Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-12-22
GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS TREE.
BY AUNT ADDIE.

| GRANDMAS CHRISTMAS TREE
| BY AUNT ADDIE.
| Bertha and Ella, two little girls, seven
and nine years old, with their big broth
ers Frank and Jimmy, left their home in
! the city one snowy December day, and
| started for the country, where their papa
had bought farm, which was very near
their grandmas house.
When the cars stopped at the depot,
| they all went out on the platform, and
| there, waiting for them, stood their own
dear grandpa, with their own little cous-
ms, Lily, Mamie and Georgia, and their
| big cousins Lou and BERTHE.
After great deal of hugging and kiss
little boys and girls know how to ask,
they all climbed into bob-sled, which
Ella thought was the queerest carriage
| she ever saw, and started for their grand
pas house, where they were going to
stay until their own was ready for them.
For the next two days the little people
were very busy. Mamie, Lily and Geor-
| gle had snch treasures to display as made
their little cousins eyes sparkle with de-
| light. First they all went to the barn.
yard to look at the cattle, and very won
| derful did the great lazy looking COWS
seem to Ella, while the flock of sheep
were bertha's great delight, and she de-
| cided that she would like to have one for
| her own, to pet and take care of; so her
| grandpa said she might have her choice
of any sheep he owned
| To the great amusement of the family,
t Bertha chose The oldest and ugliest sheep
in the flock, a great, fat, lazy fellow with
dirty brown wool, sprinkled oil over with
black spots. The whole of his face was
black except the very tip of his nose and
one eyebrow, which would have been
white if it had not been so very dirty.
"Why, Bertha, said cousin Lou,
"why don't you take that pretty, little
white lamb, the one standing over there
| by its mc5her?"
"No, indeed" said Bertha, edo you
you think [ would take that little baby
lamb away from its mamma; besides, it
is such pretty little thing everybody
will be good to it; but my old Spotty
7 for so she had named her Sheep is SO
old and ugly that no one will like him or
be kind to him, and [ am just going to
put a red ribbon round his neck and
wash his face, and get brother Jimmy
to make him a nice house, and then
guess he will be glad"
| Grandpa thought Bertha was a very
tender-hearted little girl, and then he
told Ella she might take her choice of
| any animal on the farm for her pet.
After looking all over for some time
she saw a flock of geese, and she thought
she would like to have one for a pet /;
her grandfather told her she could have
PAIR of them.
towards the two she had decided to take;
but Mr.. Gander and Mrs. Goose thought
| they ought to be consulted in the mat
ter little, and prepared to defend them
selves.
Mr.. Gandersprea his wings and rushed
towards Ella, while Mrs Goose followed,
Tapping her wings and making a great
noise; cousin BERTHE ran to the rescue,
and Ella came back to grandpa, saying:
"Nasty, ugly things! I guessI won't
have goose for my pet; l think I'll
have some nice little chickens;" and 80
it was finally settled that Bertha should
have sheep and Ella white hen and a
very pompous, proud old rooster. You
can believe the little girls were proud
| enough OF their pets.
The next day it showed part of the
time, aud rained the rest, but Bertha
and Ella were determined to visit the
school in which their Cousin Lou was
teaching, and SO, taking grandpa's big
umbrella, they started out, followed by
Frank and Jimmy, who were going over
to visit their new home.
The wind had blown the snow into the
corners of the rail fences and made little
drifts, which the children thought fine
fun to wade through, and so laughing,
running and sometimes stumbling they
came to the top of small hill, when
Ella proposed to Bertha to spread the
umbrella behind them and let the wind
blow against it and help them along.
The plan succeeded very well until they
were about half way down the hill when
an extra hard gust of wind took them
right off OF the ground and spread them
out In the snow, little noses downward,
and then very kindly stuck the umbrella
over them, making nice little house.
AS soon as Bertha and Ella could get
out of their house and get the snow out
of their eyes and ears, they decided that
any further help In getting down the hill
was not needed.
After few more tumbles the children
reached the schoolhouse, where Cousin
Lou met them at the door; she thought
! by the shouting and laughing tribe OF
Indians had come to visit her.
The next day was the one before