The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-12-21

off to-day, and o0ouzd kind of like some
one to cook a Christmas dinner for me.
Not that fellow can't pack the spirit
of Christmas round in his heart without
any dinner, but it would make it seem
like OId ChristmaSes, and l want YOU to
jump right into my sleigh and 90 home
with me, Aunt Nancy, and stay all day.
Hey?n
Il sha' mt, =" said Aunt Nancy. with no
waste Of empty apology: Sim sgOing
to Jim DawsOn's fOlkses, across the
Branch-prOmised EN- month ago,
an it's saved me cOOkin' a lot of truck.
Old Peppers hitched now, n IN goin'
to start in Just the time it takes me to
get my shawl an green wOOsted sun
bonnet on You can 60 along, too. II
you like
''No-I don't like" returned Bache-
Tor Brindle. They'll fish out all their
kin-folks from six counties and have
EN- there, and / don't know half of EN-,
and don't seem to want any crowd to-
daV-Onlv Just them | know. I'll 90
home and roast sweet potato in the
ashes and cook a spare-rib before the
Fireplace; that Il be good enough, only
the gravy II be full of cinders."
Bachelor Brindle drove slowly home
ward, his spirits rather depressed in
spite of the beauty of the day, bright
with a glad CLEAN of sunshine pouring
down goldenly over the fawless white
fleece of the nights bestOWing, vet al
ready be ginning to grow damp and
heavy under the warm glow, when
turning the corner of a fence, where the
drifts were blown up like blocks of mar
BILE, mis- horse gave a startled spring and
stopped at sight of a small, dark figure
trudging along on foot, picture unus-
ual enough to scare any horse in the
country where not farmers daughter.
in however moderate circumstances,
will undertake a mile journey at any
season of the year unless provided with
some shape or form of a mag" And
Mr. Brindle gazed down with a wonder
that grew deep and intense at sight of
the fair little face with its dark eyes
and slightly upturned nose raised toward
NAB Lacyn' he cried; SIS it Nab
Lacy, or a Christmas vision?"
1T is Nab Lacy she answered,
with a little, tluttering laugh. 1--we
come back to see Aunt Nancy"
Then you We come on as much of a
wild goose chase as l have" he re
turned, ruefully. "She's gone gone
pFum to the Branch. Her Old Pepper
beats my Floss woefully, and l saw the
gable end of her sleigh shy around the
corner before l got to the end of the
lane"
'Oh, then what-what shall do?''
cried Nab, overcome with tho sudden
desperate appearance of her position,
and sitting recklessly down upon a way
side stump, whose white cap of snow
was gradually shrinking away and ooz-
ing in drops down its side.
Don't do thatn' cried Mr.. Brindle,
with alarmed sharpness; "you mustn't
sit on a wet stump and catch a cold just
because Aunt Nancy took a notion to
90 cumming around for Christmas
lark Jump in my sleigh, like a SEN
sible girl, and we Il see"
''What' the use?' walled Nab trying
to stop a little rill of tears that was
slipping down her cheek with Il corner
of her gray vail Il can't 90 home
with YOU, and there's no where to 60.
Oh, Mr., Brindle--Ben, what shall l
do?''
"Do Just what l tell you," said Mr.
Brindle. First give me your hand.
and you jump in here back of this robe.
Now we Il have a talk. Soyou' re alone,
Mab?'
"All alone, Ben" sighed Nab.
"Wen, look here. I'm the same old
Ben you always knew-and hated.
Il didn't said Nab. "I-I-you
know, Ben
And you're the same Nab Lacy l
knew?'
Yes; I'm tempted to wish 1 was
some one else just now. -
"Weu, / ain t. If 40H' re alone we re
both alone, Nab, for ! am; and it, rath-
or rough, in my opinion. Now, why
cOuldn we drop overheard this big
slice of time that separated us so long
and 60 back to where we left off before
we flew out at each other?'
How could we? asked Nab.
look through yOnder,n said Ben,
pointing to a little yellow cottage at the
end of a lane branching off the road.
"Our new minister lives there. Nab.
Does hep Nab tone expressed
nothing whatever, but Bachelor Brin-
die solemn gray eyes caught the flicker
of blush in the cheek.
Yes, he does he answered. NAB
I've got ten dollars in my pocket l
expect the m mister is needing about
ten dollars awful bad
"Hadn you better make him pres
ent of ftp asked Nab. sweetly smiling
Oft at the lace work of the snow-dappled
tree branches in the winter-blue dis
lance. Ben looked little discomfort
ed, then rallied.
"But Nab, he said. ''he's kind of
proud. l wOuldn't dare to offer it to
him without giving him chance to
earn it. Nab NAB, you haven lost
your tormenting ways, but the bargain
we made back yOnder at the stump was
that | would help you cut of your trOu-
bic if you do as / said. There no
one to find fault with what we do
nothing to keep us apart. Now, Nab,
we re going straight to the minister
cottage, and you know what for.
Then, said Nab, turning her
blooming face to him, ''all l We got to
| say, Ben is, if you re right sure you re
right, why 60 ahead.
80 Mr.. Brind had a wife to cook
his Christmas dinner after all. There
was merry busting, there was laughter
and gla iness in the hithertolo lonely bach
elOr quarters. And there was, too, a
sweetly solemn hour in the tender gray
| Christmas twililht, wherein Ben and
Nab, with the big Bible between them,
bent low their heads in grateful &C
acknowledgement of the loving care IF the
| One who, thrOu n trial and sorrow.
ever and always, leads us On.-DcnlO-
rests Haga.iqc.
/ Of Eex-tO