Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-26
A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY.
In Search CT the Sun.

1
In Search CT the Sun.
Written for the EAGLE. bya school Girl 70
other Girls and Boys.
} In Rosita, small mining camp; situate
in the southern part of Colorado there live,
woman by the name Of Williams. Sh
was the mother of two children,a boy seven
: and girl, five years Of age Mrs. VII
Q lams was widow, SO every one said, an,
in fact she said, and thought to herself, 70
she knew nothing TO the contrary.
-Four years ago her husband had gone o.
started to go across the Sango de Crist'
) range, to "strilSe it rich" as he termed it
, and had never been heard of since
Mr.. Williams had sister living in Rosi
ia whose husband worked in the Basicl
mine. Mrs. Williams had had a hard tim,
since her husband went away to provide fol
, herself and children. She did sewing, took
in washing and everything else that she
could get 10 do. 0fcou-se her sister helped
her all she could but that did not amount to
much for her husband was hard working
man and had a large family to provide for
People often wonpered why Mrs. Williams
did marry; for several rough, but neverthe-
less kind hearted miners had asked her ia
share their lot with them but she would al
ways refuse their hearty request, saying
''perhaps my own dear John will turn
up some time and what would do with two
husbands. will live in hopes that he viii
come, If | 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 at 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-
fore Christmas, "what will Santa bring
Tonic and me this Christmas
"My dear, fear he will 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
ting out on the back poor step, where Tonic
was husily engaged in making sled. The
sun was just sinking behind a
mountain that did not look very
far away, and while the clouds were all
tinted with purple and gold, and made
very pretty sight indeed.
There" said Tonic, sas soon as tie the
rope on it will be done and you shall have
a ride"
Little Jennie watched the sun moment,
and then said:
''Tonie, is that mountain very far away?'
'No, course it amt; but what are We ask
in me that for?'
'Oh, cause this morning when asked
mamma what Sana would bring US, she said
hhe wouldn't bring US nothin', and then l
asked her where Santa lived, and she said
he lived by the sun, and was thinking as
how you and me could go over to the other
side of the mountain where the SUMS gone
down and find Santa's house and tell him
how poor we are, and that our papa is gone
and that he ought to give US something"
well, don't know as / ever saw any
house on the mountain that belonged to
over there, either. but / was never over
there this time of night. If you say SO, we
will 20 and see il we can find the old man,
and tell him all about. it, and / wouldn't
wonder if he would give US something, and
III haul you on my sled.
Now run in and put on your mittens, and
tell ma I'm going to take you ride on my
sled. She WIS soon out again, and they set
out on their journey in search of the sun.
But they had not gone more than three blocks
down the road when they met strange gen
tleman carrying two large valises.
"Howdy, little chaps, where are you bound
fors said he in pleasant voice.
"Don't like to tell, you might laugh and
tell US not to 60"
81 would have no right TO do that"
Wei" began Tonic, =" if you won't laugh
I'll tell you. We're going to that mountain
where the sun has just gone down, and over
there by the sun is where Santa Claus lives
so ma said, and we're going TO ask Santa to
give US something; and tell him how we
hsve'nt got any father and how poor we
are, and tell him were afraid he would forget |
US tonight, because we were SO poor, and /
may be he'll give US something nice"
al don't think it wise to CO." said the
stranger, "you would not find the sun, when
you got on the other side OF the mountain
it would be completely out of sight"
"Maybe you're right; you wears good
clothes, an some how, mister, you
look like somebody ! used TO
know when / was little. Pa, he
started to go over the range and "strike it
rich" but I guess he froze to death or died
with mountain fever, for be never came back
and then people got TO calling ma widow
Williams. / know she didn't like TO be
called widow, because she didn't know
she was one or not. Ma used TO
cry lots after pa went away, and old aunt
Mollie said pla was fool to sit and cry be-
cause pa went off and left her and she didn't
get married TO some of the men that asked
her TO. / don't like aunt Mollie nor any of
her boys because they always want to fight,
and ma won't let me fight, and when don't
light they call me- coward and say | can't
lick 'em, and then they always have dirty
aces, and one time when | heard aunt
Mollie say mean things of ma aunt Mollie
,alled me a nasty little sneak, and said little
pigs had big ears; and don't liketo be called
pig, would you? No, and you would not
De your fathers - But here the sentence
Ma tuN euoit, ipi NJ UNI tflicp.
he faithful old dog, bounded down TIE road
md jumping upon the stranger showed such
IN amount Of affection as only faithful old
log can show.
'Well that dog has taken leave of his
ences" said Tonic. Poor old fellow, and
he stranger patted the dogs back and the
ears giistened in his eyes ,
"Yes," said Tonne, she is good dog. l
Pa bought him when he was little dog, I
md after pa went away he used to cry and 4
whine around and I'd tell him as how pa
would "strilse il rich" and come back with I
OTIS of money and then Shep needn't cat ;
nything but meat bones all his life.
eckon you think "Shep" looks thin? Well, t
I'll tell ye after pa went away he didn't have
much to eat, and ma said he was lazy or
led ketch rabbits and eat them, but / know
Nor, mint not a law hone in his bodv- / 2