Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-25

8 of large game. ssSech varmints ain't wutl
 a quarter-aint wuth bit eyen." 'Tm quite willing to pay a dollar each,
 said the lady, with laugh; "and if youv' 3 shot them to-day I'll take them all. wan to send lot to different friends in the Eas as Christmas gifts; so they must be fresh. 'fChris'mas gifts?" exclaimed Nim. "Yor mean to say, ma'am, that wild turkey ii good 'nough for Christmas gifta'
 "I thought so when I lived in the East,
 was the reply. eff you'll kindly bring them up to the house for me I will gel you the money"
 considerable cutting of bark strings laid
 the game the piazza. There were ten of them-ten dollars. ssMore money, J
 thought Nim to himself, ''than ever 'arned
 in single day with my gun. Well, it ort
 to be more to pay for sech low down work
 dled any tukkeys! didn't do nothin' of
 the sort. I wuz just leanin' agin this fence
 an she axed me eff I keered to sell any of
 lem. Yes, sir; that's how. it was"
 The purchaser emerged in 8 moment,
 followed by two o1 three children, one of them being a girl of fifteen, plainly but
 tastefully dressed. The lady counted the
 turkeys and handed the seller the money
 Nim looked at the girl, then at the lady | and said:
 1 "Your darter, ma'am2" The mother nodded assent.
 "You're goin' to give her Christmas gifts, | I s'posea'' -z=-. - 1 Again the lady inclined her head l :sWould you min tellin' me some of l 'ema" asked Nim. "Ive got gal jest her
 size an I'm dead tired thinkin' of what to | git her."
 sAmy,'' said the lady, with smile and
 a wink at her daughter, Ego into the house
 and don't you dare listen" Then she said 1 to Min:
 "Her father is going to give her piano and-'
 | ssIll get one for Piney," said Nim. (Which store keeps 'ems' 'tTm afraid you won't find one at any | of our stores," the mother replied, ffbut I l am going to give her some books and per fumery, and gloves and candy-all sorts of | things that young girls like you know. It's l so hard to think of things that one hasn't given before on birthdays or at Christmas. Don't you find it so2'
 'sWell, fur ez Piney goes" Nim was about to admit that he had not yet begun to give presents, when the lady l interrupted him.
 | "Pineya" said she. "What pretty, rus tic name. But where did you get its I didn't know there were any pine trees in | this region"
 "Her mother named her arter the pineys l that once growed in her dads back yard great, big, round, red flowers, just like Pi | ney's face when she was little. They was | the pootiest thing the old woman could | think up when she wanted to name the | baby"
 The lady looked puzzled; then she re- membered that the "piney' was the con- mon country name for the peony. But she 1 had something else to think of. Christ mas was only one day off and here | puzzled parent who wanted counsel-an ar l ticle in which she abounded. She looked at Nim, estimated his home and family by his own appearance and said eff I were you I would get her story book, stuff for a new dress-cheap but pretty, nice little bracelet or ring and | some Christmas cards to nail on the walls of her room; they bri yhten @ girls room | up so."
 Nim looked blank
 of I didn't feel I could afford so much,' said the lady hastily, 'Id get only part of them"
 "Money's no object" said Nim, bravely; "but I don't know sech things apart very we'll. I wish one of the stores was right here, I'd ask you to show lem to me-" S'I'll eheerfully help you if you'll let me. I must go down to my husbands office, so it won't put me out at all" Ten minutes later an idle clerk, lounging in front of store, looked up the road and | said to another idle clerk: Whats coming2' s.T ,-- = 'fLooks as if the pickets had captured a female spy" shouted idle clerk No 3. who had been to the war.
 Two or three minutes later both clerks | were busy showing articles for which the first lady of the village asked and at which Nim looked. Nim threatened to be a some- what cratic customer. He insisted on buy ing lamp reflector, supposing it mirror; and he mistook fancy box of toilet soap for candy. Then he narrowly escaped buying 8 tiny dog collar for 8 bracelet and he abso- lutely insisted upon having large patent medicine chromo, framed, because it made one side of the store look gorgeous. But finally he made purchases which the lady as- at Christmas. He paid his bill and found more than half his money remained. "Im over an over obliged to ye, ma'am,'' said he; ''but l want to ask ve one thing more; pick out somethin' for my wife-some- thin sech you'd pick out for yerself."
 The lady selected several things, among them two or three cheap lace collars, col ored silk handkerchief, which she said could be worked over into bonnet tiny bottle of cologne and pretty purse, in which she suggested Nim might put what change re- mained. Then she bade him goodbye and started homeward, while Nim took his pack ages and began the long tramp to Cat Greek. Amazement sat enthroned upon the brow of eseh man who visited Nim Cumplin Christmas morning to fire guns and drink whiskey, for Piney was dancing about in a gypsy hat loaded with flowers, and broad pink ribbon about her waist. Mrs. Cumplin wore g pollar-the first one ever seen on Cat Oreek-and it was fastened with the historic hreastpin, which had been carefully polished with ashes from the fireplace hearth. Thers was an odor in the room that was not entire- ly that of whiskey, and great wes the sur prise ot each man when ha saw how small was the bottle that diHused so much per fume. There was 8 red cover on the table, patent medicine chromo on each wall, and Christmas cards in a row on the shelf over the fireplace The general effect was so as- tonishing to one visitor shat he abruptly de- parted without drinking and came beck in anl hour, bringing his wife and two daugh- ters. ''O
 '.l didn't kncw what to make of it all," said he; "so I thought I'd bring the old wo- man and gals to find out for me-"
 'It means just this," said Nim Cump1in; lit means we've found out how to have Christmas for sure, an we ain't agoin' to for git it again"
 Christmas for sure," said Mrs. Cumplin, ''means Christmas for women ez we'll ez men,"
 Cat Checkers are human, so they all re- solved, each for himself, to be in the fash ion. The result was revolutionary; from being lot of sturdy hunters, living in bare log cabins, the most of the natives began to be industrious farmers and build better houses, and take their wives to the Forks with them to help spend their money. They even built g school house; about this time some of the more conservative natives moved away and the others, in the despair of their longing for the good old time, drank them selves to death.
 But Nim Cump1in did not forget how to shoot; each year, a day or two before Christ mas, ten wild turkeys find their way in some mysterious manner to the front door of the lady who had been Minis only customer.
 How Emil Eola Works.
 ICor, Al;genene Zeitung.l
 zola writes everything himself, he never has secretary for his extensive eorrespon- dance He even scale his