The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-12-26
From the WiIliamsport Breakfast Tablet
SANTA CLAUS IN THE MINES
A Christmas Story.

n thrislinaS
A California mining town, away up
amid the snow clad ice bound peaks
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The town was irregHlarly laid out,
and was scattered along a creek which
emptied into the Costumes River sew
eral miles below. Both the dwelling
and business houses-or, more prop
erly speaking, cabins-were construct
ed of unhewn pine logs, the crevices
between the timbers being "chinked"
and plastered with mud. The town
contained at least dozen saloons,
or saloons and gambling houses com
bined, and in these hells much OF the
hard earned money OF the miner part
ed company with him to take up its
temporary abode IN the saloon till or
the pocket OF the professional gam
bier. The dwellings OF the town were
scattered along the creek or built on
the side OF the adjacent mountain,
the majority of them being rough
"bachelor dens," for women were
scarce In the newly discovered dig
gings.
In & small cabin near the upper end
OF the town sat a woman, in widows
weeds, holding upon ner knee a bright
eyed, sunny-faced little girl about FIVE
years old, while a Cherub OF q boy lay
upon a bear skin before the open fire
place. 1t was Christmas eve, and the
woman sat gazing abstractedly into
the fire. She was yet young, and the
glowing flames lit mp her sad face as
they invested it with q wierd beauty.
Mary Stewart was now the widow OF
Aleck Stewart, and but two years be-
fore they had lived comfortably and
happily in q camp on the American
River. Aleck was a brawny miner,
but the premature explosion of blast
In an underground tunnel had blotted
out his life in an instant. leaving his
family without a protector and in
straltened circumstances. His daily
wages had been their sole support,
and now he was gone, what could they
do?
With her little family Mrs. Stewart
had emigrated to the camp in which
we find them Gall Western mining
towns are called "camps'') and there
she earned precariOus livelihood by
washing clothes for the miners. Hers
was a hard lot, but the brave little
woman toiled on, cheered by the
thought that her daily labors stood
between her darling little ones and the
gaunt wolf OF starvation. Their
clothes were patched and shabby and
the food plain, and sometimes scant,
yet they We're never reduced to abso-
lutte suffering
Jack Dawson, a strong, honest
miner, was passing the cabin this
Christmas eve, when the voice of the
little girl within attracted his atten-
ton. Jack possessed an inordinate
love for children, and although his
manly spirit would abhOr the sneak
ing practice OF housekeeping, hecould
not resist the temptation to steal up
to the window Just for a moment to
listen TO the sweet prattlng voice
The first words he caught We're:
Before papa died we always had
Christmas, didn't We, mamma ?"
yes, TOtty. darling; but papa
earned money enough to afford to
make his little pets happy at least
once year. You must remember,
Totty, that We are very poor. and al
though mamma works very. very
hard, she can scarcely earn enough to
supply Us with food ard clothes"
Little bright-faced Benny raised his
curly head from its soft nest in the
warm bear-skin and cheerily said:
''Des wait till dit to be a man.
mamma, an 90 won't have to wort.
Use dom to be dreat big miner, like
papa was, an dit 90 ever so much
moner, but | won't do near 'em nate
full blastin' tings an dit titled ike papa
did"
Jack Dawson still fingered upon the
outside. He could not leave although
he felt ashamed of himself for listen
ing.
why, bless my little man, what a
brave future he has planned | do
hope and pray, darling, that you Will
grow up a strong and a good man,
and one who will be q blessing and a
comfort TO mamma when she gets
old"
I've hung up our stockings last
Christmas, didn't we. mamma -
questioned the little girl.
les, Iotty, but we were poor then,
ana Santa Claus never notices real
poor people. He gave you little
N'uuS NHtu' luSJ because You were
such good children. "
Is we any poorer now, mamma -
"Oh, yes, much poorer. He would
never notice us at all now"
Jack Dawson noticed a tremor OF
sadness IN the widows voice as she
uttered the last words, and hewiped a
suspicious dampness from his eyes.
Where : our clean stockings, man.
ma? I'm going TO hang mine up. any
how; maybe he viii come like he did
before, just because We try to be good
children" said Totty.
1T will be OF no use. my darling. I
am sure he would not come" and
tears gathered in the mothers eyes as
she thought OF her empty purse.
Il don care, I'm going to try any
how. Please get one of my stockings.
mamma, pleaded the little girl.
'1ourclean stockings are on the line
outside, and | cannot go ont and hunt
Tor them this bitter cold night. You
may hang mp your old ones; but on.
darling, lear you will be so terribly
disappointed in the morning. Please
let it 90 until next Christmas, and then
we may be licher"
mo, mamma, Pm going to try any
how"
Jack Dawson's great, generous heart