davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24
THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

burst into an hilarious laugh at the mince
and pumpkin pie which followed; then sud-
denly recollected that. he was company -
and shut his lank jaws with snap, and
settled his sallow visage into solemn gray
ity. Poor, lonely folk; for once they were
well-fed, with food that was to them an I'M
known luxury; and their worn, old hearts
warmed with cheer and goodwill; and
when, after dinner, the pars0n read to them
the story Of the Wonderful Child born in
the humble manager Of Bethlehem, it was
like new song to them, for they had re-
ceived the Gospel that day in its:practical
strength and joy, and when ParsOn Hunt
ington closed the book and looked around
on those cheerful faces, there came into his
heart, even as il voice had spoken it in his
ear, the word Of the Master long known to
him, never before 80 pathetically and
peacefully felt:
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one Of
the least Of these, my brethren, ye have
done it unto Met"
And when night fell, and Granny Pine,
with a mince pie and a loaf Of rye bread !;
Sylvy, with her pocket full Of doughnuts and
q bowl Of pudding; Uncle Isr'el, with va
rious slices Of roast beef and pumpkin pie
laid in tin pail, and Bi, with as much GIN
gerbread as his useful hand could grasp,
were packed into the sleigh and driven to
their various homes under the star-spark-
ling canopy Of Heaven, the minister's si-
lent thankfulness was even greater than
that Of his guests, and he humbled himself
in his heart that he had never so served the
Master before.
But this was not his last service Of the
like sort. The days went on and the Aus
tralasia was still delayed. No ship spoke
her on the cold and lonely ocean; no spar
of her wreck fOated to any shore; but
never on land or sea was she heard Of
again, and the minister's heart was heavy,
for he had but this one tie Of kindred out Of
his own household, and he mourned deeply,
il silently, for his brother.
All Joseph Huntington's property Of
course fell to Cephas. 1t was more than
he knew what to do with; but he built q
new and beautiful stone church and par
sonage for OriOle, and built himself large
low house where the old one had stood; for
he resigned his pastOrate to a younger man
who married Julia and was to him q real
son.
But ParsOn Huntington was not idle; he
led the life of an apostle there among the
green Vermont hills, preaching in lonely
hamlets, visiting the sick and poor and help
ing all who needed help; while every Christ
mas Day, in his long sunny dining-room
built expressly SO large for such purposes,
he gathered the poor, the MANNED, the halt
and the blind from the highways and
hedges, and feasted them with Christmas
cheer, SO that year after year, SO long as
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24
bands meditations; for her own ran in the

bands meditations; for her own ran in the
same direction.
my DEAR" mildly demonstrated Cephas,
~ don't think he meant veal; it was but .
figure of speech. Joseph Is something ir-
revercnt by nature, and hath an easy way
Of quoting Scripture that is unseemly. He
called himself the prodigal son but too
truly, I fear. mistrust he has fed upon
husks in that evil city"
''Oh!" said his wife, with . relieved air;
''but after all, my dear, what shall we have
for dinncri'
II will take Julia and the pony this after
noon and ride over to the Carter farm;
perhaps we may find some help there"
$50 do; SO do, Cephas. Mrs. Carter has
squashes into January. May be we might
have one for pies"
So Julia and her father, defended as well
as was in their power against the bitter
weather, wedged themselves into the rude
sleigh and trotted away over the crisp
snow Of the half broken roads to the
Carter farm.
''Just in time, you be! just in the nick
on ~" shouted the hearty farmer, coming
out at the sound of the bells. 81 was speakin'
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

