The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-12-20
CHRISTMAS ON NORTH FORK
RY WILLIAM o. sroDDARp.

"
All the school teaching of Barnaby Town
ship was done in the school house down by
the bridge over the North Fork. 1t was
frame building and had never been painted,
but it was as big as any of the houses that
the people around there lived in. 1t was
all in one room, with tie benches every
where, and there was a platform foot
high at one end and table on it.
There never had been much of Christ
mas along the North Fork, but now that
the country was settling up SO fast, people
were thinking of improvements all the
while. What was needed was winter of
the right sort. and there came one when
thesleighing was so good and the skating on
the North Fork was so altogether uncom-
mon that you could almost see Christmas
coming.
Nobody knew exactly what to do about
it until Miss Arabella Hopkins, the school
ma'am, decided that there must be q
Christmas in the school house. She was
apt to decide things for the people who
lived along the North Fork, for her folks
were old settlers, and all the children be-
lieved that she knew more than anybody
else in the world, and they said so at
home.
Miss Hopkins had been dreadfully puz-
zled up to the morning when she asked
Peddy Nudge,
Wouldn't you like Christmas?"
Peddy looked across the road at sumac
bush with red hobs on it, and answered her
very soberly:
.'Yes'm But he couldn't get around to
everybody. It's too far apart
cYou think the people are scattered too
much for Santa Claus to find them ALP"
ssYes'rn. Our house is on the river road.
He'd find us, but he'd miss most of the
newcomers.
s'But if all the children should come to
the school house,"
''Yes'm. I'd come and bring my dinner"
tThats just what we must do, then, and
we'll have Christmas tree"
ssYes'm He'd better have a tree. for
there isn't any chimbly but the stove
pipe"
Peddy was only nine years old, hut she
had notions of her own. and she had
friends, for before Miss Hopkins finished
her dinner that day Joe Heidelberg wished
to speak with her
w 10 JUG! bu0 dSK6Q.
sDhristmas tree, maam. Peddy Nudge
told NE. Cedar. Way down the river.
Do you want big one2"
s'Not too big to set it up on the platform
at the school house.
'.Thats the one Miss Hopkins. shot
rabbi under it yesterday morning. I know
just where it is"
eff you yill get it for me-but, then. I
m11sf see the neonle ahout n
''They'ye all been told, Miss Hopkins.
All the boys were down on the ice when
Peddy Nudge came. told Mr.. Crump,
and he said he'd go to town right away to-
morrow for some candy"
Mr.. Crump kept the store on the other
side of the bridge. He did go to town.
and he came back with a sleigh load of all
sorts, and his wife told him it was lust like
him.
That was two weeks before Christmas,
and ar. Crump felt worse and worse after
ward every day that came Everybody for
miles up and down the North Fork and out
on the prairie came and visited his store.
and looked at the pretty things and bought
little candy and went home. Poor Mr.
Crump did his best to help Miss Hopkins
and the children talk Christmas, but all The
older people said:
ssThere isn't any ready money going
nowadays, and so long as there's going to
be a Christmas at the school house. that'll
have to do"
That was what was the matter, and 1t
kept right on until Mrs. Crump told her
husband for the tgenty-seventh time. 81
just do wish there hadn't been any Christ
mas"
Joe Heidelberg went down to his tree al.
most every other day, and he killed more
than dozen rabbits going and coming.
He talked about it in his sleep, and some
times while he was awake, and people gen.
orally knew that he had a tree picked out.
and that be meant to cut It down three
days before Christmas.
He had to go by Peddy Mudges house
every time he went, and that was the rea-
son why she was in the road, close by
where he was chopping, in the middle of
the forenoon. She knew it was the day..
and was watching for him until he came
along. He was all ready for the tree. for
he had two sleds, one tied behind the
other to carry it back to the school house.
Peddy caught up with him before he got to
the tree, and when she saw it she walked
all around it with the snow almost up to
her knees.
s.It's a real good tree, /" she said, sand Tn
glad it's close to the road"
"Som To- said joe
s'Apd theirs no fence for you and me TO
lift it over, bat I'll help you drag it home
after we've cut it down"
s.It's Uhristmas all over, said Joe.
s'There's a sleigh with bells on it coming
up the road"
Somebody's going to town"
ssNone of our folks. Nobody on this
timber has any bells. y
The bells came merrily up the road until
handsome cutter, drawn by two splendid
bay horses, pulled up within fifteen feet
and six inches of Peddy Nudge. There
were just fifteen of her foot prints in the
snow between her and.a wolf tail which was
dragging out on that SIDE of the cutter. It
occurred at once to Joe Heidelberg, under
the tree, that wolves must be plenty in the
country that sleigh was made in. There
was great deal of fur to be seen and some
bright blankets, and great fur cap with a
very red nose under it, and below that was
a long, bushy white beard that seemed to
be holding the reins
Peddy took it for granted that man
was there somewhere, and she was not
scared bit when deep, hoarse voice
'sWhat are you doing away out here in
the snow?"
ssWe're doing some Christmas. Joe
Heidelberg is cutting down tree for it,
and we're going to have it in the school
house,
There was sort of cough that made Joe
til nix of one of the wolf skins trying to be
alive and bark, and then the voice went in
under the tree, looking for HIM, and say
Jog:
s'Joe, is all hat tree to be for one CHRIST.
mas
s.Of course it is. Yoa see, we haven't