The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-17
A PERFECT CHRISTMAS.
CHAPTER I.

NotIlIig oAOIb vi d iteaa p4u-4eAou4ouCd
Christmas could wake up such a house
as that.
Christmas was coming!
Unless Santa Claus and the Simpsons
and the Hopkinses should forget the
day of the month, they would all be
there at waking-up time tomorrow
morning.
Jane" said Grandmother Vrooman,
that afternoon, to her daughter, Mrs.
Hardy, who lived with her-''Jane, I've
got 'em all fixed now just where they re
going to sleep, and I've made up a bed
on the floor in the store-roOm."
why. mother, who's that for?'
You wait and see, after they get
here, and we've counted en-"
Anyhow, there's cookies enough,
and doughnuts."
And the pies, Jane?n
"And I'm glad Liph gathered such
piles of butternuts."
ooh, mother" exclaimed little Sue,
Il gathered as many as he did, and
beech-nuts, and hickory-nuts, and"
$50 you did, Sue; but l wonder if
two turkeys II 20 round, with only two
pair of chickens?n
Mother" said Mrs. Hardy, "the
plum-pudding?"
Yes, but all those children! I do
hone they'll get here tonight in time
for ire to know where I'm going to put
EN-"
Al the very minute, away up the
north road, two miles nearer town,
there was a sort Of dot on the white
road. If you were far enough away
from it, it looked like black dot, and
did not seem to move. The nearer you
came to it the f'1nnier it looked, and
the more 1t seemed TO be trudging along
with an immense amount of small en-
ergy. Very small, indeed, for anybody
close up to it would have seen that it
was a 5-year old boy in a queer little
suit of gray, trimmed with red He
had on q warm gray cap, and right in
tie middle of the front of it were
worked pair of letters-"O. A."-but
there was nobody with the gray dot to
explain that those two letters stood for
Orphan Asylum" No. nor to tell
how easy it was for boy of years
old, with all the head under his gray
cap full of Christmas ideas, to turn the
wrong corner where the roads crossed,
south of the great Orphan Asylum
Building. That was what he had done,
and he had walked on and on, wonder
ing why the big building did not come
in sight. until his small legs were get
ting tired and his brave, bright little
black eyes were all but ready for cry
ing spell.
just as he got thoroughly discour-
aged he came to the edge of the woods,
where there stood wood sleigh with
two horses in front of it, drawn close
to the roadside. and heaped with great
green bouohs and branches.
The sleigh's pretty nigh full, grand
father, sang out clear, boyish vol"
beyond the feEee, and a very much
older one seemed to 60 right on talk
ing.
your grandmother, Liph, she al
ways did make the best mince pies, and
She can stuff turkey bettern'n any
one l know"
Grandfather, do you s'pose they'll
all Gomez"
Guess they win. That there spruce
II do for the Christmas tree. Your
grandmother said we must fetch a big
one"
That's whopper. But will Joe
Simpson and Bob Hopkins be bigger n
they were last summer?''
Guess they've grown little. They'll
grow this time, if they eat all their
grandmother II want 'em to. Hello,
Liph, who's that out there in the road?"
Guess it's boy"
Il declare if it isn't one of them little
gray mites from the 'sylum. Way out
here! | say, bub."
''Tm Bijah.'
There was scared look in the black
eyes, for they had never seen anything
quite like Grandfather Vrooman, when
he pushed his face out between the
branches.
The trees all looked as if they had
boards of snow, but none had a longer
or whittier one that.Liph's grandfather.
"Bijah," said he, Ibid you know
Christmas was coming?"
'tBe here tomorrow" piped the dot
in gray, land we're going to have tur-
key
You don't say! just you wait until
| cut a tree down, and I'll come out
and hear all about it
us your name Santa CLAUSE"
did you hear that, Liph? The little
chaps miles from home, and l don't
believe he knows it.
us that your sleigh?"
Eyes, Bijah, that's my sleigh"
Those amt reindeers, and you're
bigger you used to be"
Hear that, Liph?"
Bijah had not the least doubt in the
world but that he had discovered Santa
Claus in the very act of getting ready
for Christmas, and his black eyes were
growing bigger every minute, until
Liph began to climb over the fence.
Then he set off ON run as fast as his
legs could carry him.
Hold on" shouted Liph, 1--WE won't
hurt you
s.Let him 60" said Grandfather
Vrooman. Hes on the road to our
house. Wen pick him up"
Took me for Santa Claus, declare,
Liph, this here tree'll just suit your
grandmother.
1t was splendid young spruce tree,
with wide-reaching boughs at less than
two feet from the snow level. Grand
father vrooman worked his way care
fully in until he could reach the trunk
with saw and axe, and then there was
sharp bit of work for him and Liph
to get that christmas tree" slowed
safely on the top Of the sleigh load.
s.Now for home, Liph. Your grand
mother Il cut into one of them new
pies for you when you get there
Look shouted Liph, that little
fellows waiting for us at the top of the
hill"
The hill was not high one, and the
road led right over it, and there on the
summit stood Bijah.
Il IN so tired and hungry" he said
to himself, 'sand there comes old Santa
Claus, sleigh and ALL
He was getting colder, too, now he
was standing still, and when Grand
father Vrooman came along the road,
walking in front of the sleigh, while
Liph perched among the evergreens
and drove, there seemed to be some
thing warm about him.
It was not so much his high fur hat,
or his tremendous overcoat, or his long
white beard, or the way he smiled, but
something in the sound of his voice
almost drove the frost out of Bijah's
nose.
well, my little man, don't you want
% come to my house and get some pie?n
Yes, sir. y
Biiah could not think of one other
word he wanted to say, and he mus
tered all the courage he had not to cry
when Grandfather Vrooman picked
1im up, as if he had been kitten, and
oerched him by the side of Liph among
the evergrecns.
On he went, and Bijah did not an
swer single one of Liph's questions
for five long minutes Then he turned
his black eyes full on his driver and
asked, do You live with Santa Claus
in his own house?''
Yes, stree, responded Liph. with
a great chuckle of fun; but all he had