The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-24
Which Eli TIP
Christmas Story for the Little Readers
of the PRESS.
BY ATLANTA

One OF the pretlltst loWiiS III tuc hoi IHcA IL
part of Maine is the town of Millwster.
Here the river, which has come as fast as ii
could, bringing the logs from the pine for
ests with it, widens suddenly into large
round basin. At the Lower Corner are
two saw-mills and a grist-mill, and around
these mills the houses are gathered together,
and there is white church and brown
one and where four roads meet are the no.
tel and the post office and Deacon Harmon's
store and the blacksmiths shop with its
roaring fire scattering red sparks all about.
Here in the doorway of the blacksmith
shop Mr.. Martin stood talking with Deacon
Harmon, while Fred and Rosina Martin lis
tened with the greatest interest.
s'These children" said Mr.. Martin, shave
been saving up odd pennies for more than a
year with view to buying horse; Fred,
here, has four dollars and a quarter, he tells
me; and Rosina has two dollars and half
beside thirty cents she earned hemming
towels for her mother. OF course if we find
the horse we want and there's little more
money needed I am willing to make up the
amount
The deacon looked knowing and rather
amused, but only rubbed some mud of the
toe of one boot with the toe of the other.
"You had better look at the horse, Fred"
said his father.
eyes, Fred" aided Deacon Harmon,
"deacons have the name of being most too
smart in horse trading; and want you to
look at Jeremiah for yourself, so you won't
say took the advantage of you"
So Fred and Rosina went into the shop
where jeremiah was being shod, and looked
at him. In the meantime Mr.. Martin salts
fed himself by talking with the good dea-
con that jeremiah was sound and kind, ga
regular kitten for being petted," and that he
had neither desire nor speed tor running
away with young drivers. Mr.. Martin had
time to take out quite roll of bankbills,
which the deacon counted and put in his
pocketbook, before the children came back
Fred talking "horse" very fast and approx
ing Jeremiah's good points in the fashion of
the men he had seen and admired at county
fairs, while Rosina remarked she never saw
a horse with nicer name or sweeter ex-
preston ia his eyes. So Jeremiah was
bought.
H"Keep your odd cents, children" said the
deacon, six dollars will be enough with
what little your pa paid. Jerry amt very
fast animal, and I'd rather not take any
more for him."
And that was the way that Jeremiah was
bought and paid for and became one of the
family. The children were never allowed
to drive Will O. Wisp and FREELY, the beau
tiful you horses that their father used !;
but as Mrs. Martin said, they could 60 any
where with Jerry, he would take care of
them and bring them back safe. Fred was
like most boys of ten years old, he
liked to drive; and sometimes you would
have supposed there was an exciting trotting
match from the shouting ard hurrahing-
but nine times out of ten, if you looked out
to see the race, it would be Fred driving
jeremiah at very moderate trot, and Rosi-
ma perched up in the wagon looking much
pleased but adding nothing to the noise.
jeremiah was bought in the early Sum-
mer, and he certainly must have enjoyed
that season, for he went on picnics, excur-
sions up the river and down the river; he
was fed with everything from clover to
sponge cake; and his chin tested with but
tercups to see if he loved butter; he was
Rugged and kissed, his face was washed
these tender cares came from Rosina; and
Fred rubbed him down with wisps of hay at
least eight times day. All this jeremiah
not only endured but appeared to like. And
so The Summer passed away.
In October, when the nuts were ripe, was
a fine time for the children and jeremiah.
But even nutting lost some of its interest,
for just then /: was that the grist-mill
burned down; and, as there are no fire-de-
hook and-ladder companies in such small
towns as Millwater, 1t happened sadly enough
that dozen little houses we're burned to
the ground causing much loss to the families
who lived in them. who we're poor people.
So Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Harmon and the
other ladies got up an Association WIN Dy-
laws, and sewed for these poor families to
help them till the mill and houses could be
rebuilt: and heyoung ladies held fair
and the children did errands-and when
everybody was helping, you may be sure that
jeremiah did his part too. BE trotted of
with bags of -four and bundles of clothing
and it was he that did not break one egg Of
all the thirty dozen that were sent up to
Mooseford to sell-so carefully Jerry drew
the wagon. And it was also Jerry that
originated benevolent association of his
own. Before the mill was burned the pig
cons, that lodged in the belfrys of the brown
church and the white church, took thell
meals at the grist-mlll. There was always
plenty Of corn scattered about, and the two