Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-12-25

They guests are gathered now.
EDMUND C. SrEpMAS.
CUCKOo's CHRISTMAS PLAY.
BY MARGARET j. PRESTON.
1t was Christmas-time, twenty years ago,
down on plantation that bordered the
James River, in the "Old Dominion" In
cles, aunts and cousins by the dozen sat
round the great hearth in the long draw
ing room 3" as, with old English taste, 1t
was always called at Woodleigh. Fhe
flames roared merrily up the wide-throated
chimney and irradiated the tall brass dog
irons aud curious, open-work fender, on
which the feet of many generations of
Leightons had rested ON many a Christmas
past.
These Leighton kinfolk had met together
from far and near, according to the custom
handed down from their first ancestor (who
had settled in Virginia nearly two hundred
wears before) to keep Christmas at the old
est of the family homes, which was en-
deared to them all because it bore the name
of the ancient English Hall in Sussex. The
first Leighton had come over with Sir Will
liam Berkeley, then royal governor of 1.-THE
Old Dominion" He had built dwelling
with brick brought from the old country, of
which so many thus built are still standing
in Eastern and Lower Virginia. The house
was small enough at first; but it had been
added to by one generation after another,
till it had grown to be curious pile of
architecture, with its odd bay windows jut-
ting out on all sides, its angles, its outs and
ms and cozy irregularities patched on here
and there, to make it large enough for
gathering place of the entire Leighton
clan.
The dinner always provokingly late at
Woodleigh, was just over. Somber shadows
" ere settling upon the Sir Godfrey kneller
and Sir Peter Lely portraits of innumer-
able dead Leigntons and Beverleys and
Spottiswoodes, that darkened, the halfway
wainscotted walls. A dozen children and
more had Just come in from their noisy re.
wells in the big hall.
"Oh. Mamma" exclaimed little Alice
Leighton, the youngest child of the house
hold, do you know how We children all
want to celebrate Christmas Eve?"
II suppose in the usual Christmas fash
ion, with Christmas-tree, and Santa
Claus, and all that sort of thing" said Mrs.
Leighton, smoothing down the dancing
jasper curls.
mo, indeed. Mamma. We've had them
over SO often that we're rather tired of
them. and we want something that we've
never had Cousin Annie told us last night
of pretty Christmas play, as she called il
it isn't any play at all that she saw once,
| when she was little girl, no older than
am, that made her understand better than
any Sunday school lesson she ever learned
all about the birth of our Saviour; and ]
want to have it for Cuckoo"
/ "And why especially for Cuckoo ?" asked
Alice's brother, Randolph, tall youth, just
home from the university for his holiday,
who was leaning over the end of the sofa
where his mother sat-
"Oh! I've sufe-enough reason for hav-
ing it for Cuckoo. poor fellow" exclaimed
the child, eagerly. "Cuckoo's the best
friend have in the world"
| Nonsense. Allie Cuckoo's too black
! to be stuff to make friend Of Instead of
| Cuckoo, he ought to be called Crow" said
Randolph. derisively.
CAN the same" cried Alice, her face
flushing Indignantly, hes my very best
friend, say. Hasn't he hauled me about
| in my basket carriage, better than any Can
adam pony, ever since l was a baby
Hasn't he always found the earliest straw
berries for me? Hasn't he always brought
me the first wild flowers and the first ripe
peachF And hasn't he beat the chinquepin
bushes for me. after the first frost? And
didn't he teach me to skate on the ice-pond:
And didn't he break his knee-joint, las
October, just because he would climb tina
high maple tree, to get me the scarlet buncl
I wanteds And isn't he going to be lam'
for life, now, ell for me: And-and-'
p,,%* ha or IL
Tending her young dusky attendant, who
babyhood to Little Missy" with tie aztec
tionate pertinacity of faithful dog, over
came her, and she threw herself into he
mothers lap, with something like sob.
why, little sister, l didn't mean t.
hurt you," said the tall brother, soothingly
II don't dispute Cuckoo's devotion, but t,
call him your best friend"
pray, how did the fellow come by S,
curious a name?" asked old Uncle Fairfax
who had been listening to the talk
You see, when he was a baby" sal,
| Mrs. Leighton, ''Aunt Rose, his mother
used to carry him with her down to tn,
meadow field, and lay him on the grass I'm
der those big oaks, you rememember nea
| the spring, while she covered corn afte
Uncle Homer. She and Uncle homer neve
could agree ON O name for their baby; an;
one day, as she came back to see how h
was getting on, she heard him jabberin
.cooeoo' to a cuckoo up in the tree top
since then he has never had any other name
Aunt Rose and Uncle Homer insist that h,
named himself after the Bird
Hes the truest friend I've got, anyhow.
persisted Alice, some what vehemently
''and l want to do some very particula
ting to give him good Christmas, for b
can't be able to go about with the boys an
-and-it's all my fault" and the little voic
choked again.
Never mind, dear. 1t was an accident
You didn't mean to hurt Cuckoo. And nov
what is 1t you want done?"
Why, we want to have A Bethleher
Night"
"And what's that?t'
"Oh! it's something beautiful Cousi
Annie knows all how to get it up, and
you'll only let us have 1lnt Sinnie and he
laundry house, and the things Cousin Ami
says we will need, then we'll show yo
what A Bethlehem Night is"
Mrs. Leighton called to the young lad
cousin who was sitting on the piano -stoo
with half a dozen boy cousins around hei
What have you to say about it, Annie
Gan the request be granted? Can the pre-
gram be carried out?"
&c Oh. easily enough" Annie Fairfax re
Piled. if the boys and girls will all tur
In and help"
(Which we herewith vote to dol" erie
half dozen voices
"Very well, then," said Mrs. Leighton
"By all means let us have "A Bethlehe1
Night"
II.