Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-11

one piS STOCKING I0r grandf1th0R.
Let's hang it up, boys. Maybe Santa
Claus III come and fill it."
There was no end of fun over Grand
father Frooman's grain bag stocking.
that was all leg and no foot, but Uncls
hiram Simpson took it and fastened II
strongly to branch in the middle Of
the tree. 1t was close to the trunk, and
was almost hidden; but Liph saw Un-
Gle Hiram wink at Aunt Ellen, and he
knew there was fun of some kind that
he had not thought of.
Grandmother Vrooman had been %
busy with all those children from the
moment they came into the house that
she had almost lost her anxiety; but II
came back to her now all OF a sudden.
'.Sakes alive! Jane" she said to
Mrs. Hardy, ''every last one Of 'sm's
got to be in bed before we san Do q
thing with the stockings."
BiJah heard her, for he was Just ~
yond the dlning-room door, with Q
cruller in each hand. and it made hin
shiver all over.
II wish was in the 'sylum. NAI
don't either, but / kind O. wish vaSs
Bjah was very small boy, and hs
had not seen much of the world, but
his ideas were almost as clear 40 those
of the other children, and Grandmoth-
er 'rooman for the next fifteen min
utes. The way the Simpson and Hop
kins families got mixed up, with Liph
and Sue Hardy to help them, was some
thing wonderful. Old Bush wandered
from room to room after them, ws9-
ging his tail and whining.
Mother" exclaimed Mrs Hardy at
last. ''the bed you made on the floor in
the store-room,'
Just the thing for him. All the rest
60 in pairs III put that poor little
dear right in there"
So she did, and not one Of her own
grandchildren was tucked in warmer
than was Bijah. He did not kick the
bedclothes off next minute, either, and
he was the only child in the house of
whom that could be said. Grandfather
Vrooman paid a visit of inspection all
around from room to room, and Bush
went with him. 1t took him a good
while. When he came to the store
room and looked in. Bijah's tired eyes
were already closed as tight as were the
fingers of the little hand On the cover
let, which was still grasping . crul-
Ter.
He was fast asleep, but Grandfather
Vrooman was not; and yet, when Bush
looked up at him, the old mans eyes
We're shut too, and there was q stir in
his thick white beard as if his lips wers
moving.
Things got pretty still after . whila
and then there began a steady process
sion in and out of the dark room"
which was not dark.
Boxes went in, and bundles, and
these were opened and united, and their
contents spread out and looked ut and
distributed. 1t was no wonder Grand
father Vrooman's big sleigh had bssa
so full, and the one Pat had driven,
when they brought the Hopkins and
Simpson families from the nsrth anA
south railway stations.
Grandfather himself went away Out
to the barn once for something he said
he had hidden there, and while he was
gone Aunt Ellen Simpson and Uncle
Hiram slipped a package into the grain
bag. and grandmother handed Uncle
Hiram another to slip in on top of 1t,
and Uncle John Hardy and Uncle Mar
tin Hopkins each handed him another,
and tbe bag was almost half full, but
YOU could not see it from outside; and
then they all winked at each other when
grandfather came in with . back-load
of sleds. Grandmother may have
thought she knew what they were
winking about, but she didn't, for Un-
,le Hiram whispered to Aunt Ellen:
I'm glad it's big stocking. Ols
II do for both of 'em."
1t was late when they all went to
bed, and there was so much fire in the
fireplace they were half afraid to leave
it, but Grandfather Vrooman said it
was of no use to try and cover it up,
and the room would be warm in the
morning.
When they got upstairs the children
must all have been asleep, for there
was not a sound from any room, and
the older people went to bed on tiptoe.
and they had tried hard to not so much
Is whisper on the stairs.