Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-11
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
There were fire-places in every room
| on the ground floor of Grandfather
Vrooman's house and some kind oi
stove in more than half the rooms up
stairs.
There were blazing fires on every
hearth downstairs, and Liph got hold
of Bijah after a while and made him
and Bush go around with him to help
poke them up. Bijah had never seen a
fireplace before, and it was 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, woof, woof,h barked Bush.
Bijah stood still in the door while
Liph went near enough to give that fire
a poke. and he could hear Grandfather
Vrooman away back in the sitting
room:
"Now. my dear, we'll stick him away
somewhere. Put him in one of the
stockings, and hang him up"
going to make present of me to some
body. Oh, dear. wish l could run
away"
But he could not, for there wa. Liph
and there was Bush, and it was getting
lark.
Now, my DEAR" went on grand
:ather, III just light up, and then I'll
90 and meet that train. I'll bring Prue
and her folks, and Pat III meet the
other, and bring Ellen and hers. Won't
the old home be full this timer" -
"He's caught some more somewhere, "
whispered Bijah to himself. II Won
der who'll get 'em? 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
window-sills. l can't spare any lamps
for Upstairs"
"But, my dear. it's got to be lit up
every room of it. want EN- to know
Christmas is going"
That's what they were all saying a
the 'sylum this morning." thought Bi'
iah. land here l am, right where it's
coming to-"
So he was, and he and Liph and Bush
watched them finish setting the supper
table, till suddenly Bush gave a grea,
bark and sprang away toward the front
door. Grandfather Vrooman had hard
ly been gone from the house an hour,
and here he was. back again.
Jingle, jingle, jingle. How the sleigh.
bells did dance as that great load oi
young folk came down the road, and
what racket they made at the gate,
and how Bush and Liph. and grand
mother, and the rest did help them!
Hes caught 'em ALL" said Bijah.
"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 SC
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 MIR. Hardy,
while Mrs. Simpson tried to unmix hel
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 Bijah, and Bush came
and stood by his new friend in gray, tc
see t'.at it was properly done.
"Where'd you come from?" said Joe
/ Simpson.
"'Sylum." said Bijah. ''Where'd he
catch youP"
Catch whatP" said Joe, but Lipf
managed to choke off the chuckle hs
was going out, and to shout out:
"Why, Joe, we found him in the roaG
to-day. He thinks grandfather's ole
Santa Claus, and this house is Christ
mas"
80 am-so it is" said Grandfather
| Vrooman. We'll make him hang uE
his stocking with all the rest tonight '
Bijah could not feel scared at all with
so many children around him, and hi
was used to being among crowd o
| them. Still, it was hard to feel at home
after supper, and he might have had {
blue time of it if it hadn't been fol
Llph and Bush. 1t had somehow go
into Bush's mind that the dot in gray
was under his protection. and he fol
lowed Bijah from one corner to another
All the doors in the ''dark room
were open, and it was the ightes
room in the house, with its big fire or
the hearth and all the lamps that were
taken in after supper; but there wa:
not one thing hanging on the Christ
mas tree until Grandfather VroomaI
exclaimed:
"Now for stockings! It's getting late
children. l must have you all in bee
before long
| stockings"
They all knew what that meant, anC
so did Biiah, but it was wonderful how
| many that tree had to carry. Bol
Hopkins insisted on hanging two pair!
for himself, and Thad Simpson wa.
begging his mother for a second pair
when Liph Hardy came in from thu
kitchen with great, long, empty grain
bag.
"What in the world is that for?'
asked grandmother, perfectly astonish
ed. "Why, child. what do You meal
by bringing that thing in hers?"