The Red Cloud chief., 1880-01-15

ACArssa.as ssss, sss sAs iissi. ssih.

a Chrtsaaas ssesy fss the Little ssfhs
The bottle, 6llcd with water. vas bid
den behind picture In the pref
" parior. and In the water was grow-
ing = sturdy ivy vine. which had climbed
up and caught hold u the cord thai
held the picture. and in it, Joy a; reach
ing 80 great = height. had thrown out
two cheerful. glossy. light green leaves
;ha; looked srnilingly down on the larger.
darker leaves below.
The Children had all zone to bed.
Their stockings were hanging In \ TOW
under the man,el in the dining-rcsm.
Four Of them. One pink and white.
and very short in the leg-thai WAS the
2-yesr-old baby's; n red and black
that Was j-year-old Toms; one striped
with buff and ~purpls-thsi Was year
old Mays: and one checked In blue
and gray-thai was 9-year-oid Naud's.
The grown people were upstairs
dressing the spare rSom-grsndmsm-
ma-,he dear old lady'-wss coming
from her cottage in the country 10 spend
holiday xeck-wiih Christmas greens.
The parior was already dressed. Fcs-
,oons IL jolly, cold-defying winter vines
dotted with brigh; red berries hung from
the ceiling and e~nwreathed the gilt chan.
delier, wrea,hs. gariands, and crosses 81
autumn leaves Frightened the gray
walls. and punches Of slender dried
grasses nodded from quaint. small white
pitchers and pretty little vases.
How lovely the parlor books
! tonight said n delicate voice from
one corner Of the room. and a tall,
fea,hery spear Of grass bent gracefully
forward.
..Loyely,'' repeated a bunch Of au'
tumn leaves from the opposite corner.
"And how happy we should bc," said
the ivy, "to think that IRE help la max,
il So, And vet when | was first iaker
from nv parent vine-'twas in last o.
tober-l thought never should cease {,
regret the outer life. But | have beer
sheltered from winters cruel winds anc
heavy SHOWS. and rendered with kindl,
care and tender love, and I've no doubt
II I remain here during the summer.
shall find it just ~ pleasant Ia loo!
ut the sweet faces and heaI
the happy voices Of the dear children
a. 10 see the gay butterflies and listen q
the songs Of the birds. But you, Bot
tle"-looking down at the bottle which
held her and the water that gave he
life-"aren't you rather lonely? Shu
in between the back Of the picture an,
the wall, you 4 see nothing"
81 can see gon. dear Ivy" answere'
the bottle, in a clear. ripping voice
land YOU are "A very pleasant thing L
book upon; and in the mornings | cal
see a long sunbeam on the wall, AM
that is avery pleasant thing To look mp
on. And As for being lonely-not a bi
of il; I'm As happy a. | "a be. An
YOU would say | ought To be happy
YOU but knew the life l used to lead be
fore I had the honor and pleasure G
supporting you"
"Tell us all about it-pray do" bee
ged many little voices.
"Hear. hear, hear" barked th
bronze dog that stood on the top Of III
marble clock. "A story from the bot
tie"
"A story from the bottle" repea,e
the feather buster, rs it hoped quick.
in. on its one wooden leg. from the hal
where it had been lying on the ma
al must hear il, 90. Clock, couldn
you stop ticking for a little whilee'
:. Sorry l cant oblige you," said tn
clock, in a fairy-bell-lik tone; but
, was wound up this afternoon, and So
must ~ on for a week but I'll tick 4
softly as possible, and YOU won't motto
it as soon a the story begins"
"Now, Bottle" barked the sIa
bronze dog, "we're all ready"
"Yes, 90 ahead" called the drum
mer-boy from the lid Of the match-saf,
swell, if you insist upon it, and
really will give you pleasure" said tn
!, bottle. modestly, although l had n
intention Of telling a story when spok
Of my past life. | wiH go ahead. l.
begin with the time just after left th
mandatory"
) Mandatory" said the ivy.
"Manutactorg," explained the bottl
ga place where they make bottles.
"Oh!" said the ivy. You see,
!, didn't know, cause there's no plac
! where they make ivies. Ivies grow"
: 81 left the mandatory" continue
: the bottle, "with a number of Oths
: bottles enough like me to have been IN
brothers and sisters"
3 "Perhaps they were," barked I'll
, bronze dog.
every likely" said the bottle. "An
= we were all carried down into a dism,
. place called a cellar, and filed wit
, some d~ark-looking stuff that both taste
: and smelled very"
: "Unpleasantly." limited the ivy.
: x.t, -no. sh.pE t-nt
that's the word" said the bottle
. .sThen corks were forced into gu
mouths, and we were taken to a larg
store. where We were ranged around o
: shelves i'm company with hundreds .
, other. bottles Of all shapes and size
e OF course we couldn't speak to eac
other; but for all that, we didn't lead
quiet life, for the store was always fu
of men from morning until night. an
: often far into the night, too. Such
4 thirsty crowd as they were! alwa,
wanting something to drink. and gettin
noisier and thirstier all the time. Wei
e one evening a bright-looking. pleasant
] faced Young man came in. "A bottle {
your very best whisky said he. 1T
, my birthday, and l have some friend
0 coming to spend thu evening, and
e must make a bowl Of punch The ma
behind the counter took ms down froI
: the shelf (sOho! thought l, its whisk
0 hold, is it? Iwonder what that goo
: for?) wrapped me in white paper, an
, handed me to the pleasant-faced youn
; man, who put me in his overeoat pock'
and hurried home. That was the b.
ginning of it."
"Ah, indeed" said the feather-dus
9 err; $50 that was the beginning OF II
! By-the-bye, may I ask, the beginning
what?" :,
> 1.-THE misery and unhappiness in thi