The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-12-25
A STORY OF CHRISTMAS.
BY WILLIAM o. sToDDARp.

There had never before been quite such O
winter as that. Not in Perryville. Away
back in November it began to get ready for
Christmas. 1t froze the millpond before any
snow came for the finest kind of skating
Then it blew of all the snow that fell and left
the face of the pond like the great pane OF
plate glass in the show window of McMunn's
jewelry store. 1t stayed so until it was all
skated into spider-webs, with figure 8's and
great KS. Jim Denike said that the first
thing a fellow did when he went on to that
pond was to sit down.
The snow storms came along one after an.
other, elegantly, instead of rushing it, and
the sleighing was laid on few inches at a
time, just as 1t should be, 80 that all the roads
were in first-rate visiting order.
Boggs, the harness man, said that he sold
more bells during that December than ever
before in whole year. You could not wake
up, anywhere, without hearing jingle.
With such a winter, Christmas was sure to
come. People said 80. Not soul in all the
valley had a doubt of it except Batty Perouse.
He did not say great deal about it except to
Puns, and as Puns had bone in his mouth at
the time there was no reply made.
"You see, Puns," said Batty, sit can't come
to you, for you're dog. 1t can't come to
mother, and the baby and me, for we've only
half enough to eat now. 1t can't come to
father, for he's been gone up to Christmas
since last summer. 1t can't come to Grand
father Starin. You and met him in the vii
lage this morning."
The great, hungry blue eyes of Batty Pc
rouse lacked the expression of quiet, unyield-
ing pride which some people said his mother
had. They were child's eyes, but they were
in the habit OF seeing great DEAL Through
them some remarkable things were all the
while getting into his mind, and it was just
so withhis ears. He had not seen any Christ
mas in the face of Grandfather Starin, nor
had any other pair OF eyes in Perryvllle. Jim
Denike had said taat face with that amount
of frost in 1t was good thing to have around
in July, but it was too much any time after
the butternuts began to fall. There was not
one grown-up person in Perryville who had
not made the remark that Jim talked too
much.
A little while after his conversation with
Jim, Batty sat by the cradle and was evidently
in deep study. There was fire in the cook
stove near him, and that and puss and the
baby were his only company, for his mother
was over in the village doing some plain sew
ing for the doctors wife, and she knew that
the doctors bill against her would be very
long one. There was small parlor in front
OF the kitchen, and bedroom adjoining that
but when the cottage planned itself 1t had de-
cided not to have any more rooms to use up
furniture for people who hardly had any.
Batty was eating his dinner full hour be-
fore the right time. There was a wonderful
slice Of cold meat between the two pieces of
bread. 1t was not every day that such din
ner was left where he could get at it, and the
sight and smell had been too much for him.
was only six years old and had not learned
7tand uncommon temptations.
hit believe the baby will cry until
he said. gravey. Mother she'll be
pretty soon after that. She won't
any Christmas with her. Jim Denike,
id il wouldn't be here till tomorrow,
ow, He doesn't know what's going to