81 guess it would" answered smiling
Julia, who went on to explain the situation.
"And have you got squash to spare, Mrs.
Carter!'
"Mercy, yes. Our crook-necked skoshes
bore like all possessed this fall; was tellin'
him he'd have to feed some on 'em out to
the critters, or they IL rot on our hands;
but set up to the fire, do; you must be about
froze to death, amt yet" And not waiting
to hear the answer, the good woman went
OF to the pantry, bringing back q skillet
full Of cider which she set over the Goals,
and in five minutes Julia and her father
were enjoying lunch Of doughnuts, cheese
and mulled cider-no despicable drink on
this bitter winter day; and when they were
warmed and fed, and their footstone filled
with fresh coal and hot ashes, the great
squash was wrapped in an old potato sack
and slowed away under the buffalo robe
beside the f0otstone, 50 it should reach
home safely. That week was q busy week
at the parsonage; a box-stove was put up
in the spare chamber, and a store Of wood
laid up in the adjoining closet; flannel
sheets, homemade; blankets of the old
coarse fashion; heavy cotton comfortables,
were heaped on the bed; Julia's room went
through like series of preparations, for it
was to be given up for Marie, and its owner
was to sleep on lounge moved from her
mothers room into the kitchen; the par
sons house was very small-two rooms up
stairs and two below, with dining-room
and kitchen in the one-story wing, were all
they had, but until now it had been enough
Then there was bread to make at the last
moment, for that must be fresh, SO Thurs
day, very early, the great oven was fired,
and out of it emerged in due time mince
pies. squash pies, cranberry tarts,
loaves of wheat and rye bread with
crisp brown crust, and at last a jar of win
ter pears baked with water and molasses
till the jar was half filed with fragrant
syrup, and the pears red, tender and
juicy.
Julia had gathered ground-pine from
place in the woods where the snow had
blown of, and filled the stiff vases on the
parlor shelf with its graceful sprays and
trails; the beef was suffering in the tin
rooster before the kitchen fire; and in one
corner of the chimney a tight-covered pot
sent out odors of chicken pot-pie, for which
Mrs. Huntington had sacrificed three of
her young pullets; the table was laid in the
dining room, and the mother, in her best
black gown with checked apron tied over
it, was alternately sticking fork into the
potatoes in the kettle which hung from the
crane, or into the turnips that simmered in
q skillet, while now and then she opened
the oven door and poured cold milk into
the Indian pudding that had baked there
for hours and would only leave its fiery
lodging when the pies had come and gone,
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

and it was ''puddin time" For Mrs. Hunt
ington had modelled her Christmas dinner
after the only feast she knew-that OF
Thanksgiving.
The parson himself had left just after
breakfast for the railway station at NAL
den; he had borrowed q double sleigh from
q ncighbor, and filed it with all the shawls
and cloaks the family possessed. beside two
buffalo robes; bundle Of straw in the bot
tom Of the sleigh was ovcrlaid with heavy
rag carpet, and footstone and soapstone
kept the parsons feet warm all the way,
and were to be rc-heated at the tavern for
the guests comfort. The day was crisp
and still, the thermometer below zero, the
sun dazzling on the crusted snow; but Mr..
Huntington was used to Indictment weather
and rather enjoyed his lonely drive and his
meditations by the way. He had just housed
his horses under the tavern shed, and
turned out before them small bag Of oats,
when the whistle Of the incoming train
was heard. The station was only few
steps from the tavern, and ParsOn Hunting
ton was on the platform when the train
came; but only two men and q little girl got
of.
'sNobody else for Maldeni" he asked, anx-
iously, Of the conductor.
mo, was tue curt reply.
The train stopped to take in water, so
the parson had time to 60 through both
cars, but Joseph was not there. As he
stepped OF on to the platform he picked up
New York paper that had been dropped
from the window, and while he waited in
the tavern for his horses to finish their
oats, he read it carefully, and soon hunted
out the shipping news. There was brief
item in a paragraph on the first page
australasia overdue''-but no further in
tel,igence in the list of arrivals, and with
anxious disappointment in his heart and
face he drove homeward alone.
s'Here's father all alone!' cried out Julia
from the window to her mother, who was
just cutting the bread for dinner.
''All alOner'
ayes; what can be the matters"
"Good land, Cephas, what shall we do
with the dinner!" was Mrs. Huntington's
dismayed exclamation, after she received
the parsons explanation.
''My dear, I know not, unless we follow
the word of Scripture, and call in the sick
and the MANNED and the halt to this feast"
"Well, so do.''
The parson was taken aback at his wife's
literal acceptance Of his words.
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24


