Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-21
THEY GOT THE TURKEY.

The shop of MIR. Onosender Golong
looked, that oath of December. like
bower. Two young cedar-trees stood
one TN each side of the doorway; long
garlands of evergreen, sprinkled with
bright berries. were festoOned all over
tie walls; and every turkey there, and
there were lots of them, hanging like
some new kind of gigantic fruit from the
mass of green that covered the ceiling,
had a gay ribbon tied around it's neck.
And such a wonderful picture in the
way of freshness and color as the big
window presented to the passersby.
Bunches of crisp light green celery lean
ing up against heaps of brown. pink
eyed-potatoes and honest red onions;
fiery looking peppers side by side with
golden oranges and yellow lemons;
hard, smooth, shining cranberries try
ing to look as though they were sweet;
great pumpkins; piles of green and
piles of rosy apples; punches of fragrant
thyme, and more turkeys, some with
and some without their feauhered coats,
but all. as said before, with cay rib
bons around their necks. Dear me! it
Santa Claus could have only looked
into that window and peeped into that
shop, how pleased he would have been,
and how he would have laughed! And
he certainly would have taken MIR. Ono
sander Go1ong for a long-lost brother,
for never before did mortal man so
strongly resemble the childrens old
Christmas friend Snow white hair,
long, snow-white beard, twinkling blue
eyes, round, fat, red, good-natured face,
fur cap on his head, punches of
holly berries pinned here and
there on his shaggy jacket, and
Il laugh - good gracious such
loud, hearty, mirth-provoking laugh,
that the very people on the street, hear
ing it, began to smile. and feel that
Christmas was here, indeed. And tell
you Mr. Onosander Golong was busy
that day, and so were all the men and
boys employed by him. Turkeys and
ether things that had been ordered the
evening before, turkeys and other things
that had been ordered early that morn
ing. and turkeys and other things being
ordered all the time, were to be packed
away in huge ba skets, ard sent to their
respective destinations. But he wasn't
SO busy but that he stopped moment
from his work to give. piece OF meat
to poor dor that had trotted hopefully
into the shop (having evidently trans-
lated the name 'sGolong'' over the door
into ''Come in''). and was asking for
it with his eyes. And as he rose from
patting the dog, he saw two children
standing before him, also asking for
something with their eyes. They were
poorly dressed children, but TIE girl
had sweet, bright face. and the boy
was as iolly-l,cking a little fellow as
you could find anywhere. His cheeks
were as round, if not as red, as Mr.. Go
long s, and his merry black eyes actual
1y danced in his head. Now if there
was one place in Mr.. Onosander Go
longs heart softer than the rest, it was
the place he kept for children; and so
when he saw these two looking up in
his face-the boy with bovish boldness,
and the girl with girlish shyness--he
said, in the cheeriest, kindest manner:
"Well, small people, what can do for
you?'' as1 =.
1--WE would like to tell you a story
answered the boy, in a frank, pleasant
voice. he .neaH
"Ten me story!'' repeated Mr..
Golong. in tone of great surprise.
Yes, sir. please Christmas story"
was the reply.
..Bless my heart! what queer idea!'
said Mr.. Golong, and he laughed a
silent laugh that half closed his eyes
and wrinkled his nose in the funniest
way.
..Wouldn't you like to hear one?''
asked the girl coaxingly.
..Of course | would-Tm very fond
of stories-but 1 don't see how l can
spare the time. We're so busy just
now, and likely to be until night" said
Mr.. Golong.
Its only short one," said the boy.
"a very short oue," added the girl
"Well. go ahead said the good
natured old fellow. And he sat down
on a barrel of potatoes, and his young
visitors placed themselves one on each
side of him.
.One Christmas-time.' the boy be-
gan, g there was big tenement-house
In this city, and ten families lived in it,
and every one of these families 'cept
one knew they were a-going to have