The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-25
Two Dollars a Year.

pare for their Christmas; but | know
mat II each one tries to make the rest
happy, we shall all have a merry Christ.
mas I'll ask the doctor when he comes,
and perhaps he'll let you and grandma
help me Into the big rocking chair, and
draw me out into the sitting room for a
little while this evening"
DO it, mother," shouted Tom.
Good for you! Wont that be staving
TO have you round again.
With his heart full OF his plan to make
the most of his Christmas, Tom put on
his cap and mittens aud sailed forth into
the frosty air to do his chores before
breakfast. The sun was Just looking
over the top of Holmes hill, and the
meadows beneath, white with snow that
rain and frost had enamelled with
glittering crust, shone like a crystal sea-
Tom thought there was glory on the
earth, this Christmas morning, almost
as bright as the angels saw in the sky
No doubt 1t was partly because his heart
was so full Of good will that the world
looked so glorious.
merry Christmas, old Betsey!" he
shouted, as he mixed an extra allowance
of meal tor her breakfast.
M MN M replied the COW.
| don't exactly know what she meant
by that, but | know that the dumb crea
lures would be very thankful ont Christmas
day if they knew enough; tor it was the
Lord Christ who had manger for his
cradle, and on whom the large-eyed cat
tie looked wonderingly before ever the
shepherds worshipped Him, who has
taught his disciples to be merciful and
kind 20 IMAM aud bird, and beast"
"Merry Christmas, Grunter and
Greaser.' shouted Tom again, as he
looked over the side OF the pig-pen, with
a basket of corn in his hand. Greaser
and Grunter were of Dicks mind; they
wanted their breakfast and no nonsense,
and they put their forefeet up on the side
of the pen, and said so in the plainest hog
Latin. Tom gave it 10 them, and by
this time the prince or pasha, or high
cOckolorum, or whatever you call him,
of the hen-house, was on hand with his
numerous family.
'Merry Christmas to you, old rooster"
said Tom; whereupon that worthy stood
a moment one leg, cooked his head first
then flew up to the top of the pig pen,
tapped his wings and answered.
But you know wat he said much bet
ter than | can tell you. 1t sounded to
Tom a little like Ditto to you! At
any rate the funny way the old rooster
said it made Tom laugh heartily, and
he went into breakfast in the best of
humOr.
After breakfast the days programme
was carried out just as Tom had ar
ranged it. Taking his Ratchet and a
rope, he loaded the little children on
his sled aud went to the woods for the
was a trim little spruce about six feet in
height; and after he had chopped it down
he fastened it TO his sled with the rope
he had brought and started for the house.
From the woods to the garden gate was one
long hill, and Tom had no need to draw
his sled home; with Dick before and Sue
behind, his sled skinned swiftly over
the crust, and little Dick screamed with
delight to see the Christmas tree come
sweeping after. Tom said it all looked
like a green comet with three heads.
After the tree was brought into the
wood shed Tom sawed off the trunk,
nailed on a block for a standard, and
after whipping off The snow, set it aside
for the evening. All this work the lit
tie folks watched with eager eye. Then
the corn was popped, and then came the
fun that Sue and Dick had been waiting
for all the morning-the coasting on the
crust of the little hill behind the house.
Jolly day it was for coasting, too. The
crust was as solid as IA floor and as smooth
as ice; anything would 90 whether il
had aunners or not. Tom and Sue put
the sled through all its PAGES. They
rode front-face, side-saddle, flibuster
Cor some such word) they rode back
wards, they got barrel slaves and put a
board across them and went down ia
mously; they tied streamers to sticks
and waved them as they went and shouted
and screamed till they were tired. Little
Dick was not neglected. He rode till he
was weary and then went afoot. He fell
down any number of times, but it didn't
hurt him any; once he rolled half way
down the hill, but he picked himself up
at the bottom and only wanted to know
what made the ''fensh go wound" After
all this fun the children were ready tor
their good christmas dinner that grand
mother had prepared for them, and the
little ones were content to stay IN the
mouse, while Tom went over to Holmes
Hill for his afternoons sport with the
boys.
Just above Mr.. Holmes house the
road to Brookville turned TO the left,
going round the corner of his yard, while
the direct road was the road to Millbury.
The boys with single sleds started on the
AIillbury road, only little above the
house, and went to the bottom of the hill,
about a quarter of a mile below; but
Bill Harrison and his crew of eight
large BOYS, with their double ripper,
went round the corner and up the Brook
vile road more than half mile above
the house The road was smooth and
icy and the ripper came down like the
wind. Bill said that they had made the
three quarters of a mile in little less
than minute and half. The small
BOYS all watched out for this dangerous
craft and never started when it was due
at the corner.
Tom had made the short trip two or
three times on his good 'Blue Streak,
that wouldn't take the dust of any small
sled, and was waiting with half a dozen
other boys at the top of the hill on the
straight road, for the ripper to come
down the other road. The warning cry
OF the crew had been heard, and they
would be at the corner within minute.
Nearer and nearer came the cry CLEAR
tho track r Clear the track Clear the
track" The ripper was within a guar
ter of a mile when suddenly little Harry
Holmes, curly headed four-year oid,
who was playing in his fathers yard slid
through the front gate down upon the
road. and rolled from his sled, which
went on and left him sitting there com
posedly, right in the track of the terrible
rinnor FINISHING the snow from bis sleeve.