The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-17
CHAPTER II.

on the ground floor of Grandfather
Vrooman's house and some kind of
stove in more than half the rooms up
stairs.
There were blazing fires on every
hearth downstairs, and Liph got hold
of Biiah after while and made him
and Bush go around with him to help
poke them up. Biiah had never seen a
fireplace before, and it was a great
wonder to him, but Bush sat down in
front of each fire and barked at it.
1t was getting dark when they reach
ed the great front parlor, and the fire
place there was wonderful.
"Woof, wool, wool barked Bush.
Biiah stood still in the door while
Liph went near enough to give that fire
poke, and he could hear Grandfather
Vrooman away back in the sitting
room:
Now, my dear, Wen stick him away
somewhere. Put him in one of the
stockings, and hang him up"
That's me- groaned Bijah. "He's
going to make present of me to some
body. Oh dear! l wish l could run
away"
But he could not, for there was Liph
and there was Bush, and it was getting
dark.
Now, my dear" went on grand
father, "Tll just light up. and then I'll
90 and meet that train. I'll bring Prue
and her folks. and Pat II meet the
other, and ls-ing Ellen and hers. Won't
the old home be full this time?"
"He's caught some more somewhere, "
whispered Bijah to himself. Il won
der who'll get EN-? Who'll get me?"
That was an awful question, but Liph
and Bush all but ran against him just
then, and he heard grandmother say:
you'll have to stick candles on the
windowsills. l can't spare any lamps
for upstairs"
But, my dear, it's got to be lit up
every room of it, l want 'em to know
Christmas is going"
That's what they were all saying at
the 'sylum this morning." thought BIZ
jah, land here l am, right where it 5
coming to-"
So he was, and he and Liph and Bush
watched them finish setting the supper
table, till suddenly Bush gave great
bark and sprang away toward the front
door. Grandfather Vrooman had hard
~ been gone from the house an hour,
Jingle, jingle, jingle. How the sleigh
bells did dance rs that great load Of
young folk came down the road, and
what a racket they tuade at the gate,
and how Bush and Liph, and grand
mother, and the rest did help them!
''He's caught 'em ALL said Biiah,
''but they amt scared bit. -
No one would have thought so ifthey
had seen Mrs. Prue Hopkins and her
husband and her six children follow
Grandfather Vrooman into the house.
They were hardly there, and some of
them had their things on yet, when
there came another jingle, and ever so
much talking and laughter down the
| other road.
Hes caught some more. Some are
little and some are big. Iwonder who'll
get the baby?"
Bush was making himself hoarse, and
had to be spoken to by Mr.. Hardy,
while Mrs. Simpson tried to unmix her
children from the Hopkinses long
enough to be sure none of them had
| dropped out of the sleigh on the road.
Then Liph set to work to introduce
his cousins to Biiah, and Bush came
and stood by his new friend in gray, to
see that it was properly done.
"Where'd you come from?" said Joe
| Simpson.
"'sylum," said Bijah. ''Where'd he
catch you?''
Catch what?" said Joe, but Liph
managed to choke off the chuckle he
was going out, and to shout out:
"Why, Joe, we found him in the road
to-day. He thinks grandfather old
Santa Claus, and this house is Christ
| mas"
80 | am-so it isl said Grandfather
| Vrooman. "We'll make him hang up
his stocking with all the rest tonight. .
Bijah could not feel scared at all with
so many children around him, and he
was used to being among a crowd of
| them. Still, it was hard to feel at home
| after supper, and he might have had a
blue time of it if it hadn't been for
| Llph asd Bush. 1t had somehow got
into Bush's mind that the dot in gray
was under his protection, and he fol-
| lowed Biiah from one corner to another
All the doors in the clark ROOM
were open, and it was the lightest
room in the house, with its big fire on
the hearth and all the lamps that were
taken in after supper; but there was
not one thing hanging on the Christ
mas tree until Grandfather Vrooman
exclaimed:
"Now for stockings, It's getting late,
children. l must have you all in bed
before long,
"Spckingse"
They all knew what that meant, and
SO did Rijah, but it was wonderful how
many that tree had TO carry. Bob
Hopkins insisted on hanging two pairs
for himself. and Thad Simpson was
begging his mother for a second pair,
when Liph Hardy came in from the
kitchen with great, long, empty grain
bag.
.'What in the world is that for?''
asked grandmother, perfectly astonish-
ed why, child, what do YOU mean
by bringing that thing in here?'i
''One big stocking for grandfather.
Let's hang it up, boys. Maybe Santa
Claus II come and ill it
There was no end of fun over Grand
father Vrooman's grain bag stocking,
that was all leg and no foot, but Uncle
Hiram Simpson took it and fastened it
strongly to branch in the middle of
the tree. 1t was close to the trunk. and
was almost hidden, but Liph saw I'm
Gle Hiram wink at Aunt Ellen, and he
knew there was fun of some kind that
he had not thought of.
Grandmother Vrooman had been so
busy with all those children from the
moment they came into the house that
she had almost lost her anxiety; but it
came back to her now all of sudden.
.'Sakes alive! Jane" she said to
Mrs. Hardy, every last one of ems
got to be in bed before we can do q
thing with the stockings"
Bijah heard her. for he was Just be-
yond the dinin9-room door, with
cruller in each hand. and it made him
shiver all over.
Il wish was in the 'sylum. No.
don't either. but kind o. wish l was"
Bijah was very small boy, and he
had not seen much of the world. but
his ideas were almost as clear as those
of the other children, and Grandmoth-
er Vrooman for the next fifteen min
utes. The way the Simpson and Hop
kins families got mixed up, with Liph
and Sue Hardy to help them, was some
thing wonderful. Old Bush wandered
from room to room after them, wag-
ging his tail and whining
Mother, exclaimed Mrs. Hardy at
last. 1.-THE bed you made on the floor in
the store-roomi''
Just the thing for him. All the rest
60 in pairs IN put that poor little
dear right in there.
So she did. and not one of her own