The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-25

| farm, but her tender neart ieapt y ie
she saw how her mothers wan lace
glOwed to see her again, and at INST
when Abner and LizZy and tiny Kuth
were ali there she did not feel regret
sharply; but when mother had toied
/ through the festival, made hard woI &
/ by her devices 10 spread generous
feast; for out OF home products. only
grudged at that, she wrOu hit the ulnner
I OF the day; when AbneT and his iaInily
/ had inst endured the solitude and bare
cleanliness of the farmhouse Tor three
| days and gone away, then NE smut
down on Nelly ike blank cloud thsre
was nothing to do bat strain milk
! peel potatoes. churTr, mend milk sweep
and dust. except the early WEEKS change
/ OF work in washing and ironing. Netty
had TO question OF what use was her ed
/ ucatiOn, TO what end ter narrow life ?Sud
denly she bethought herself Of another
/ holiday approaching, one she had kept
/ IN HayeriOrd 50 jpyfully. and yet her
| memory neverre allied the least Observ
snce Of the day at home.
| "Mamma she SAID abruptly one
/ afternoon ten days after Thanksgiving,
as they sat together al the weeks mend
ing. what shall We do for Christmas
/ this year2"
"What2r said the astonished woman.
y
Why, Christmas. dear, We used 20
keep il atAbner's have g real good time
hanging up stockings and giving thugs,
YOU know and greens all over the house
Don't you ever do II here?"
\ smile sadder than teas stole over
Mrs 10 kins's triea face.
Why, Netty We dOa't keep Thanks
givin' most years. Father amt one Of
them that b'lieves in play-spelis. ye
know. G. me 70 think I've read about
IL sOmewheres, mebbe twas in the
paper Amarinthy Snow sent over one
time for me TO see about the medicine
that's good for rheumatic. l guess !
did; some folks think the SAVIOR was
born that day, 1 b'lieve. dono how
they know"
Well. but Mamma, suppose thsy
don't know just The very time, isn't Il
good 10 take a day 10 be glad in. for
that And / don't feel sure they don't
know; folks that know more than / do
have thought He was for years untold
and it seems ss if We ought 70 do some
thing TO tell what day it is thought 10
De. anyway
Mrs. Hoskin>'s face fell.
Il don't blieve d try, dear. Father
ain { one TO give in 70 new tangled ways
a mite. l don't b'lleve he'd like il.
come into opposition with her father
and she had most abundant faith IN her
powers OF pleasing.
We'll seel she said confidently. u
could trim up the house beautifully;
there's lots OF young hsmlOcks up the |
hill, and it's such mild weather the |
ground hasn't frozen yet. anc remem- !
Der that old lot full Of sum 4cus where |
4 here are three kinds OF ground pine;
aud I'll coax father TO give me some |
money and wen have your first
Christmas Day kept in good fashion,
Mamma.
Mrs. Hoskins turned her head away |
and pretended TO see something out of |
the window; she hated to nip Netty's |
hopes in the bud; she knew the girl /
might as well hope 70 move that dismal i
old gray harm she was staring al with /
its Uttered yard and rickety fences tell
ing the story o: neglect and penurious-
ness, as 10 move her father; and yet
poor mother il was perhaps possible
that those clear sweet gray eyes, that
Tlppled wealth of hair, those firm red
lips and warm flushing cheeks she
found so irresistioly lovely, m ghl touch
'Liah's heart as she had never touched
1t. Yet so small was her faith that
when after supper was over and the
own low chair 10 'Lian's side as ne sat
in the chimney corner warming his
feet, Mrs. Hoskins went away upstairs
on some fool pretext, and shivered IN
Netty's cold bedroom rather than see
her darling hurt
But of all this Netty was unaware she
al never vet since she came home 1
from HaverfOrd asked her father 10 do .
anything for her, and her courage was
ike an untried courage, very strong.
ia her. she began. Didn't yen
ever keep Christmas when you were e
ooy?"
WHAT" grosled 'Liah.
Didn't you hang up your stockings
and give people things Christmas?"
Il don't know VIII you're talkin' |
about. girl; / put nv stOckins' on my
.eet since was big enough TO dot. (
va n Z fetched mp to 10 nonsense"
well" said NeJty little less cheer :
lv, Il suppose, come 10 think of IL. | .
here weren't any Episccpalians round Z
here then any more than there are nov,
but we always kept it at Abner's. and :
everybody gave pres nts all round, and !
We went TO church. aud l thought il
Tou'd give me some money. dear; ten OF !
iftsen dollars, why / would make /
Christmas here and have il so nice for :
Mother and" :
stop sech talk right of. | won't
hear tot! Ten do lars why beye out of I
your head. girl? r se1pals. indeed '
neetin'-house is good enough for me, n /
We been a purfessor this forty ODD l
rear. Iguess not II s daraed nonsense
be hull on';. l hs'n't got no money 70
brow away on sech stuff, nor Sara Ann {
ion't want no sech notions put into her
lead. now tell We; nor don't We 90 TO | /
loin' ont. Ten dollars I wonder We '
ion't want q hundred! amt no man q
o throw away dollars. I've spent a 2
leap too much on yer edication s'ready. a
,artickler if this notion comes on Z;
levin food an raiment you had ought r
herewith to be content, as Scrlpter I
avs. Moreover an where Iithal 5
lon't mean TO hev ye ihlin' round all Z
'er days; there's school district over y
o Sable Fo1r Corners where they're a b
DIN 10 want teacher next spring I'm h
chool committee and I'll give We vCur y
tme so st you can take that school | Z
ONE April, and arm your hvin'. Come '
o that / guess you won't banker after b
10 Christmas nonsense. Well-it's bed I 3
.me. pootty near I'ngo n shake down d
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