to no fewer than three young ladies at once.
"Are you about ready, Lucy!" the young
man called, presently, without even I'd
vancing a step toward her.
81 must teach you lesson, my fine young
gentleman" Lucy muttered to herself.
''There are some things you've got to learn
yet. And l might as well teach you few
Of them right now" And she went on de-
liberately perfecting great many incom-
prehensible details in the business Of attir-
ing herself for an excursion through wide
strip of brown-lcaved black-jacks and
across some dun-colored meadows to her
fathers home, where the popular ''sur-
prise" Christmas dinner was to be laid
within an hour.
81 shall stay here, and 60 in the wagon"
was Lucy's somewhat paradOxical state
ment, made very innocently and with her
chin held up so that her hat-ribbOns could
be tied in a graceful bow.
Why, how does that come" asks the
young man with suddenly developed in
terest, and walking toward her, while his
large brown eyes fixed themselves upon
her slightly averted face, with look of
perplexity not unmixed with q tinge Of
amusement.
81 think I'll go along with father and
mother, SO they won't suspect any thing,
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

amused by the prattle Of two or three shall
low-pated girls!
Nevertheless, when five minutes after
ward she found that Will had actually
taken the little sheep-path that led through
the hazelthicket and into the black jack
woods, she suddenly became quite cOntrite
indeed.
ats shame to treat the poor fellow
that wayr' she said to herself. And tell
ing the folks in the wagon that she was
going to walk through the woods with
and here she purposely sunk her voice and
turned away her head 50 they couldn't
make out the name - she picked up q
basket of roast chickens and sliced bread
designed for the IS SURPRISE dinner and al
most ran down into the path that went into
the hazel thicket Four hundred yards
away she saw q dark figure for q moment
outlined against the purplish gray Of the
hazel thicket. Was he looking at herl
Would he see her and wait!
She looked down for an instant with q
self-induced flush Of contrition. When she
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

sit may be designed that we should" he
said, thoughtfu1ly.
''Oh," exclaimed Julia. "How pleased
Granny Pine, and old Sylvy and Uncle
Isr'el Venner and Bi Peters would be to
have dinner like thisv'
81 will fetch them; it is Of the Lord, -
said the parson, who was one Of those obso-
lete persons who believe that Solomon was
right when he said: 1.-THE Lord giveth
wisdom"
So he took up the reins again and went
out into the lanes and hedges for his Christ
mas guests. Granny Pine lived by herself
in little brown house near the church,
and was half supported by neighbors, for
her tiny pension would scarce supply her
with food and fuel, and she was lame of one
leg and bowed down with rheumatism.
Old Sylvy was ''the'' town poor; tall,
thin, melancholy, poverty-stricken Great
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

The girls are waiting. Lena will be SO de-
lighted to have you with dhem."
"ConfOund Lena" said the exasperated
young man, darting look Of dislike
amounting to positive aversion in the direc-
ton Of the giggling group at the other end
Of the room. II shall walk across by my
SELF" he added in an undertone that at the
moment hardly enabled the words to i'm
press themselves upon Lucy's memory in
the tumult Of her enjoyment Of the new re-
lationship Of teacher and pupil. Wasn't
she teaching him Q good lesson upon the
bad habit Of appearing to be interested and
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

1t would take pages to record the salts
faction of this old party at their unexpected
Christmas feast: to tell how Granny Pine
cackled, and old Sylvy smiled; how Uncle
Isr'el smacked his lips over the tender beef,
and sent his plate again and again for more
pudding; or how Bi Peters grinned from
ear to ear at the piece of chicken-pie to
which Mrs. Huntington helped him, and
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

AUSTRALASIA OVERDUE"
ure, kept in the attic of farmers house,
entirely maintained by the town, who paid
John Slocum the lowest living price for her
support. She kept herself quite patiently
to the small room that was warmed, in the
severest weather only, by little box-stove,
and spent her time reading the Bible and
knitting blue yarn stockings. Neighbors
came in to see her sometimes, and in warm
weather she hobbled out to meeting now
and then; she was old, feeble and lonely,
and when the parson saw her dull eyes and
wrinkled face light up at his invitation. he
wished heartily he had done this thing be-
fore.
Uncle Isrel Venner had hut of his own
on the outskirts Of the village; he was a
one-legged old soldier Of the Mexican war,
a comrade of Granny Pines dead husband;
he, too, had a pension, smaller even than
hers, but he eked it out by doing ''chOres"
for the village people; and with him lived
Abijah Peters, - unier- Wit.cd, goOd-na-
tured fellow with withered arm, so poor and
so triendless that old Isr'el had taken him
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

