Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-25

covered his balance, and Pms sprang away
with little blach-and-tan yelp. He was en-
tlrely safe in moment behind Batty Perouse,
and looked out from his refuge with bark al
ready to let go. He would have PREFER, d the
other side OF fence but had deal II conf
dence in Batty. That was more than b tiy
hnd In himself, for he backed of toward The
edge OF the sidewalk. and his Eyes grew wider
as he looked up at Grandfather Starin.
The old man paused and booked down, and
great hoarst croak came strugg ing up to
his hard mouth. Il tried twice, and The sec
ond time 1t sounded like:
wish you Merry Chr stmAs ~
Batty instantly responded:
mo, sir. 1t can't come. We've got ours
All that belongs to u.s. Fathers got the rest
where he is Mother said So"
There came another harsh croak that Batty
could not understand. aud the old man walked
on. Puns came around in front OF Batty, and
began to look brave.
Jim Denike saws there isn't any Christmas
in HIM, Puns. Jim knows. He's been to
one. He said so, and he saw Sandy Claws"
AT that very moment jim was on his way
home from Sheaver's wood with a sled-load Of
evergreens. At the top of he hill he had
paused until Deacon 1ravers aud his team
should climb past him. 80 that he cond coast
IT. down the road to the level, for there was
not another team coming.
"Wish you Merry Christmas. d." said Jim. and
his eyes had bad twinkle in them.
"Christmas," gruuted the deacon.
you're the luckiest man around here" said
Jim. Nobody else'll have more'n one Christ
mas. and you'll have two"
"What do you mean, YOU"
"Why, little Bstty Perouse says his mother
said you never Let 80 OF anything you once
got Your hands on. You must have stuck to
all the Christmas you had las: year, just as
you did Of"
you saucy young rascal I" exclaimed the
-. IL
his feet touched the snow there was a heaped-
up sled with blnck-eyed boy on it, CHANGING
away down the hill at an expr, 50 train speed.
HE got her old house awful cheap" said
Jim, as the swift air made his cheeks tiugle.
'He might as well have a Christmas present
OF what some folks think about it,"
Deacon Travers drove on, grumbhng:
''Jasuce is justice. I'd no idee she had any
hard feelin's about it, and her fathers a rich
man, too. Richer'n | am"
Beyond the long slide at the foot Of the hill
the sled-load Of greens had to be dragged.
and Jim was little ont Of breath when he
met old Judge Peters, the lawyer, carrying
huge turkey in each hand. A man is never
more helpless than when his hands are full
Guess you didn't raise 'em, judge. Wish
you merry Christmas"
RAISE EN-? No. Merry Christmas" said
the lawyer, crustily. Il don't raise poultry. +"
"Guess not" said Jim. Little batty Pc
mother said you raised 'em. Real fat ones
Were they fatter'n them turkeys?"
He received no answer whatever, but il
either Of those turkeys had been a brick he
might have had one, and the lawyers face was
turkey red an he walked -. Before the
s.ed wa in Mr.. Denike's front yard, Grand
father starin had fhut his own gate behind
him. He went around TO the side door, and
that carried him past the sitting room window.
and somehow or other he stopped and looked
In. 1t was pleasant. cosy sort Of room, with
a bright wood fire bla ziug in an old-fashioned.
open-faced, Franklin" stove hight in front
OF the fire sat an old lady, and her face had
withered, WORKOUT look, but there was faint
glow upon it that may have come from the
blazing hickory. She was knitting, and her
lips moved as II she was singing something.
and her foot rested on the rocker Of a great
wooden cradle.
"Sakes alive She's crazyr exclaimed
Grandfather Starin, and yet he walked very
slowly, indeed, to the side door and into the
house. She heard his heavy feet on the snow
on the doorsteps, but he did not hear her say:
Hes coming. oh, dear II Hester's baby
were here It's all can do"
Maria" said he, as he walked in, chow did
you ever get that thing down ont of the store
room? What did you do it fur2
II couldn't help doing it, somehow. Pears
to me almost as If 1t wasn't just empty. To
morroW's-"
AhNh hAb tN'Bltht bub hhltllnE anu
rocking went steadily on. Grandfather StaIin
looked into the cradle for moment and then
he turned silently away. 1t had been choked
up with blankets and such matters from the
storeroom, and the tat little pillow was dinted
deeply in the middle, az if small head had
been lying there. Grandmother Starin had
done all that, saying 10 herself:
That's just the way il used TO look after 1
took her up. He can't help remembering. Oh,
how do wish Christmas would come again to
tins house ~
The old man attended to his duties as usual,
indoors and out, and then be came back to cit
down and wait for supper. His wife had gone
into the kitchen TO stir up the 'help" and to
take a look at the mlk-pans. While she was
there no less than five different errand-bOys
came TO the kitchen door with wrapped-up
parcels for Squire SAarn. But she did not
open one Of Them. She did but turn them
over aud draw her breath little hard and say
to herself:
"Ihere can't be no Christmas in 'em, or
they wouldn't ha' come to this house. It's
curious, though, and he doesn't seem to want
to say anything"
There he sat- by the fire, grim and silent.
His boots came OFF, one by one, at long inter-
walls, and his slippers came on. His wife had
put them there for him, and she must have
put something into them, for his right foot
crept ont and out until the toe of that slipper
rested upon the rocker of the cradle.
''Now, kind o wonder" he said, to him
self, "a mans memory isn't in his feet,
There's something the matter with nay mem
ory," and the cradle began TO rock, slowly and
gently, as il it were trying 10 stir him up and
put him in mind of something. Then it
stopped, and he arose and looked over at
book which lay upon round-topped work.
table where his wife had left her knitting.
'What has she been a-reading OPP
The spectacles she had dropped upon the
open page seemed 20 mark place for his eyes
croak, without any words, arose in the throat
of Grandfather Starin.
II the words the spectacles pointed at could
have found their way up-but they could not
they would have been;
"Glory t. God in the highest. 0A earth
peace, good Nj 10 men,"