Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-12-25
A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY.
In Search CT the Sun.


woman by the name Of Williams. She
was the mother of two children,a boy,seyen,
and a girl, five years of age. Mrs. VIII
liams was widow, so every one said, and
in fact she said, and thought to herself, for
she knew nothing TO the contrary.
Four years ago her husband had gone or
started TO go across the Sarge de Cristd
range, to ''strike it rich,' as he termed it,
and had never bernhard of since.
Mr.. Williams had sister living in Rosi-
Ia whose husband worked in the Basick
mine. Mrs. Williams had had a hard fine
since her husband went away to provide for
herself and children. She did sewing, took
in washing and everything else that she
could get TO do. Ofcourse her sister helped
her all she could but that did not amount to
much for her husband was hard working
man and had large family to provide for.
People often wonpered why Mrs. Williams
did marry; for several rough, but neyerthe-
less kind hearted miners had asked her to
share their lot with them but she would al
ways refuse their hearty request, saving
"perhaps my own dear John will turn
up some time and what would | DO with two
husbands. viii live in hopes that he will
come, if l die in despair" This greatly
surprised the camp in general and Mrs. WIS
sister in particular. 1t was the day before
Christmas; the weather was very clear and
cold, and poor Mrs. Williams had only
money enough to buy a sack of -four that
she must have al once. She felt very sad
for her children that she loved better than
anything on earth, could have no Christmas.
The Santa Claus that they thought of so
much would bring nothing to them, yet
they expected something, as they had al
ways received something every Christmas,
for their mother had never been so poor as
now.
Mamma" said little Jennie, the day be-
tore Christmas, 'what will Santa bring
Tonic and IA z this Christmas
"NIy dear, fear he viii forget you this
Christmas. We are so poor, you know, and
he sometimes does forget poor people like
U.s."
Where does Santa live" was the next
question.
.'oh, away off by the sum- replied the
mother in an absent way.
That evening Tonic and Jennie were sit
tting out on the back POOR step, where Tonic
was bpsily engaged in making sled. The
sun was just sinking behind a
mountain ttaa did not look very
far away, and while the. clouds were all
tinted with purple and gold, and made a
very pretty sight indeed.
There" said Tolr, ',as soon as | tie the
rope on it viii be dos and you shall have
a ride
Little Jennie sateied the spr a moment,
and then said:
''Tonie. is that mountain very far away
'No. course il amt; but what are we ask
in me that fors''
"Oh, cause this morning when | asked
mamma what Sana would bring US, she said
hhe wouldn't bring us nothin', and then
asked her where Santa lived, and she said
he lived by the sun, and l was thinking as
how you and me could 90 over to the other
side of the mountain where the suns gone
down and find Santa's house and tell him
how poor we are, and that our papa is gone
and that he ough: To give US something"
"Well, don't snow Us / ever sew any
house on the mountain that belonged to
Santa, and don't think ever saw the sun
over there, either. but | was never over
there this time of night. If you say so, we
viii go and see if we can find the old man
and tell him all about it, and wouldn''
wonder if he would give Us something, and
FL haul you on my sled.
Now run in and put on your mittens, anC
tell ma I'm going to take you ride on my
sled. She was soon out again. and they Sc
ont on their journey in search of the sun
But they had not gone more than three block
down the road wien they met strange gen
tlemaa carrying two large valises.
"Howdy, little chaps, where are you boun'
for" said he in a pleasant voice
Don't like to tell, you might laugh ans
tell lis not 10 GO.
Il would have no right to do that"
Well" began Tonic, (" if you won't laugl
III tell you. We're going to that mountain
where tae sun has just gone down, and owe
there .by the sun is where Santa Claus live
SO ma said. and we're going to ask Santa {.
give US something; and tel him how W
Invent got any father and how poor W
are, and tell him were afraid he would forge
us tonight, because We were so poor, an
may be he'll give US something nice"
Il don't think it wise to CO. said tn
stranger, '.you would not find the sun, whe
Won got on the other side OF the moun;ai
it would be completely out of sight"
Maybe you're right; you wears goo
clothes, an some how, mister, 70
look like somebody | used {
know wnen / was little. Pa. b
started to 90 over the range and strike
rich" but guess he froze to death or die
with mountain fever, for he never came bac
and then people got TO calling ma wido,
Williams. know she didn't like to b
called widow. because she didn't kno'
whether she was one or not Ma used I
cry lots afler pa went away. and old aur
Mollie said ma WIS 4 fool 10 sit and cry b
cause ps went OF and left her and she Gian
get married to some Of the men tina. aske
her to. l don't ike aunt Mollie nor any {
her boys because they always want to igh
and ma won't lei NE fight, and when don
fight they call me coward and saw ean
lick 'em. and then they always have dirt
faces, and one time when / heard snr
Nellie say mean things of ma aunt Moili
+ called me nasty little sneak. and said httl
pigs had big ears; and I don't like 10 be Gale
pig, would you. Ne. and you would nc
be Your fathers - But here the sensenc
was cut short, for al that moment "Shap.
the faithful old dog, bounded down :te ,os
and jumping upon the stranger showeosnc
an amount Of affection IS onIy faithful ol
dog can show
well that dog has taken leave Of h
sencrs.@ said Tonic. Poor old fellow, an
the strange. patie,i the dogs back and Il
tears glistened in his eyes.
YES" said Tonne. "he is a good do.
! Pa bought him when he Was 8 little do.