News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-25

tney re from.
''Thinks to myself right of, 'Wh
can't we have tree right here in Har
Luck9 We kin, sez |; an l put rigl
off to Mis- Dad Kinzie to talk it up. It
to be great s'prise to the children
They don't one OF 'em hev s'pision c
it.
''They's no place here to buy thing
fer it, even if the little fellers ha
money to buy with-an' most o. til
folks here is rale pore
80 me an Mis- Kinzie went 'roun,
the camp, an raised a little money from
them that could give. The owners o
the mine was here from Denver las
week, They're rich as old Cresis, ant
so pompous- like that Mis- Kinzie sale
she wouldn't dast speak to one of 'em
But, humphl l don't see no difference
! tween a millynary an a common per
son, if they'rs both 'spe table; so as
made so bold as to go up to tn ir Office
at the mine, an ask EN- to chip in long
with the rest of us fer the tre fer these
p or mites O. C ildren up here hat see
mig ty little . the bright side o. life.
"Well, if you'll b'leeve me, the idet
of tree in the mine tickled them mer
so they ackshilly give me fifty dollar,
toward it. They did so.
'I'd raised ten dollars besides, and
one o. the boys offered TO take a bury
an 60 down to Leadville after the things
we wanted. You kin see them things
| on the tree tonight.
''Some O the wimmen met hyar las
night, an we popped an strung corr
tel midnight, an made ginger
dogs an men, an bushel o fried cakes
l never in by born days spent happier
time, an l kin hardly wait fer the time
tew come for the children tew see that
tree. Won't they open their eyes,"
Through previous arrangement,
every lid in Hard Luck was to be
brought to the hotel in the evening, and
go from there in body to the mine.
A little after dark the children began
to arrive, in state of great mystifca-
ton, and threw Mrs. Tompkins into I'M
controllable fit of laughing.
''We're goin' out to hunt Mister Santa
Claus" she said, chucking one rosy
checked little fellow under the chin,
kissing another, and taking midget
of a girl i her arms and tossing the
child almost to the low roof of the
cabin.
hey were a jolly lot of boys and
girls, in spite of their shabby clothes
and miserable su roundings. They came
laughing and smiling into the DOM,
filled with ca er expectancy. A little
after seven we started for the mine.
Its main entrance consisted of a tun-
mel in the mountain side about three
h,,-IroI i, IL mi
men had tried to break a path, but the
now had drifted back over the trail al
most as fast as it had been shovelled
away. The smaller childrnn had to be
carried, and there was much stumbling
and falling and laughing and shouting
among the larger ones. Never were
thirty more mystifed children than the
thirty standing in that tunnels mouth
that Christmas eve.
The tunnel ran straight into the
mountain distance of about two hun
dred feet before tuning. At distances
of about ten feet apart candles and
miners lamps were burning, giving the
gloomy tunnel the appearance of a bril-
hantly lighted city street Several
Chineee lanterns had been brought from
the city and hung from the roof of the
tunnel.
At the end of the hundred feet an alb
rupt curve was made, and from here
were drifts and tunnels diverging in
all directions. At the end of one of
these short tunnels an immense quantity
of ore had been removed, leaving a high
nearly square, room-like place in which
one hundred people could easily be
seated.
This great vault-like room was ablaze
with light, and in the center stood the
Christmas tree a very large pine had
been dragged in from the mountain
side. From every branch hung strings
and garlands of popcorn, great sticks of
candy, mOnstrOus doughnuts, and gin
gerbread boys, dogs, cats and horses.
There were dolls, tops, nuts, tin horns,
candy toys, jumping jacks, mittens
scarfs, gay handkerchiefs, and picture
books on the tree, which was brilliantly
lighted with a hundred colored wax
candles.
The walls of the room were fully
twenty feet in height, and candles and
lamps had been put in every little cayi
ty and on every projection. The galena
mineral in the rocks glistened and
sparkled like ten thousand tiny stars,
and dozen Chinese lanterns hung from
the lofty roof of the room.
The surprise and delight of the chill
dren knew no bounds. Mrs. Tompkins
was the happiest woman l ever saw.
Every man and woman in Hard Luck
had assembled in the mine. One tunnel
leading off from this large room had
been left dark. and there suddenly ap-
peared at the further end a great many
dancing lights. A jinggling of bells
was heard. a cracking of whips, and
rough cries of "Git up! G'lang therer'
and Mr.. Santa Claus himself made his
appearance in little cart drawn by two
very small burros. The little creatures
seemed very much surprised to find
themselves amid such surroundings.
Never were there thirty merr1er
children than those boys and girls. The
long tunnels and drifts of Hard Luck's
Pride rang with their joyous shouts.
They chased each other around the
beautiful tree, and into gloomy passages,
out of which they came making great
pretentlons of having seen bears and all
manner of dreadful things On the
tree was something for every child.
ut would 'av' broke my heart if any
of 'em had been forgot" declared Mrs.
Tompkins Thar was jest mittens
and candy bags enough to go round
even, an toy an gingerbread fggere
fer every child"
There were pop corn balls and nuts
besides, and lunch in the baskets for
all present
1t was nearly midnight when they
left the mine, laughing, singing, and
shouting. Boys chased each other
down the narrow trail, and more than
one went rolling and tumbling into the
snow.
Mrs. Tompkins laughed steadily as
she hurried homeward with the young
est of the motheriess Hilker children in
her arms.
"She's my Christmas gift. Her pa
said l could have her. He's 'bleeged to
put out the two youngest with some
body, an they hain't no kin folks that
wants 'em. The minnit l laid eyes on
this blue-eyed, yelIow-ha little gal.
| maid up my mind I'd haze her If
her pa would let me. She's too
sweet an cunnin' fer any use. 1 think
got bigger Christmas gift than all of
the rest put tOgether!"
A CHIEAMAN, on his way from Lewis.
ton to China, carrying the bones Of his
brother carefully packed in a valise,
stopped at Portland, Ore, for a day or
two to visit friends. On his way to the
steamer the ynlise VIVA stolen and tho