Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-01-01

kindly disposed toward their father,
whom Of late they had come to regard
almost ~ an alien.
Jack, whose shoes were not JET
worn out, went to Sunday school, and
after his return the winter day wa
soon gone. Then he began to fidget,
and was very DESTROYS that HE mother
should put the little girls to bed; while
strange to say his father was DESTROYS
that the whole family should 60 to bed,
except himself. In course of time the
little girls were asleep in their little
trundle. bed, with their little red stock.
ings hanging behind the door. Mr..
Boyd sat with his back to the doors 30
Jack slipped in his presents without
his fathers seeing him, and went to his
cold bed up stairs.
"Ain't you going TO hang up your
stocking, mother" asked Mr.. Boyd
after Jack had gone.
Mrs. Boyd looked startled.
"Why, no." she answered, hesitatingly,
not knowing whether the question was
asked in irony or in earnest.
"You better" said MI. Boyd, going
to the bag in the corner, and beginning
to unite the strings.
He laid out package after package on
the floor. His wife knelt down by them
in a maze of as~tonishment. Then, with
a great deal of enjoyment, MIR. Boyd
united them n by one, showing candy,
nuts, oranges, shoes, and all the rest,
except the calico dress, which he kept
out Of sight.
Aladdin felt very fine when he found
the cave full of precious stones, but l
don't blieve he was much happier than
Mrs. Boyd. Her eyes were 70 full Of
tears that there seemed to be about eight
pairs OF shoes, ten bags, and half q dozen
Mr.. Boyds; but she managed to lay
hands on the real one. and him she en-
braced fervently. Then she brought
out the cookies and sugar balls she had
made, and said to her husband, in a very
shame-faced way:
"See my poor presents; l didn't know
the children would have any thing nice,
and I made these. Iguess l won't put
'em in their stockings though, now"
But Mr.. Boyd insisted on their going
in with the other things, and l think
they were prized by the children a little
more dearly, il such a thing could be
possible, than those which they called
their boughten'' presents.
Now, / can't begin to describe the joy
full time they had the next morning, and
particularly, the utter establishment OF
Jack, who didn't expect IA thing, and
hadn't even hung up a stocking. When
that devoted boy recognized one of his
own gray socks crammed full of knobs
and lunches, with a beautiful plush car
on top, he was almost out of his wits
Likewise, Mrs. Boyd's surprise was great
at the discovery of her new dress. The
little girls were too happy that day t.
do much else but arrange and re-arrang'
their delightful Christmas presents.
Mr.. Boyd killed a chicken, and Jacl
contributed four quails which he hat
caught since market day, and the festi
val of Christmas was kept with mucl
hilarity by the Boyd family.
The neighbors, M by one, were sur
prised that Mr.. Boyd hadn't dropped il
as usually did on Sundays and holidays
But MIR. Boyd was engaged elsewhere
And this was only the beginning of goo
days for that family, for, somehow, tn
Christmas feeling seemed to last througI
all the year with Nh. Boyd, and throug
many other years; and the little bal
set rolling by Jack with his quail.trap
grew to be a mighty globe of hsppine'