The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-12-26
A CHRISTMAS DINNER
The Lovers Return
BY ]. EDWARD NEEL.

The bells, the merry Christmas bells,
Ger many mile they sound,
Ana honsehoi tones are answering then
In thousand homes around.
Voices of childhood, blithe and shrill,
| With youths strong accents blend;
And manhood's deep and earnest tosen
| With wOman's praise ascend
From the Christmas bells.
Christmas was fast approaching
and all seemed preparing for the fes
tive day. The storekeepers in the city
were busy in buying and arranging
their goods and the farmers in the
country. they too were busy, while
their industrious housewives were &C.
lively engaged in making sundry pies
custards and plumbpuddings, or fat.
tening up the finest chicken or turkey
to be killed and eaten on the approach.
ing holiday. All seemed busily en-.
gsged. and indeed that must be very
poor home that could not upon that
day garnish its tables with a stuffed
chicken or other delicate luxuries.
Christmas morning dawned. a bright,
cold day. The snow had fallen the
night before, and the ground and
hOuse-tOps were all whitened with the
article which added much to the beau
ty of the day.
Early in the morning preparations
were made by busy wives and moth
ers for the Christmas dinner. Long
rows of mince, apple, plumb or custard
pies. placed upon many table so tempt
ingIy that one could almost devour
them with wide-open eyes. But. dear
reader, while the Christmas dinner
preparations are going on, will you 60
with me Gin imagination) away from
the noisy city to little country cot
tage. buried far among the green wild
woods. The dwelling is two stories in
height, vet it is beautifully situated
little home, and within the little cot
Iage there dwells one of the prettiest
little women you ever saw. The house
had been built i'm olden times, and
stood somewhat back from the dusty
road. A small gravel path led up
from the garden gate to the front
door, on which was a small silver plate,
which bore the name OF the owner O:
the little home. A large flower gar
den was stretched in front of the cot
tage, while around the doorway was
placed an arbor, which, during the
sumner, was overrun with creeping
vines and although it is still winter,
a " choice flowers are blooming at
the little parlor window. Let us now,
if you please, readers-as We know all
concerning the situation of the house
and its outside peculiarities-let US 60
10 and see how things 60 on in there.
The 'loor yields readily to our touch,
and we find ourselves within q small,
narrow entry. Step lightly to the low
door on your right, and if you should
peep within you will perceive a prim,
old fashionedIy furnished room. which
is known better to its owner as her
'parlor.' The rooms upstairs We have
nothing to do with. and of course /
shall say nothing concerning them, at
least for the present, while the room
below. next to the parlor, to which we
now introduce our reader, is the small
kitchen. Great logs Of wood burn
brightly in the old-fashioned stove, and
the room looked as comfortable as the
the lazy cat, as she stretches herself
before the kitchen fire.
Lilly Weston. the owner of the cot |
tage, sat q short distance from the
red-not stove, busily sewing on some |
coarse garment. She had completed
her culinary affairs. She had just
taken q delicate plumb pudding from
The stove, and then placed her turkey
10 the oven. And seating herself |
near the stove. her fingers rapidly |
piled the shining needle.
Lilly Weston, of whom the reader
has learned but little, was, if We may
be permitted to call her 80, 40 osaifed
I'D maid. Yet, with oil her queer