The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-12-26

his brown hand. As for Mary Masters,
she felt 80 strangely she could not speak.
Her companions extraordinary freedom,
her hearty invitation to the strange chill
dren on the steerage deck, struck o new
chord in her very proper heart.
"Quartermaster," said Phronie, "did
you ever see Christmas tree ?"
"Once, Miss. It was In '49, when
was ashore. 1t was the year before my
CELL died. She was a cripple, and never
seen tree-'cept in a picture book and
to please her we had one; it were three
feet high and bad two six.penny candles
and presents for all. | never seen one
since"
"Well, sir, you know how it looks
and l want to make one for tonight.
Couldn't you paint some sticks and tie
'em together 2"
"Dunno, Miss. Carpenter might, or
mebby one of the men could paint tree
on sail. You could pin the presents to
the sail, though don't see how you could
risk the candles"
As for the children below, they felt sure
an angel, in yellow hair and a brown ul-
ster, had spoken to them. Not half of
them understood all she said; but they all
caught the word Christmas, and began to
talk about trees and presents and candles,
and angels, in eleven different languages
at once.
The news flew over the ship like light
ming. Everybody heard there was to be
a Christmas tree in the forward hold.
The English passengers all said that
young American miss was forward
young person, and begged 10 be intro
duced to her. 30 they could 60 to the
show. The Americans held meeting
and appointed committe of arrange.
ments to help Miss Quackenbush, with
president, secretary, and fourteen vice.
presidents. The engineers told the fire
man, and the quartermaster told the sail
ors, and the stewards told the cooks
The baker decided to prepare four hum
dred round cakes with the letter G on
each, for Christmas. The chief engineer
sent cabin boy to the library for copy
of Dickens with the story of Tiny Tim.
He was over an hour looking for the story,
among all the Dickens books. You never
can tell what cabin boy will do when
he tumbles over Dickens book. As for
over, in eleven different languages, and
came to the sage conclusion that Ameri-
cans were very queer and the most de-
lightful people on the globe. Everybody
talked Christmas tree to every one he
met. Nobody waited any longer to be
introduced to anybody else, but talked in
the most friendly way to every one they
met. Even the lonely lookout on the
bows heard about it; and when he spied
ship on the horizon he cried out in a
loud voice:
Three-masted Christmas tree on the
port bow"
Everybody worked with might and
main. There was a sound of hammering
below and much running to and fro on
deck. Dinner was dreadful failure
Nobody could eat thing and not a SOU
was seasick. They really wanted to &C
to the tree. 1t grew dark early, and the
lights were hung on the bows and mast
head, and the big red and green lights
cleaned from the sides. At last it was
all ready; and just at seven bells the
ha,chway was opened aud the people
poured down the rough wooden stairway
the carpenter had built for the occasion
They put all the children on the floor il
front and the firstclass passengers on thu
benches behind them, and the steerag'
and the ships folks on seats behind.
How tell the wondrous tale ? The tre'
was painted on an old sail, and the pres
ents were laid on big table in front O.
it. To be sure, the tree swayed to anC
fro every time the ship rolled; but thi
only gave it a breezy animation that wa
, quite natural. Then, too, the beating O
, the great engine could be plainly heart
all the time. Nobody cared for this TO
they knew every stroke of the engine car
ried them nearer the land. When ever,
, one was seated the captain made speed
full of trees and candles and good times
One of the lady passengers played tn
banjo, greatly to the delight of tn
French, German, Irish, Russian, Englisl
| and American children. Phronie reciteC
r The boy stood on the burning deck il
| quite thrilling way. 1t wasn't very aI
propriate; but it was the only thing sh
| could remember, and everybody said j
was really lovely. Mary Masters di'
! something, too. She sang song abou
spring, which they all said was very sweet
Then, too, there was wonderful youn,
man from Gottingen, who dressed up a
r Santa Claus and gave out the presents
oho hiodO O opOOSh Al hltCCb Gu
! languages, SO that they all heard some
, thing in their own tongue that they coul
understand, as we'll as other things the
| could not understand.
3 Suddenly, in the midst of the fun, ther
was pause-a dead silence. The tire
? shook in curious way. The captai
, sprang up the stairs and every one stoo
! up in alarm. The engine had stopped.
sit down Sit down, everybody |
cried the second officer. "There is n
danger. Keep order till we find on
8 what has happened"
They were all indeed very much alarmed
and, though they sat down, they felt III
> easy till the lady with the banjo began
play "Wait for the Wagon" whic
: sounded quite comforting.
l Away down in the engine.room, wher
the enormous machine was keeping u
. its swift and ceaseless beating, sat tn
: chief engineer reading aloud to the fourt
assistant engineer. 1t was the story c
Q Tiny Tim and the wonderful Christina
:. pudding; and, just at the most interes
t ing place he wanted to show the fourt
assistant engineer how the pudding wa
brought in, He stood m and took hol