River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-12-31
NUGGET.
A Christmas story for the Boys and
Girls. and the Old Folks too.

Christmas story for the Boys and
Girls, and the Old Folks too.
Miss Hanford's little village shop
looked unusually festal just before
Christmas, with its strings of cheap, but
brightly painted tin toys, its gay cards,
and wonderful display of worsted work
to say nothing of the evergreen bush
that adorned the window, hung with a
variety of tinsel ornaments that glitter
ed like silver aud gold whenever the
sun struck them. To-day, however,
no catering sunbeam dances that way,
for old Sol has hidden his face beneath
heavy gray veil, and thick snow is
falling quietly but steadily, as though
it meant business, and Miss Hanford's
face is almost as gloomy as the sky
overhead, while she matches crewels,
and selects needles for pretty Mrs.
Pulsifer, the Doctors wife. 1T will be
a white Christmas, after all, says that
CHEEKY little woman, while the matcri-
ais to complete her husbands slipper
case, are being tied up, (which, they
do say, is bad for the doctors.
YES; "A green Christmas makes a
fat cAurch-yard, and no mistake,
signs Miss Hanford.
ANY sort of Christmas makes a fat
pocket-book for you, Isuppose, " laughs
Mrs Pulsifer. Not this year. The
new shop with plate-glass windows, up
the street, has cut into my trade sadly;
but, thank the Lord, Tom Tucker and
don't need much and Miss Hanford
patted a big black and white cat doing
on one end of the counter. 1T is sort
o. lonesome, though, Twin all alone,
specially about Christmas. Some
times I Git dreadful blue, and down in
the mouth No wonder, poor
thing" reioins Mrs. Pulsifer, sympa-
thetically. you ought to have my three
young rogues; you d never have time
to be dull, then. But, goodbye; l
mustn't chatter another minute; all the
oddments for the stockings are to be
bought yet.
That's it!'' exclaimed Miss Han
ford, as the shop door shut with slam,
That's Jest it, I'm an old maid, and
ought TO be used to Twin alone. dear
knows. but Christmas seems to stir up
all the sOciable feelin's of my nature,
and Id most be willin' to give the
trade them plate glass windows hev
left me to haye little critter to cuddle
up and make just such "a Christmas
for as Cy. and l used to hev, when we
were youngsters in the old red farm
house Tom Tucker why amt you a
baby! to which pussy only responded
by blink of his green eyes. and
, purred harder than ever.
.Tinkle-tinkle.' rang the shop bell.
! and two eyes appeared on level with
the counter surmounted by a stock of
shaggy hair, and shrill voice piped,
t please, Miss HanfOrd, ma sent ne
over for three cent loaf, and wants to
] know if YOU will trust her few days
i longer" The little country store was
very mixed in its contents, and kept
bread and cake as well as toys and
worsteds.
..Hev. is that you, Patsy Bait! Tell
ME Patsy, my child how Is your poor
sick Pa to-day.
"Very badi Ma, she's been up with
E. him all night, and most cried her eyes
out.
'.Ihen YOU won't hev much of a
, Christmas to your house tomorrow
E, "No: ma saws, Santa Claus sent word
he couldn't come thisyear:" and big
sob choked the child's utterance.
Poor little critters!" muttered Miss
Hanford. under whose rather stiff cx-
, terror beat the kindcst heart in the
world. There you take this seed cake
over to your ma and my compliments,
and as the tiny girl opened her mouth
to express her thanks, she popped in
sugar plum, and laughed heartily at
the amazed feee that nodded goodbye,
and disappeared across the rode.
ITS mighty curious. how queer
ngs are arranged in this world!
solilidnized Miss Hanford; Not that
| want to question the ways of Provi-
dence; but there is Mrs. Bait, with four
Youngsters, and not so much as a
peppermint-drop TO put IN their
stockings; and here am |, with lot or
knick-knacks gittin' stale on my hands
thanks to them plate-glass windows).
and pinin' 10 make a Christmas for
somebody. and not kith nor kin be-
longin' 10 me, that | know of, for If
brother Cy. had ben in the flesh, he d
a turned up like bad penny, long be-
fore this, surely! It's mystery, aDd no
mistake!'
At that moment her eye fell upon a
card ,Eing on the top of a pile of paste
board souvenirs, and took it up. 1t
represented lady and child feeding a
dock of robins, and below was printed,
AT Christmas, open wide thy heart!
That's purity said Miss Hanford.
II makes me think OF the Christmas
sheRf we used to hang out for the BIRDS
They were 10 kith nor kin. and II to
birds, why not to RattSP 1es, II do
it!' and the happy though; fairly
irradiated the rugged face, even as the
CLEAN of sunlight that just then shone
through, rift in the clouds made the
tiusel ornaments in the window sparkle
and glitter like a hundred Christmas
candles. The new idea was more fully
deveIopad that evening over Miss
Hanford's solits-y cup of tea and plate
of hot buttered toast ia the wee parlol
back of the shop, while Tom Tucker
sat by. like his namesake, ''singing fol
his supper" and keeping up . dusi
with the kettle that hummed and
spluttered on the stove, and TO the
good woman their song seemed to be-
Christmas comes but once a year,
But when = comes it brings good CT eer
And when the rush Of Christmas I've
business was over, the shutters barred