come To he commcmor.
Atcd In the Lame farmhouse. Tho peo.
ple Of tho ncigl,borl,ood were partly of
Quaker and partly of Baptist descent,
with n slight infusion oi the Scotch.
Irish Presbyterian element They had
never been accustomed even to a ycnrly
Thanksgiving festival, aud onlyn fcw ~
them Ind inherited the habit of looking
for any special good cheer nj Christmas
time. But when young William Lane
enlisted ~ u soldier III the Union, Hu.
san, then u girl u ll. could not hcnr ~
tho turkeys and sa,,SMgcs and picr sent
10 other sons aud brothers In the rcgi.
ment encampcd on the hills beyond
Washington without fnirly cxtorting
from tho family like gift for William
Her father and her older brother, Jerc.
mial, were opposed to the wnr: her
mother was dcad, and Lydia Mnria
silently enduring what country. people
call ~ disappointment took hut II
lang1iid interest Ia tin work. Ii cost
Susan much labor and mnny tears. hut
sho finally succeeded, More than THU.
she offered mp her only remaining tnr-
key, roasted II. Hct II on thc table Tint
very Christmas day. md comfnrtcd
herself with the fancy that William VIM
enjoying, nj tho same moment, his hap.
py iill of breast aud silc-bonr.
The next winter the bravo young fel.
low WAS IN Libby prison, and no one
made objection 10 tho largo box for.
war.lcd ~ him. In tho fond belief that
tho Express Company delivered their
packages punctnally inside of thr South.
ern lines AIMS the box never arrived |.
bnt they did not know Of this until
months afterwards. They atr bnsnn's
turkey, m usual, then and for years n,,c.
cecding; tho Arst objections. prompted
By oil Gideon Lanes habit III Nelf.
denying economy, were gradually for
gotten, aud thus Christmas day tns also
at many ri the ncighlWring farm.l,onscs)
came 10 be Nh accepted festival, IL rather
sober one. Even Lydia Maria. m she
walked toward the house with .n0e,
parsley and white violcts In her hnnd.
found herself thinking of the morrow
with q rcstful pleasure.
Jeremiah. who had bccn nj work In
tho wood. shed. mot her near tho Kitchen
door. Hc looked IL thc herbs she ear
rie.l, nodded slightly 10 himself N II 10
xAy, 1t. about right" and then sud
denly exclaimed; "Hec hcrcl lnnt II
time for somebody else 10 gisn tho
Christmas tmrkcy?"
Gracious, jerry" exclaimed Lydia
Maria, with n start; how came yoll to
ray what was passing In my own
minsl7"
II don't know how. exactly | seemed
to think of Il last year, and 10 II kind o
turned up again"
Well, tlicn," said his sister. after q
pause of reflection. Hnnan's either
got something on her mind, or In her
constitution. II isn't that; l don't be.
licvc shcH thinking overly much of tnr.
keys to-day. It's either worry O some
sort--or tho typhmS.'
She did look flushed mp. m a body
might say" answered tho brother.
but that's neither here nor there
We've somehow got used 10 having 4
turkey and . better spread In general
ION Christmas day, and it's been
mostly her doingx ] think | should
mins II myself II II Va. stopped on
short; and II aint hardly fair u take II
every year. on her share. Now. Iys
about made np my mind 70 give ono d
my hest this tlmc."
oh, jerry and ~ lii about made
up my mind 70 give mime. Either way
whichever II u, Kill one nor. ray l, and
have u picked and drawn before she get,
hack
While the two are walking toward
the harm yard, taking two or three ear,
VI corn from tho crib on Tho way. let II,
leave them 10 follow Bn.an N slie drives
toward thu village.
4
II.
Yea; there wax really something III.
matter with Susan Lame. A ncigl,iNr
meeting her in thr roasl. might have II
tribMted her bright eyes and glowing
checks 10 tho tonic of TIM crisp, inspir
ing December air; hut xhe. herself, wal
well aware of Nh almost levcri.h .nixtnr,
of hope and anxiety, which gave her ,