The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-12-24
MALACHI BIesBY's REFORM.

matter, the more surely was he con
WINGED of the fact. 1t was easy enough
to prove it. He was a little colored
boy who went to school in Florida.
There was a rule in that school that
every time one of them was naughty a
mark should be put on his card; when
five marks were there, a round black
zero was added, and when three OF
these zeros, which meant fifteen sins,
were on the card, the COY or girl was
sent home, and not allowed to return
to school for a whole week.
Thinking about it this morning, it
seemed to Malachi that the cause of
his getting so many marks was that
he did not begin to "look out" soon
enough. So he resolved that he would
turn over a new leaf with the new
year.
Just as he made this resolution
Malachi looked up at the big live-oak
which grew by the roadside, and re-
membered that he had heard the song
of an oriole from that tree before.
"'Spects yer got yer nest thar" he
shouted, and without delay Malachi
clambered up the trunk. He looked
carefully among the branches, and at
last he found the nest. He looked at
it with great satisfaction, but did not
take it away, because he felt that it
was safer there than in the crown OF
his hat, which was his only pocket.
He came down from the tree, and
very soon caught up with thedozen or
two Shutdown boys, who were slowly
walking toward school.
Malachi winked in a wise way to
Analias LOOMS, who soon dropped
out of the ranks, and the two fell a
little distance behind the rest.
"What cher got?" said Ananias.
"Oh, withdrawing exactly" an
swered Malachi, m~ysteriously. 81
reckon thar's a right smart orioles
nest up some O. these trees, an l
thought ser'd like ter know"
"Whar? wharf" cried Ananias,
eagerly; "IIl swap yer my bottle OF
water with a hole in the cork, that has
ter be filled twicet every day"
"Huh!" said Malachi, s%cornfully.
NANNY d give me ez many bottles
ez I'd carry fur nuthin'. 1 was er
thinkin' about yer knife that teacher
give back ter yer last week. But l
recollect the aige amt oversharp.
Miss Bright she don't like us ter steal
birds nests; says it's mean. l reckon
SO myself. And Adams is gettin' a
election of nests. 'Specks I'll speak
ter him at recess; but I'll think about
the knife and bottle tergether;;" andhe
would say no more.
But a strange thing happened in the
Lincoln school that day. Instead of
going ou%t-of-doors at recess, they all
marched into the big assembly-room,
where, on the platform, stood ar en-
ormou chimney and fireplace.
Miss Bright was there, and a lot of
other white folks, all smiling in a very
queer manner. The children sang two
or three songs about "The whale did
swallow Jonah whole and Gabriel
blowing his trump, trump, trumpet"
then Miss Bright took out a little book
and began to read, go
".'Twas the night before Christmas"
She stopped after a line or two, and
said: "You must watch, children, for
l think Santa Claus will come pretty
soon."
They all knew about Santa Claus,
and had hunguptheir stockings Christ
mas-eve. Nearly every one had found
'nigger-toes" and jackson balls" in
those same stockings Christmas morn
ing.
But she was a long time reading the
story, and they listened so hard in
order not to lose a word, and looked
so intensely at the chimney for fear
Santa Claus should whisk by before
they saw him, that their three hun
dred little hearts nearly stopped beat
ing. Then,
down v h the chimney St Nicholas came with
read Miss Bright; and down he came,
fur-coated, white-haired, red-nosed,
pipe in his mouth and pack on his
back.
For one awful second the children
were too frightened to stir; then, like
a great wave, the whole mass surged
back toward the door, crying and
trembling, the big ones falling over the
little ones in a genuine panic.
Ahead of them all Malachi Bigsby
sprung out of the door, and above all
their voices rose his terrified scream:
cts me he's come fer! 1 knowed 1
was wicked"
The familiar bell soon Gained the
children so that they would look at
Santa Claus from arespectfuld distance,
and when he pulled off his beard, and
they recognized a well-known face,
they were glad to take the candy from
his pack and the presents from his
hands-clothes, books and dolls
which the kind children in the north
had sent.
All but poor Malachi. No amount
of persuading could coax him inside
the door. Miss Bright brought his
presents to him-a bag of candy, some
trousers, almost whole and with
two pockets, and best of all, a red
To-a 0,Cl-xL-- -1:l IL L. Ill