Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-12-21
A Story Of a Christmas-tree.

Ring in the Christ that is to be.
A Story Of a Christmas-tree.
At the very tiptop of long bill stands
q big white house; and at the foot OF
tho hill stands little house which
the winds and rain and sun have painted
black.
Mrs. Deane, who lives in the big white
house, has one little girl and Mrs. Dav.
who lives IN the little black house, ha;
three.
Every Monday morning the three
little Days tug a big basket up the long
hill to the white house, after the week
ly wash" and every Thursday after
noon they tug it up again, filled with
clothes as sweet and clean as sweet and
clean can be. For Nora and Mamie and
Bess have no papa, and their mamma
has to work early and late to earn
clothes fer their growing bodies, and
bread enough to Eli their hungry little
mouths. Sometimes there isn't enough.
Now have come to the story.
1t was the week before Christmas.
and little May Deane, in the pretty sit
tlng-rOOm Of the house ON the hill, was
chatting to her mamma and Dicky, the
canary, about Santa Claus, aud what
she was sure he would bring her
when there came a. knock at the
door.
It was Thursday afternoon, and Nora
and Mamie and Bess had brought home
the clothes.
Mrs. Dean asked them in to wait for
the basket; and when they were in
Dlcky sang for them, and May kept I'D
her chatter, tipping her head sideways,
and looking almost like a canary herself,
with her yellow curtis and bright eyes.
'What do you suppose Santa Claus
will bring you?" asked she.
The little Days stared very hard at
each other and at May. Nora answered
she is the Oldest
I'VE don't know who he is'
1t was Marry's turn to stare. In all
body who didn't know Santa Claus.
''Then who gives you things Christ
mas?" asked she.
"We don't have any," answered
Nora, shouts sometimes we get Qua
winter shoes then"
"Why, don't you hang up your stock
ings?"
mo-" said Fora
"Nor have any Christmas-tree, ever?"
May asked.
NO" said Nora again; AND then Mrs.
Deane came back with the baskets, and
the three little Days made three little
curtsies and went away.
May stood at the window and watch
ed them go down the snowy road. Her
face was very sober.
"Mamn ma" she asked, ''why don't
Santa Claus ever 20 to their house?'
"Perhaps the chimrey's too small for
him." answered mamma, with smile,
at isn't chimney at all; it's stove
pipe" said Nay. "Maybe it is too
small"
She looked out of the window for
long time, without speaking. At last she
said,-
"Dont you s'pose he'd go there this
year if wrote him a letter and asked
him tn?"
Perhaps" mamma answered, eff he
had gifts enough in his pack"
"lf he hadn't, mamma, be needn't
come here"
Mamma smiled. "Then. I think
he might" she said. ''But the
stove pipe-bow could he manage thar"
May thought moment. Then she
clapped her hands and whir]ed about
like live top, spinning right up to her
mothers side at last.
30 mamma, mammal" she cried, ''let
me be their Santa Claus and make en'
tree like the one Aunt Bella made for
me last year, and looked in the parlor
and caught her tying ON the oranges! o
maama, can't please?-with strings of
popcorn and candy horns and apples?
And then I won't care if Santa Claus,
the really-tru1y Santa Claus, mamma,
And mamma kissed her little daugh-
ter's lips. II think you can." said she.
"You May ask papa about it,
II just the sane's know he'll say I
can!" cried May. And 50 he did, pinch
ing her round cheeks red, and teasing
her good deal about getting sooty 60.
ing down MIS-. Days stove-pipe.
What fun it was! May went about the
house with dancing eyes. You see she
had q secret, and I'd like to know If
there ever lived little girl who didn't
enjoy secret-such q beautiful secret,
too! IT was just the best sport to peep
into the parcels which papa brought
home from the village. Then there was
the corn to pop and string, and the APP
pies to get ready; and of course this
work would take a great deal of time if
you wanted it to $50 to bring Christmas
quicken, and string good deal of corn
and tied good many apples, just as
May did. ~ z@s@. -. T.,
So Christmas came, or the day before
Christmas, which is almost as much fun;
and Mays papa went to the wood-lot
and brought home the tree, q trim little
fir, with dark green, glossy boughs. He
planted it straight and firm in a tiny
tub, filed with sand, which May stuck
full Of twigs and bits of evergreen. -
SO nice for Mamie to wash her dolls
clothes in" said she. 's''It's just big
enough She meant the tub g. * ~ ..%.+'D
Then she hung the apples and candy
horns on the branches, and the strings
OF popcorn, like little snow wreaths and
the gifts. There was q warm shawl
TOR Mrs. Day, q dress for each. Of the
three little girls, doll with real hair for
Mamie, a tea-set for Bess and q pretty
work box for Nora. 81 81. 81. + s,. b,
That night, when the stars began to
come out. Mays papa took her on the
big hand-sled, with the tree, and away
tfbeysheW down the long hill TO the little
Diatk house. Papa set tire tree on the
step. Then he knocked gently, d and
Vhlsked May away from the door, s... 4. , 81.
ID d " hat do you suppose Nora and n ans
me q ard Bess said and did When they
,'eeped out ssW the tree. II. }.s33 sS..
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