St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-12-23

as ever, waiting with cheerful patience
for spring to come again.
And on this day before Christmas Of
which I write, they had laughed and
laughed:
Grandpoppy and Grandmommy Pie,
"Ki-yi,yi-yi!''
Poppy and Mommy Pie, "Ya-ya va
ya-yapr
Berry Pie, tel -he-he.''
Custard Pie, s'Cluck- cluok cluck-
cluck!,'
Ginevra Alveretta-Wel I can't imi-
tate her laugh in words-it was like the
gurgling OF water poured from a bottle;
and the baby, "Uh-u-u-u-u!' in high
key, which is as near as can come to a
description of that.
They had laughed like this from early
morning, and when the dark came they
were nearly tired out, having worked
hard. too, and sat down in a half-circle
around the stove to warm themselves
awhile be ore going to bed. But even
then Americas could not rema N quiet,
| but burst out in a minute or Two with:
20 granny! tell us bout dat aroe Sum
| day-C Clothes wot's druv ober de ruAs
ter-night wild reindeer bosses. y
| Ought ter have snow deer bosses,
giggled Berry.
How kin dem reindeer bosses hop
from de corners oh de streets cross de
way, an up from de way-down rufus to
de Way-up ones?' Custard went on;
| "don' b'lieve no SIGH thing! It's on
possible. = s. 4 s. q, l..'
.Yo' dom b'lieve it?'' said Grand
mommy Pie. .sYo' dom b'ieve it. yo'
vicious young sinner? S'pose ebb'ry-
things impossible cause yo% dom
b'iieve itp Dem reindeer bosses dom
hav' to hop. Dey flows long like
| birds. =
.sHain't got no wings in der pic
shuras, = said the ..wicious young sim
| ner, = shaking his head doubtfullv.
9 But dey has got EN- derselyes' fur
all dat,'' persisted granny. -Four
| Enormous wings-each OF dem-an' wen
dey amt usin' dem wings deY foles EN-
| up jest like dey wos fans an slides EN-
down inter der legs, an dat's de time
dey's had der picshures took, s'pose.
| So dere now!''
And then they all laughed again:
. Ki-yi-yi-yi!''
stYa~ya-ya-yap!!'
he-he-he.'
!" Gurgle- gurgle -gurgle. =
Uh-u-u-u u, -
stAnd all dem fedders in dem wings"
said Grandmommy Pie when they were
silent once more, .'has eY es in dem like as
dey was peacock feeders. 50 dat dem ar
reindeer-hoss kin see all roun' in de
dark. An Massa Sanity Claus he steers
dem reindeer to de tops of de
chimbleys, an he has piles an piles of
ter-umpits an der-ums, an heaps an
heaps of pep'mint der-ops an pigs
feet, an piles an piles of silk banker
cheers. an hams an new aperns an
poun's an poun's of de very best
tea
AN pipes an papers Of backy,"
said Grandpoppy Pie.
An fur caps wild ear-Wigs." said
Poppy Pie.
An han'sum big bibles said
Mommy Pie!
An pink kerwat an a cane, z said
Americas.
:. An blue sating hair-ribbing and
b serves said Berethea.
An candy, an COLE ring an a
doll, said Ginevra Alveretta.
The baby said nothing, but I've no
doubt he thought: ssAnd rattles and
barley sugar dogs and cats and roost-
ers. = !,
YES. all dem things sho'syo' bohn."
Grandmommy Pie began again, San
heaps an piles an poun' s an poun's of
odder things OATS done gone slipped
my membranes. An Sanity Claus he
goes down dem chimbleys wen dey's
big 'nuf hisself, an wen dey amt. he
lets de Chris mus presents down wild q
rope, and he GIBBS de waluabilest to de
Walnabilest folks, and de onwaluabilest
to de onwaluabilest folks. y
s# - Il ears like he might glib de walu-
bflest to de onwaluabilest sometimes,
jess for fun, said Custard.
dat amt his way, chile said his
grandmother. i''Nebber was. an neb-
Der will be, Us afeared Sho', dar's
nlle d clock strikin' {! Time we was all
in led. Hole your brack tongues now
EFF yo kin. an ondress o'selves.
And in short time the Pie. family
were fast asleep with the exception Of
Ginevra Alveretta.
She waited until she heard her grand
father and grandmother snoring, and
her father and mother snoring, and the
baby snuffiins, which was the nearest it
could come to a snore, and then she
got up quietly and dressed herself
again, and. wrapping her mothers
brown wooden shawl about her head and
shoulders. stole carefully up the steep
ladder that led to the scuttle. opened
the scuttle-thi was hard work for
such little body, but making a great
exertion she did it; aud OH how her.
heart beat as it slipped from her hands
and fell with a bang! but no one woke,
and she slipped out on the roof and