The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-08-04
HOW DEACON TUBMAN AND THE
PARS0N KEPT NEW YEAR.

man, as he lifted himself to his elbow and
peered through the frosty window panes
toward the east, where the colorless morn
ing was creeping s~hiveringly into sight.
New Years, ell ?" lie repeated, as he hitch
ed himself into an upright position, and
Strengthened his night-cap that had gone
somewhat askew in his slumber. "Bless
my sou. how the years do flyl But that's
all right yes, it's all right. No one can
expect them to stay, and why should WEI
There's better fish in the net than we'yo
taken out yet" and with this onSolatory
observation, the deacon rubbed his head
energetically while the bright happy look
of his face grew brighter and happier as
the process proceeded. "Yes there's better
fish in the net than we've taken out YETI
he added gaily, "and if there isn't, there's
no use N crying about it," and with this
philosophical observation, he bounced mer-
rily out of bed into his trousers.
We say Dea. Tubman bounced into his
trowsers; to be exact we should say that
he bounced into half of them, and, with
the other half trailing behind him, he skip
ped to the window, and putting his little
plump, round, rosy face almost against the
panes, gazed out upon the world. Every
thing was bright, sparkling and cold, for
tls earth was covered with snow, and the
clear gray of the early morning spread its
rayless illumination over the great dome,
in the fading blue of which a few starry
points still CLEANED.
"Bless me, what n morningr' he exclaim-
ed. Beautiful beautiful!n he repeated,
as he stood with his Eyes fastened on the
east and balancing himself on one loot and
feeling around for that half of the trow-
sers not yet appropriated. "Bless me, what
n bright day. he calculated, as he saved
kannaa1f hv N r0.fa1- .W.V.w 1r-...l &c..
falling from a trip he had Inadvertently
given himself in an abortive effort to in
sert his foot in the untitled leg of his pam
falcons. ala, ha, that's a good 'un," he
exclaimed; "trip yourself up in getting
into yonr WI trowsers, will you, Dea.
Tubman ?" INT he laughed as merrily ut
the joke as if IL was a good one.
"a happy New Year to everybody, cried
the deacon, as he thrust his foot into his
stocking, for the floor of the good mani
chamber was carpetless and so clearly
white that its cleanliness itself was enough
TO freeze one. ayes, a happy New Year to
everybody, high, low, rich, poor, north,
south, east md west, wherever they are,
the world over, athome and abroad, Amen n
And he deacon, partly at the sweeping
character of his benediction and partly be-
cause he was feeling so jolly inside he
couldn't help il, laughed merrily, as he
seized n boot and thrust his foot vigorously
into il.
whats thisP what's this ?p cried the
deacon, as he tugged away at the strap
until he was red in the face. ""This boot
never went on hard before. What's the
matter with the pesky thing Pr And he
rose from his chair, and standing on one
foot, turned and twisted about, Juggling all
the while at the straps, till his face glow
ed and flushed rs red rs n beet.
"Bless my soul p exclaimed the deacon,
disguised with its strange behavior, what
is the matter with this pesky boot ?" And
he bounced down on the chair again, and,
w%renching his foot out of the offending
article, held it up between both hands in
front of him and shook it violently, when
out, with n bump and n bound, ratified q
package upon the floor, and rolled halt way
across the room. The deacon was after Il
in a jiny, and, sewing it in his little fat
hands, he held it up before his eyes and
read "A New Years gift from Miranda
Now Miranda was the deacon's house,
keeper-Mrs. 7. having peacefully depart
ed this life some years beforehand speak.
ing approximately of the sex, n more prim
prudent, particular member of it never ex,
listed. She had been initiated, some ten
years before, into that amiable sisterhood
commonly termed spinster, and was, W.
might add, n typical representative of 1t
lndustriousH You may well say so. HeI
floors, stove, dishes, linen-well, il they
weren't clean, nowhere on earth might you
find clean ones. She hated dirt as she did
original sin, and I've no doubt mi in her
own mind considered its existence in the
world as the one danning and conclusive
evidence of the Fall. 1t was really an en-
~tertainment to see her looking about the
house for n speck of dirt and the cold
blooded in which she would seize
upon it, bear it away in the dust-pan, and,
removing the lid of the stove, consign it TO
the flame, was-well-what shall / say
yes, that's twas most-edifyingl
Amiable ? Yes, after her way And q
very noiseless sort of n way it was too
For, though she had lived with the deacon
for nearly a dozen years, he had never
known her to so far forget ncr propriety
MS to indulge in anything more hearty
and hilarious than the most decorous OF
smiles, which smile was such n kind of
illumination to her face as n star of incon'
ceivably small magnitude makes to the sky
in trailing across 1t.
OF her personal appearance we will say
nothing. Sacred let it be TO memory
If you ever saw her, or one like her, wheth,
er full front or profile, whether sideways OF
edgewise, the vision, we are ready TO swear
remains with You wildly still. Let it sui
fee, then, when we observe that Miss Mi
rinda was not physically stout, and thai
the deacon's standing joke was by no mean
u bad one when he described her Ms mo
lctually burdened with fat" Yes, she wal
n very Clearly, very thin, very prudent
Tery particular person, that never joinet
in any sports or amusements; never joke
or participated in any happy event in
happy joyous fashion, but lived unobtru
sively, and we may say, coldly, in her lit
tie, prim, cold, bloodless world.
Gracious meH' exclaimed the deacon
as he looked scrutinizingly ut the little
hne, thin, family traced inscription on TIL
package, as il the writer had begrudget
the ink that must be expended ON the let
ters, or from a subtitle and mystic self
sympathy had made the ~chirography III
faint, delicate and attenuated us her Owl
self.
"Gracious mel' reiterated Deacon Tub
man, as he proceeded to unite the Knot II
pale blue ribbon smoothly bound around
IT. Who ever knew Miranda to make Q
present before ~ And the deacon was sc
surprised at what had taken place that, fol
a moment he doubted the evidence of hi.
own senses AND put 1t in my boot, too
81, m. And the deacon stopped undoinp
sha parcel, and lying back in the char
foared at the thought of the prim, modest
particular Miranda perpetrating such O
Joke. And when the wrapping of the
package was at last undone, for every cor.
ner and crease of it were as carefully turn.
Ell and as sharply edged as if the smooth
ing iron had passed over them-will won.
ders ever cease in this startling world of
ours out dropped a night-capl Yes, q
night-cap, delicately and deity crocheted
in warm WOODEN adf OF a rice cardinal
color.
"Ha, ha." laughed the deacon MS he held
the cap between his thumb and fore-iinger
Of one hand up before his eyes. while he
ruhhed lis Lnld =a.Ea Ii A. -