River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-03-10
THE WIDOW'S SURPRISE

amid the snow-clad, rock-bound peaks
of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The town was irregularly laid out,
and was scattered along a creek which
emptied into the Consummes river
several miles below Both the dwell
ings and business houses-or, more
properly speaking, cabins-were con-
structed of unhewn pine logs, the
crevices between the timbers being
'chinked' and plastered with mud.
The town contained at least dozen
saloons, or saloons and gam bling-houses
combined and in these hells much of
the hard-earned money of the miner
parted company with him to take up
its temporary abode in the saloon till
or in the pocket Of the professional
gambler. The dwellings of the town
were scattered along the creek or built
on the side of the mountain, the ma
jority of them being rough bachelor
dens," for women were scarce in the
newly-discoyered dIggings.
In small cabin in the upper end of
the town sat a woman in widows weeds,
holding upon her knee a bright-eyed,
sunny-faced little girl about five years
old. while little cherub of boy lay
upon a bear-skin before the open
fireplace. 1t was Christmas Eve, and
abstractly into the fire She was yet
young and as the glowing flames lit up
ersad face they invested it with weird
beadky.
Mary Stewart was the widow of.Aleck
Stewart, and but two years before had
lived comfortably and happy in a camp
on the American river. Aleck was a
brawny miner, but the premature ex-
plosion of a blast in an underground
tunnel had blotted out his life in an
instant, leaving his family without
protector, and in straitened circum-
stances. His daily wages has been
their sole support, and now that he
was gone, what could they do?
With her little family Mrs. Stewart
had emigrated to the camp in which
we fird them all western mining towns
are called campsJ, and there she earn
ed precarious livelihood by washing
clothes fer the miners. Hers was a
hard lot, but the brave little woman
toiled on, cheered by the thought that
her daily labors stood between her dar-
ling little ones and the gaunt wolf of
starvation Their clothes were patch
Gu anu SlldDbN. anu lllCIl IOOu pldiHs
and sometimes scant, yet they were
never reduced to absolute suffering.
Jack Dawson, a strong, honest,
miner, was passing the cabin this
Chri, tmas Eve, when the voice of the
little girl attracted his attention. Jack
possessed an inordinate love for chill
dren, and although his manly spirit
would abhor the sneaking practice of
housekeeping, he could not resist the
temptation to steal up to the window
Just a moment to listen to the sweet,
prattling voice. The first words he
caught were:
Before papa died we always had
Christmas, didn't we mammal"
yes, lofty darling but papa earned
money enough to afford to make his
little pets happy at least once year.
You must remember, lofty, that we
are very poor, and although mamma
works very, very hard, she can scarce
ly earn enough to supply us with food
and clothes"
Little bright-faced Benny raised his
curly head from his soft nest in the
warm bearskin and cheerily said:
"Des' wait till / dit to be man,
mamma, an 90 won't have to wort,
Use dom to be dreat bid miner ike
papa was, and dit 90 ever so much
money, but | won't do near 'em hate
full blastin' fings an dit titled Ike papa
did"
Jack Dawson still fingered upon the
outside. He could not leave, although
he felt ashamed of himself for listen
ing.
Why, bless my little man, what
brave future he has planned / do
hope and pray, darling, that you will
grow up a strong and a good man, and
one who will be blessing and COM
fort to mamma when she gets old"
1--WE hung up our stockings last
Christmas, didn't we, mamma" ques-
toned the little girl.
Yes, lofty, but we were poor then,
and Santa Claus never notices real poor
people. He gave you little candy
then, just because you were such good
children"
Is we any poorer now, mamma r
"Oh yes, much poorer, He would
never notice us at all now
Jack Dawson detected tremor of
sadness in the widows voice as she ut
tered the last words, and he wiped a
suspicious dampnesss from his eyes.
"Where's our clean stockings, mann
ma? Pm going to hang mine up any
how; maybe he will come like he did
before, Just because we try to be good
children" said lofty.
cit will be no use darling. | am
sure he will not come, and tears gath
cred in the mothers eyes as she
thoupht of her empty purse.
81 don't care-I'm going to try any
how. Please get one of my stockings,
mamma pleaded the little girl.
Your clean stockings are on the
line outside, and cannot 60 out and
hunt for them this bitter cold night.
You may hang up your old ones; but,
oh! darling, fear you will be so terri
bly, disappointed in the morning.
Please let it go till next Christmas, and
then we may be richer"
''No. mamma; am going to try any
how"
Jack Dawson's great generous heart
swelled until it seemed breaking from
his bosom. He heard the patter of
listle bare feet on the cabin floor as
lofty run about hunting hers and Ben
ny's stockings, and, after she had hung
them up, heard her sweet voice again
AS she wondered over and over if Santa
Claus really would forget them. He
heard the mother in choking voice,
tell her treasures to get ready for bed,
heard them lisp their childish prayers,
the little girl concluding; And, oh,
Lord, please tell good Santa Claus that
we are very poor, but that we love him
as much as rich children do.
After they were in bed, through a
small rent in the plain white curtain,
he saw the widow sitting before the fire,
her face buried in her hands and weep
ing bitterly. On a peg, just over the
fireplace, hung two little patched and
faded stockings, and then he could
stand it no longer He softly moved
away from the window to the rear of
the cabin, where some objects hutter-
ing to the wind met his eyes Among
these he searched until he found lit
tie blue stocking which he removed
from the line, folded tenderly. and
placed in his overcoat pocket, and
then set out for the main street of the
camp.
He entered Harry Hawks gambling
nell, the largest in the place, where a
host OF miners and gamblers were at
play Jack was we'll known in the
camp, and when he got upon chair