Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-25
happen tomorrow Nobody knows as much

o'ihauaC n all events, he was at that mo-
ment standing in front Of the shoe shop with
pair of skates in lis hand. He was A fat.
rosy-iaced. black-eyed yourgster OF fourteen.
with large mouth Whenever his ewes be-.
gan to sparkle aud dance 1t was a sign that
his mouth was about 20 OPEN They we're
dancing now, as Grandfather Starin came
marching siiiily and lei up the street. said
JIM wi what for him was an uncommon
solemnity Of voice:
esquire ?"
'Well2 What is II? Speak out"
"Did you know that tomorrow would be
Christmas II it got here?"
What Of it, What d. You mean?"
well, you didn't look as il you did. told
Batly Perouse, this morning, that you'd never
you impudent young rascal r.
JIM Denke lodged away out Of the reach
OF me uplttted cane, and the squire stalked
on IN silent but bitterly offended dignity. His
young ormenior turned in the opposite direc-
ton, romarklug:
Guess I've given him a Christmas present.
It's more'n he's given anybody else Hop"
it'll stick into him. He doesn't care a cent If
man as he u.s."
A few rods further on, Jim's eyes began to
Good morning. DR.. Smiles. Wish you
Merry Christmas. It's coming tomorrow"
The b and face Of the one physician the viii
OF Battys father, beamed very benevolentiy
as he r, sponded:
~ wish you Merry Christmas, james. The
same to your father and your mother, and Tia g
whole family"
"one thing I'm glad Of, DOCTOR
what is that, ,mes p
Il met little Batty Porouse this morning.
He said his mother had almost worked out
your bill. lie said she said she could earn
something to tat then. il the skirts fitted"
"Humph Good-day, James. do declare
must peak TO NV wife about this"
Exactly" muttered jim Denike, as he
again walked on. maybe that's Christmas
present for him. s'pose I'm about the worst
boy in the whole village, but I'm going to DO
liberal with what I've got"
He was pretty nearly ut his own gate when a
serious but very pl, asant voice called Kim by
name, and he SAID to himself:
Hes our minister. l won't be saucy TO
him. He's a real good fellow"
Then he answered, chcerly:
"How aye do, MIR. Knox 2"
"Pretty well, James. / hope you will have
Merry Christmas"
"hope so. II it comes"
"If 1t comes? Won't it? Have you for
gotten what it meant2"
mo, 1 haven't forgotten. But then it
doesn't come TO some folks. met little
Batty Perouse this morning, and he said his
mother said that their Christmas had come to
them already. All they we're going TO have"
"Why, what did she mean p
"Baty said that she said it was in the
cradle, where it should be, and there wouldn't
be any other kind tor them"
81 understand. Good morning, James.
Biggest sermon I've had in a long time. l
must think about that"
"Well," remarked Jim, to himself, "if he
understood il. he beats me. Bat seemed to
have some kind OF a notion. though. Guess
I'd better try him again. Its about the baby,
somehow"
Then he said he would ask his mother, and
his chance Tor it came at the dinner table. 1t
surprised him little, she had SO much TO say
but before she got through with him his father
had coughing spell. He WAS not suffering
from cold either. AT the end of 1t he said,
in husky voice:
"James, you so over the hill, after dinner,
and cut Fled load of evergreens.
why, father, we've enough now, TO set up
a Sunday-school Celebration"
do as tell You. Bring good load right
to the house. I'm going to See about some
things"
Then he got up and put on his hat and over
coat and went oil into the village.
Batty Perouse watched the baby faithfully
until it woke up and crowed. and he gave it
the bottle Of mix before it had time to cry.
You needn't let it choke you" he said.
''Mo.her said it would choke her If she drank
any Of 1t. What / drank for breakfast didn't
choke me. Guess she wasn't very hungry"
Children who grow old too soon only grow
old in spots, and all the rest of them stays
young. Batty WAS old about some things and
not about some others. When his mother
came home, in the middle OF the afternoon,
and said he might go out for a playspell, he
and Puns went right along, just as II they had
a sled or something to play with. He taere-
fore did not hear his mother tel the baby, so
cheerfully;
I'm glad there is one good man left in
PerTyyille. What blunder l made about DR..
Smiles and his wife"
Matters in the village had been going right
along, but Batty knew no more about these
than about his mothers conversation with
the baby He had not heard Mr.. Knox re-
peating, here and there, his saying about
Christmas aud the cradle. He did not know
that when Grandfather Starin met DR.. Smiles
he had been assured by the doctor that no
charge had been made by him against Mrs.
PeTouse.
Nobody must think so meanly OF me as
that, said the doctor, warmly. "a mau who
oppressed a woman in her circumstances,
would have to skip Christmas"
Grandfather Starin seemed to himself to be
hearing all the while. The frosty burrows in
his face began to twist into an expression OF
defiance When man is in the habit Of hay-
ing his own way lie will have it, even il it costs
him a little.
IN see - he said, quite loudly.
Alter that he asked the minister how many
ohhureh ne had' ana ne put the same question
concerning some Of his poorer neighbors.
Then he marched resolntely TO the toy store,
aud into several other places where holiday
goods" were sold.
''we'll see about it," he growled, through
his long, white beard. ''Ill have Christmas
in spite Of 'em all, If money will buy one."
Some OF the purchases he made were or
dered to be sent at once to this place or that
place, but there were several lots that were TO
20 to his own house.
"Ill take 'em around myself" he said. 'in
the morning. I'm going to have Christmas,
am ~
All that should have done him some good,
and he said so, hut his faos seemed TO grow
harder. aud ali the wrinkles to freeze deeper
Until he sci out for his own house. He could