about We, parson, this very mornin' to Mrs.
Carter; its KILN time here, and expect q
rib-roast out o. my fat heifer wouldn't come
amiss to We, now, would it!'
MY friend, it is providential I came
over to seek something of the meat kind,
for my brother Joseph and his folks are
coming next Thursday to see us, and we
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

ana the surprise Will
be complete. You can
walk across with the
girls. They'll enter
tain you. And I'll be
along after awhile"
Lucy went on, quite
gaily and even exu-
berantly, as she saw
the very patent look
of blank disappOint-
ment and half resent
m ent in the young
mans face and man
ner.
Come on, Will, !"
called one of the girls,
in the hoydenish man
ner of the locality.
"We'll take care Of
him for you, Loo"
said another rather
pretty black-eyed
girl with some unde-
fined defect about her
mouth when she
laughed.
II thought you were
going to walk across
the fields and through
the woods with mes"
he said, in q low voice
and placing himself
before her with a look
that was at once re-
gretful and accusing.
There was the gay
est and bright st
sparkle in Lucy's
eyes. She did not at
tempt to conceal her
very keen enjoyment
of the relationship of
teacher and pupil. On
the contrary she pa
raded it effectively
too effectively if such
a thing could be.
"I'll be there almost
as soon as you," she
said, with an attempt
to look as if this ar
rangement was really
q thing beyond her
cCufrOl - Now on IN
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

WANT 10 give tlieIu
food to eat as well as
brotherly love-"
That's so! that's
just so, now: love an
kindness is good, but
they amt good to eat.
The material man, as
you tell about, hes got
to have suthin' nopr-
ishun; amt that 500
Well, now I'll send
We over a tenderline
rib-roast, twill hang
an keep a week in
your shed this
weather; and there's
Marthy, you go in am
see Marthy; she lots
on SEEM the minister
always"
So the parson fol-
lowed Julia into the
kitchen, a long, low
room at the back Of
the house, entered
through an open shed
where the churn and
the wash-bench and
the tubs stood in cold
weather. A blazing
hickory fire burned
on the wide deep
hearth, and a savory,
fruity smell greeted
the strangers as they
entered.
i" Why, do tell" ex-
claimed Mrs. Carter,
''taint you, is it! Nor
tai flesh! l was talkin'
to him about Mrs.
Huntin'ton this NOR
MIN, and tellin' how
that l was goin' to
make a mess of mince
up to-day. Now I'd
billed down the cider,
and I'd send her a jar
ont when he Grove
over to weekly meet
in, and carried the rib
roast he calculated to
let you hev. Would it
come handy, now!"
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24
THE MINISTER'S DINNER.
How It Was Converted Into q
Christmas Charity.

HI" said the minister;
then he gave his wife
the letter to read.
''O-h!" said she, as she
passed it to her daugh-
ter, with a look of dis
may at the minister,
who had two extra
wrinkles above his
eyes, and was rub
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

the good man and his kindly wife lived, the
poor folk in and about Oriole solaced them
selves in their want and loneliness all the
rest Of the year with sure and certain ex-
pectation Of the minister's Christmas din
mo
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24
a2 &x %>A
IN AN OLD MINE.
A Christmas Dinner and q New
Years Wedding.

E may 60 home by
him SELF" thought
Lucy, putting on her
cloak very deliberate
~ and affecting not to
look IN o certain di-
rection, and where .
young man was at
that moment talking
The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24

