Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-21
A CHRISTMAS.TREE.

stands big white house; and at the
foot of the 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. Day
who lives in the little black house, has
three.
Every Monday morning the three lit.
tie Days tug q big basket up the lone
hill TO the white house, after the weekly
"wash;" and every Thursday afternoon
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 for
their growing bodies. and bread enough
to fill their hungry little mouths. Some
times there isn't enough.
Now | have come to the story.
1t was the week before Christmas,
and little May Deane, in the pretty sit
ting-room of the house on the hill, was
chatting to her mamma and Dicky, the
canary, about Santa Claus, and what
she was sure he would bring her, when
there came a knock at the door
1t was Thursday afternoon, and Nora
and Mamie and Bess had brought home
the clothes.
Mrs. Deane asked them in to wait for
the basket; and when they were in
Dicky sang for them, and May kept up
her chatter, tipping her head sideways,
and looking almost like n canary her
self, with yellow curls and bright eyes.
"What do you suppose Santa Claus
will brine 7IOUI' asked she
The little Days stared very hard at
each other and at May. Nora answered;
she is the Oldest:
1--WE don't know who he is"
1t was Mays turn to stare. Tn all
her life she had never before found any,
body who didn't know Santa Claus.
''Then who gives you things Christ
mas?" asked she
1--WE don't have any," answered
Nora, '''thout's sometimes we Get our
winter shoes then"
Why, DOM you hang upyour stock
ings?n
mo said Nora.
Nor have any Christmas tree ecer?"
May asked.
No said Nora again; and then
Mrs. Deane came back with the basket.
and the three little Days made three
little curtsies and went away.
May stood at the window and watched
them go down the snowy road. Her
face was very sober.
Mamma" she asked, "why don't
Santa Claus ever 90 TO their housee''
Perhaps the chimney's too small for
him." answered mamma, with smile.
at isn't n chimney at all; it's
stove-pipe," said May. "May be it is
too small"
She looked out of the window for a
long time, without speaking. At last
she said:
Don't you s'pose he'd go there this
year if | wrote him letter and asked
him to?"
Perhaps" mamma answered, 'sf he
had gifts enough in his pack.n
eff he hadn't mamma, he needn't
come here
Mamma smiled. Then / think he
might" she said ''But the stove-pipe
how could he manage that?'
May thought moment Then she
clapped her hands and whirled about
like live top, spinning right up to her
mothers side ut last
80 mamma, mammal" she cried.
'let me be their Santa Clausand make'em
y tree, like the one Aunt Bella made
for me last year. and / looked in the
parlor and caught her tying on the
oranges! o mamma, can't /, please?
with strings of popcorn and candy
hoins and apples? And then l won't
care II Santa Claus, the really-truly San
Ia Claus, mamma, doesn't come here
Can't /. please?'
And mamma kissed her little dauoh-
ters lips. 81 think you can" said she.
"You may ask papa about it."
:" just the same's know he'll saw I
cam" cried May. And so he did.
pinching her round checks red. and
teasing her good deal about getting
soooty going down Mrs. Days stove,
pipe.
What fun it wasl May went about
the house with dancing eyes. You see
she had a secret, and I'd like TO know il
there ever lived little girl who didn't
enjoy secret-such beautiful secret.
too! 1t was just the best sport to peep
into parcels which papa brought home
from the village. Then there was the
corn to pop and string, and the apples
to get ready; and of course this work
would take great deal of time If YOU
wanted it to $50 to bring Christmas
quicker), and string a good deal of
corn and tied good many apples, Just
as May did
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, a trim
little fir, with dark green, glossy
boughs. He planted it straight and
firm in 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. "It's lust
big enough She meant the tub.
Then she hung the apples and candy
horIs on the branches; and the strings
of popcorn, like little snow-wreaths.
and the gifts.
There was warm shawl for Mrs.
Day, dress for each of the three little
girls, doll, with real hair, for Mamie.
a tea-set for Bess and a pretty work.
box for Nora.
That night, when the stars began To
come out, Mays papa took her on the
big hand-sled, with the tree, and away
thsy dew down the long bin 70 the ~