New-York tribune., 1881-12-25


| generous temper, high spirit, intelligence and
| warm heart all that was best within him grew and
! prospered Netty was much younger than Abner;
and when she was fourteen years old her father sud
denly discovered that his acres of wild woodland
| had become valuable railroad was laid out
| through the valley Just below the Hoskins Farm.
and wood for ties and slcepcrs came in demand.
Every cent Elijah Hoskins received he laid out in
! buying wild and, till he owned forests far mp
! on the Canadian border sold for nominal prices by
owners who did not see as he did that the railroad
meant outlet and sale for the lumber hitherto
| vaueless for want of transportation.
| If Mrs Hoskins had asked her husband when she
by chance discovered he was selling timber to the
| Northern Railroad Company, for new dresses or
| furniture, OF household convenences, she would
| have received bat one answer brief and hard
enough and she knew it but wien she took her
life in her hand as it were, and asked him to let
Netty 20 TO HaverfOrd to school, he did not refuse
| to consider the matter. 1t is the glory ana the
| strength of New-Engand that education IS TO It's
people an Unborn necessity; the Gospel Is matter
of choice as ITS support and furtherance: hlshiy
respectable and not TO he set aside if 1t can TIC sup
| ported cneaply enough, but even ew-England
infdel-if there be such an anomaly on its lonely
hills ian lnGdel in open opinion | mean, practca!
| infdelity is another mattcrl-wOuld be unwilling
| enough 81 let his daughter grow mp without
| certain amount of " book learning so It was at
last decided that Netty should 90 to ilaverlCrd rs
| Abner would give her her board: and there she
stayed for three years, brief TO her gay grlhood'
| suddenly emancipatcd from home solitude ana
| thrift but OH how lonely to the weary mother
! who toed on in solitude without her. They were
all coming home now, and Nottys schooling was
over; if she had learned other lessons han ilaver
ford Academy included in IT'S scholastic year she
did not report them; dacod she confess certain
| strayngs from the church Of her fathers induced
as much by tie grave Young rector rs by the beau-
tiful liturgy of his church She was half glad and
| half sad TO come back 20 the mountain farm, nut
| her tender heart leapt when she saw how her
mothers wan face glCwei TO see her again, ana AT
| first when Abner and Lil2y and tiny huth were an
| there. she did not feel recre6 sharply; but when
| mother had toied though the festival. made hard
work by her devices TO spread generous FEAST; for
| out of home products, only grudCed at that, she
! wrought the dinner of the day; when Abner ana
his family had lust endured the solitude and bare
cleanliness of the farmhouse for three days ana gone
| away then life shut down on Netty like blank
| cloud; there was nothing to do but strain milk,
! peel potatoes, churn, mend. bake sweep and dust
| except the early weeks change OF work IN washing
| and ironing. ,Nctty had 70 question of what uso
! was her education, to what end her narrow hic
Suddenly she bethoueht herself oi another holiday
fully aud yet her memory never recalled the least
observance Of the day at home.
NANNY" she said abruptly one afternoon ten
days after Thanksgiving, thcy sat together at the
weeks mcnding, /" what shall we do for Christmas
this year ~
"What ~ said the astonished woman what be
you talkn' ahoGt, Netty ?
Why, Christmas. dear, We used to keep it at
| Abner's. have a real time hanging an stockings and
4 oil ,yaV ls
| house Don't you ever do II here "
smile sadder than tears stole over Mrs Hos
| kinss tried face.
"Why, Nctty, we don't keep Thank giyIn' most
years Father amt one Of them that blevcs IN
play-spells ye know Como 10 think I've read
about il somcwhcres. mcbbe twas IN the paper
Amarinthy snow sent over one time for me TO see
about that medicine that's good for rheumatic. !
guess did; some folks think the Saviour was born
that day. 1 b'eyc. dono how they know"
"Well, but Nanny, supposng they don t know
Just the very time. isn't il good to take day to be
glad in. for thatg And don't feel sure they don't
know; folks that know more than do have
thought lie was, for years untold and IL seems as
if we ought to do something to toll what day IL Is
thought to he, anyway
Ms Hoskius's face fell
IL don't b1Icve I'd try. dear. Father ain't one to
give in to tangled ways 4 mito. don b!icyc
he'd like it,
Netty laughed SO far she had not come into op
position with her father, and she had most nbun
dant faith in her powers Of pleasing.
Wen .eeW she SAID confidently. " | couli trim
up the house beautifully; there's lots Of yOuns
hcmocks up the hill, and its such mild weather the
ground hasn't frozen yet and remember that old
lot full of sumachs where there are three kinds of
ground pine aud Tll father t. give me some
money aud we'll have your irsl Christmas Day
kept in good fashion, Nanny
Mrs. Ho,kins tnInea her head away and pretended
to see something out OF the window she hated 10
nip Nettys hopes in the bud; she kucw the girl
might as well hope to move that dismal Old gray
barn she was staring at with its Uttered yard and
rickety fences telling the story OF neglect and penu
| rlousness as TO move her father; and yet-poor
mother! it was perhaps possible that those clear
sweet gray eyes, that ripped wealth of hair, those
firm red lips and flushing checks she found 50
irresistbly lovely might touch Llabs heart ~ she
herself had touched 1t. Yet 80 small was her
faith that when after supper was over and the
| dishes washed and Nctty drew MP her own low
chair to Lal's side he sat III the chimney corner
warming his feet Mrs. IIoskins went away mp
stairs poor protest, and ShiYered IN Ntttys
cold bedroom rather than see her darling hurt.
But of all this Netty was unaware she had never
yet since she home from laycrford asked her
father to do anything for her and her courage Was
like all untIicd courage very strong.
"Fathcr," she began. Didn't you ever keep
Christmas when you were bOyW
"What ~ pOwled 'Lah.
aDidn't you hang up your stocking and give
people things Christrnasr
Il don't know what you're takn' about, girl !
put my stockins on my feet since was big enough
TO dot want fetched up to nonsense"
"Well" said Nctty, little less cheerily, sup |
pose ccme to think of it, there weren't any Epis- |
copaIlans round here then any more than there
now but we always kept II at Abncrs, and every |
body gave presents all round, and we went TO |