The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-12-20

then we'll make the school house good and
dark, and light EN- up and have Christ
mas
"Candy and presents and all sorts of
things" said the voice.
s'No, there WON'T" said Peddy gravely.
"The candy and all the other things are in
Mr.. Crump's store at the bridge. Nobody's
got any money to buy em. So we're going
to have Zig tree and some candles. We're
going to sing, too.
CHOW I'd like to hear that, and to see
the tree. Have you got any children to
Gomez"
s'Stacks of en-" said Joe, call up and
down the timber, and some out on the
prairie, and they'll all be there, and all the
old folks too, and the school house will be
jammed, and we'll have the biggest kind of
time"
s'That's it. Going to have some cold
chicken and some pies"
Eyes, sir, said Peddy, ''and thereIl bs
some apples, and Miss Hopkins isn't sure
but what thersll be some coffee"
'sWhere does Miss Hopkins live Who
is she?
"She's the school maam, replied Peddy,
''and she lives down on the other side of
the Fork"
"What's your name?"
'1'm Peddy Nudge, and he's Joe Held
elberg, and"
slump right in here with me, Peddy,
and come along and show me where Miss
Hopkins lives. She's just the young
woman want to see"
''She isn't young at all, sir, said p ddy,
Sand I've got to stay and help Joe cut
down the tree and drag it to the school
house"
sNo you haven't" shouted Joe. $50
right along. Don't you miss good sleigh
ride. Besides, he wants to go and see Miss
Hopkins"
That settled the matter and Peddy at
once clambered into the cutter. Joe
Heidelberg lost sight of her then, except
that something about as large as small
beard that was driving, and in moment
more he heard her call back to him, s'Good
| bye Joe. Hear the bells
He heard them, and Peeped through the
boughs of the tree after them, saying to
himself: sit sounds kind O. Christmas. If
we had q lot wa could hang 'em on the
tree, and they'd make jingle if you
shook it.
Peddy Nudge held her breath for little
distance, those two horses did spring away
with such a whiz. When she was asked,
ssWhere is Mr.. Crump's store?" her breath
came out in great puff, and she had to
draw it in again before she could answer.
s'Dcwn by the bridge, this side, and the
school house is just across the bridge, and
Mrs Crump feels real bad about it, and so
does he"
She was led right on to explain what it
all meant. and it was curious how very
| Ynuch cha knew ahnut avarybodv
s'You must have ears, he said to her.
s'Yes, sir" And then the sleigh was
pulled up in front of Crump's store and
| its driver got out to hitch his horses to the
hitching post.
Peddy was not one bit afraid of him, but
she did wish she could see more of his
| face, SO she should feel sure of knowing
him again some other time. He was short
and fat, and he wore an overcoat that came
down to his feet. 1t had fur collar that
turned up around his neck, and the laps
of his fur cap turned down over the collar,
and the front of the cap came down to
bis nose There was nothing to be seen of
his face but the nose itself, big and red
and hooked, and pair of great gray eyes,
one on each side of the nose, like other
S, but then he wore glasses, and
Peddy said they were 'sall one twinkle.
In a minute more the furry man was ex-
| aiming the toys and candies IN Mr..
Crump's big window, and Mr.. Crump told
him he could have the whole lot for what
| they cost him.
''You don't say! exc'aired the furry
man. ssAll want just now is pound of
candy for Peddy."
s'Put it up in two papers, Mr.. Crump."
said Pe1dy-"one for me and one for Nj
randa Adams
'sTwo pounds, said the furry man, sin
two papers. I'd forgotten all aboat Mi
randa.'
ssShe lives right on cur way to Miss
| Hopkins's," said Peddy, Sand you needn't
stop long. can run in and leave il for
| her."
s'Come along, Peddy," said the furry
man, and when they got out by the sleigh
he lifted her in as if she had been kitten
with two papers of candy between her fore
paws. When they stopped in front of old
Mr.. Adams's house Peddy heard him ex-
claim, clog house. declare. see how
! it is about Christmas. This is very new
| country; it's inst settling up. | must see
| Miss Hopkins"
Peddy did not say anything in reoly to
| that, Sic went s:raight to the door, and
opened il without knocking, and put down
| the paper of candy on the floor, and
shouted g That's for Miranda I must go
and take care of the man. It's his pres
ent. He's real.good, and he knows all about
Christmas
wisn l qua, saiu lne iurly man. :
| Inen sne was " re sieis9 aeain as !,
sne had osen sofs OF olrH aIa aaa noppeu
there, ana pelofe ne couiu 10 many Msre
quesuons anu answers sue Si Iu " Inn nilu
Miss Hopkins hves mere LIS Deacon
Gfahams mousse, al pus me n.tre Wing.
Peddy fo44q nlmseil coMpehea 70 stay
In Deacon draham's Part OF TIE nouss
while the furry man wsne ~ aRq ma. a
long talk Win MISS Hopkins. After eaaI
she had a spienaiu' Jingnng sieienflae an
the way home; put tnere was nov one cnance
given to nes 90 guess Wnac Ine furry man
said to the scnooi mas sM: ne oroVe riSnt
away when she got OUT, ana Hst H9ener
put the pound Oh canoy INTO the cioset Ior
fear it might be eaten up 100 Ias1.
| Joe Heidelberg cnoppeo MS Tree oown,
| and cat ont with 1t ALI ak0Q0, LIZ was lob