The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-08-04

swung his boot instead of his cap yigor-
ously over his head, while his round rosy
face beamed down the stairway into the
cold hall below like a warm harvest moon
over the crisp autumnal stubble.
In response to the deacon's hearty, and,
we may add, somewhat uproarious greeting,
the kitchen door timidly opened an | Mi
Ianda, who had been astir for nearly L
hour and had the table already laid for
breakfast, stepped into view, and, with n
smile on her face that actually broadened
its thinness dangerously near to the pro-
portions of a genial and happy reciprocal
ton of the jovial greeting, dropped a cour-
tesy n said
Thank you, Deacon Tubman, l hope
you may haze many happy returns
"A thousand to you, Miranda" shouted
the deacon in response. "A thousand to
you and your-children;" and the little
man swung his boot yehemently over his
head and laughed like a boy at his W
joke, while poor, frightened, scandalized
Miranda turned and scudded, like a patch
of thin vnpor blown by an unexpected gust
of wind, through the door into the kitchen,
| with q face colored scarlet, with an actual
unmistakable blush-though whence the
blood came from that Redeemed the clean,
cold white of her thin face is q physiology
cal mystery.
In a moment the deacon was fully dress
ed, and he scuttled as merrily and wildly
down the rounding stairway as q gust of
autumn wind running through q patch of
russell leaves. Through the hall and kitch-
en-, where he ran against old Towser, tho
big Newfoundland watchdog, who stood
in the passage expectantly waiting his
coming.
"A happy New Year to you, Towser, old
boy" he cried, and, seizing the huge dog
by his shaggy coat, he wrestled with him
like a merry-hearted boy. "a happy Now
Year to you, old fellow" he responded as
the dog broke into a series of joyful barks
speak it right out, Towser. God made
you as full of fun as the rest of US, and q
good deal fuller han many of your kind,
and mine too, and, with his ~back-handed
hit at the vinegar-visaged and a%cidulous-
hearted of his own species, the deacon
shufied and slid along the crisp, icy path
toward the barn, while Towser ~gambolled
through the deep snow, and plunged into
the huge leecy drifts, in us merry a mood
as his merry master.
"A happy New Year to you, old jack
he called out to his horse, as he entered tn,
barn, and Jack Weighed a happy return
more expectant, perhaps, of his breakfas
of oats than appreciative of the greeting
"and ahappy New Year to you, youngster,
he shonted to the colt, who, being at lib
erty to roam at will, had already appropri
ated a section of the haymow to his owl
satisfaction. "Ha, lone of that, you woody
coated roguey you" he cried, as he jumped
aside to avoid a kick that o punch of equin'
mischief antically snapped at him. "Non'
of that, you little un~converted sinner you
/ verify believe the parson is right, and tina
~ IN A .tnHss AL
men and beast, colts and children, all il
one lot" and so, talking to himself and hi
cattle, the good, jolly, little man, who's
good-heartedness represented more genuin'
orthodoxy than the whole Westministe
catechism, hustled merrily about the bar,
and did his chores, while the cockerel
crowed noisily from their perches overhead
tine fat, white pigs grunted in lazy conten,
ment from their warm beds of straw, ant
the oxen, with their large luminous eyes,
gazcd benevolently at him rs he examined
their hangers generously full with the
fragrant hay that smelled sweetly of the
flowers and the odorous meadowland,
where, in the warm summer sunshine, 1t
had ripened for the welcome scythe.
How happy is life, in whatever part of
this great fragrant world of ours it is lived
when men live it happily, and how gloom
lily seems its sunshine, even, when seen
through the shadows and darkness Of ouI
svrly moods.
What happy-hearted fairy was it that
possessed the deacon's heart and home on
this bright New Years morn. l wonder
Surely, some angel OF fun and frolic mac
flown into the deacon's house, with the
opening of the year. and was filling it, and
the hearts within it, too, with mirthfu,
moods. For the deacon laughed and jokeC
as he buttered his cakes and fired off hi,
funny sayings at Miranda, as he had nevel
joked and laughed before, until Mirandi
herself smiled and giggled yes, actually
giggled, behind the coffee-urn, at his merry
squibs, rs If the little imp above mentioned
was mischievously tickling her-yes, / will
say it-her spinster ribs.
miranda, I'm going up to see the par
son" exclaimed the deacon when the morn.
ing devotions were over. Pm going to see
the parson and see if l can't thaw him out
a little. I've heard that there used to be
lots of fun in him in his younger days, but
he's sort of frozen all up %latterly, and / car
see that the young folks are afraid of him
and the church too, but that won't do-no
it won't do" repeated the the good mar
emphaticnlly, "for the minister ought to
be loved by young and old, rich and pool
and everybody, and a church without any
young folks in it is, yes, ii is like a family
with no children in it. Yes, Im go up an
wish him n happy New Year any way. Per.
haps l can get him out for d ride and make
some calls on the people and see the young
folks at their fun. It'll do him good, and
them good, and everybody good Saying
which, the deacon got inside his warm fun
coat and started toward the barn TO har-
ness Jack into the worn old-fasioned sleigh.
which sleigh was built high in the back
and had a curved dasher of monstrous pro
portions, ornamented with a prancing horse
in an impossible attitude, lone in bright
vermillion on q blue background.
Happy New Year to you" Parson Whit
ney happy New Year to you" cried tn,
deacon, as he stood in the doorway of the
parsonage and shook the parson by the
nand enthusiastically, "and may you live t.
enjoy n hundred.p
Come in" cried Pnrson Whitney, il
response. I'm glad you've come, Nv,
been wanting to see you all the morning
and, in the cordiality of his greeting, h,
literally pulled the little man through tn,
doorway into the hall, and hurried him NJ
the stairway to his study in the chamber
overhead.
Thinking of mel "Well, now, I never
exclaimed the deacon, rs, assisted by tn,
parson, he twisted and wiggled himself on.
of his ,oat that he a little too snuggly fit
ted Tor an easy exit. Thinking of me, an(
among all those books too, hibies cate
chisms, tracts, theologies, sermons vel