looked up, the purplish gray line Of tho
hazel thicket fitted snugly up to the broad
black band Of the dense black jack woods.
There was NO waiting figure. He bad
gone on.
Not until she had passed the line Of tho
hazel thicket and felt the sudden pressure
Of the black shadow Of the woods did Lucy
abandon wholly the laugh that had gone %
merrily with her from the instant in which
she had resolved that this fine young fell
low must have lesson. Now, however, It
had gone, utterly, and in its place was an
ill-de6ned feeling Of discomfort that grew
upon her and hurried her along.
Il was about this stage Of the journey
that she began to wonder II young man
unacquainted with the country-as this
young school-teacher Was-and little bit
angry and disappointed, Is this young
man probably was-might not get lost.
The day had been Of Q purplish gray out
in the fields. Here under the thick tangle
Of innumerable long, scraggy, knotty black
jack limbs it was at the very least an ugly,
murky brown. This young scho0l-teachef
of fellowi OF course he couldn't know
any thing about the woodsi And on such
q day-But harki Was not that some
body calling! Calling with strange prop
erty Of fright, Of terror, Of anguish in the
voice! Yes! There it is again! No, all 10
silent save the undulating roar Of the wind
rushing or ripping over the crags Of the
black jack limbs.
She stopped and listened with such an
intensity Of effort that she heard the slow
ing throbbing Of her heart, retarded by
suspension of her respiration. Then cry
clear and distinct but very distant-strange-
ly distant:
"Help! helpl Hilloa! hilloa! helpp'
1t was the voice-his voice. She could
not be mistaken. She did not hesitate an
instant to debate the question Of what was
to be done. She had heard his cry for help.
Itplainly came from the southwest. She
had that quality of courageous promptitude
not at all infrequent in women; and she
sprang forward through a tangle of tall
briers and hazel brush, up over a small alb
rupt mound that she remembered never to
have seen before, and then. she thought the
earth suddenly sunk from under her, and
darkness-thick, black, palpable darkness
enveloped her. Then, after an indefinite
time, she seemed to fight her way up
through clouds that rapidly thinned and
rolled away, and in a dim twilight she saw
familiar face above her, and heard words
in familiar voice. Nay, there were actu-
ally kisses upon her cheeks and lips.
;, tchn ,a6
Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-12
A NARROW ESCAPE.
Bidel, the Famous Lion Tanner, At
tackled and Badly MutiIated.
From the Neoo York Herald.

From the Ne,o York Herald.
PARIS, July S.-The eccentric English
men who, according to French tradition,
habitually attend the performances of
lion tanners in hopes Of seeing the lions
devour their masters, came very near
having their wish gratifed a couple of
nights ago at the FOire de NeuIlly. Bidel,
the famous lion tanner, had, as usual,
pitched his tent at the corner of the great
Paris fair, where his blood-curdling per-
formances had been drawing crowds
nightly.
He had entered the cage to face the four
fierce lions with whom he performs. The
people noticed that Bidel did not seem
himself. He had an anxious look and
seemed unwell. No wonder, for he was
suffering from sudden attack OF rheu-
matism, and walked with difficulty. All
went well, however, up to certain point.
He had put the four animals through their
PAGES.
Three had returned to the adjoining cage
and Bidel was alone with one ferocous
old African lion-his show beast-named
sultan, which began it's career in France
by biting a rustic's arm off some years
ago. The beast has always been hard to
manage. Bidel was about to make Sultan
stand on his hind legs, when the tanner
stumbled, from rheumatic pain, falling
prone.
In an instant the lion bounced upon
him, fastening its teeth in his neck and
arms. All seemed over, and a simulta-
neous cry of horror arose from the au-
dience. Several women tainted, and every
one but Bidel and an assistant, who was
provldentially near, lost their heads. BY
tremendous effort of muscle and will
the lion tanner clutched the lion by the
jaw and strove to hurl the mighty mass
away from him. At the same time the
assistant, catching up long iron tipped
pole, made determined lunge at Sultan,
who, bowling with pain, relaxed his hold,
and retired next door to reflect on
the situation. Before the beast could
spring at him again, Bidel, streaming
with blood, dragged himself to the outer
door OF the cage. Meanwhile all the ami
mails in the menagerie had raised their
peculiar cries, making the place hideous.
A doctor present at once attended to the
wounds, seventeen in mum Der, but none
Immediately dangerous. Bidel at once
offered to re-enter the cage to complete
the performance, but the public stopped
him with shouts of 60 AsseZl Asset ="
("EnOugh! Enough") and he retired for
week or ten days to obtain rest and
nursing.