The Cecil Whig., 1885-12-19
CHRISTMAS ON THE NORTH FORK
BY WILLIAM o. STODDARD.

All the schoOl-teachlnR OF BuindDy
Township was done in the school house
down by the bridge over the North Fork
1t was frame building. and bad never
been painted, but it was as big as any Of
the houses that tue people around there
lived in. 1t was all in one room, with
benches everywhera, aud there vas .
platform foot high at one eud ard a
table on it.
There never had been much Of Christ
mas along the North Fork, bat now that
the country was settling up SO fast, peo-
pie were thinking Of improvements all
the while. What was needed was win
ter of the right SORT, and there came orc
when the sleighing WAS so good and the
skating on the North Fork was 50 alto
gether uncommon, that you cEu,d almost
see Christmas coming.
Nobody knew exactly what to do about
it until Miss Arabeila Hopkins, the
school ma am, decided that there must
be Christmas on the North Fork, for
her folks were old settlers. and all the
children believed that SIZE knew more
than anybody else in the world. and they
said SO at home.
Mss Hopkins had been dreadfnlly puz-
zled up to the morning when she asked
Peddy Nudge, "Wouldt't you like a
Christmas
Peddy looked acr s, tie read al ii ST.
mac busli With red bobs OF it, ard ;r.
swtrcd Ler very s"t,;il,:
Yes IN But H.: cuu!ut.'i .st i.rn,ild
to every body. les 90 iav ap.I;"
You think the people are scatier,, Il
too muci ior Santa Claus to find all ul
them?"
"Yes'm. Our house is on tie river
road. He'd iud us. but he d MISS mos.
of the new -comers."
"Blt if al! the children should come to
the school-house ?''
"Yes'm. Id come and bring my din
ner.'
That's Just what we must do, then,
and ell have Christmas tree
'Yes'm. HID better have a tree, FOR
there isn't any thimbIy but the stove
pipe
Peddy was only nine years old, lat she
had notions of Ler own, and sic had
friends, for before Miss Hopkins finished
her dinner that day she was told that Joe
Haiinlharr u.i-l,aI 70
what is it, Joe ?'' she asked.
"Christmas tree, ma'am. Peddy Nudge
told me. Cedar. Way down the river.
Do you want big one ?''
Not too big to set it up on the pl t
form at the school. house"
That's the one, Miss Hopkins. | shot
rabbit under it yesterday morning. !
know just where it is
eff you will get il for me But then
| must see the people about it.
They've 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 90 to town right away
tomorrow for some candy"
Mr.. Clump kept the store on the other
side of the bridge. He did so to t,wn,
and he came back with a sleigh load OF
all sorts, and his wife told him it was
just like him.
That was two weeks before Christmas,
and Mr.. CIump felt worse and worse
afterwald every day that came. Every
body for miles up and down the North
Fork and out on the prairie came aud
visited his store, and looked at the pretty
things and bought little candy and
went home. Poor Mr.. Crump did lis
best to help Miss Hopkins and the chill
dren talk Christmas, lut all the older
people said:
'Tlere isn't any ready money going
nowadays, and SO long as there's to be a
Chris Nus at the school-house, that'll
have to do
That was what was tAe matter, and it
kept right along until Mrs Crump told
her husband for the twenty seventh time
81 Just do wish there hadn't been any
Christmas :"
Joe Heidelberg went down to see his
tree almost every other day. and lie
killed more than dozen rabbits going
and coming lie talked about 1T IN Ills
sleep, and sometimes while hc WAS awake.
and people generally knew that he had
a tree picked out, and that lie mcart to
cut it down three days before Christmas
He had to go pas peidy Mudge's
house every time he went, aux glIat was
the reason why she vas i'll t!ie t,,s@l,
close by where he was ch"ppipg, iu the
middle of the forenoon. Sue knew it
was tho day and was watching for him
until he came aiobg He was already
for the tree, for he had two sieds, one
Lied on behind the other, to carry it back
to the school-house. Peddy eanght 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.
'It's real good tree," she said, "and
IN glad it's close to the road