The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-12-24

| GU anu ulVAO
".1 know something he whispered.
"Of course was very much amazed at that
and responded, DO you?
"'Yes, sir exclaimed Eb, emphaticaly.
"'What is it?'
ooh, nothingl Only there's going to be
something on the tree for somebody
| "Ofcourse, inferred that he meant me,
but didn't think it would be quite proper
to say SO, so remained silent. After pause
the young man exclaimed, impulsively,-
You 'spect to get anything of the tree p
Ono
"'Well, you will, and could tell who put
it on that tree for you, if had a mind to !
"'Could your
"'Yaas. An it cost seventy five cents
Then there was silence. Time was given
for me TO digest the important fact and then
he continued i had seventy-five cents Just
fore Christmas, but amt got it now, and l
don't care il amt
"Then l knew of course, that he wished
me to know that he had put seventy five
cents worth of something on the tree for me,
and it seemed to me that the proper thing for
me to do would be to place something ON the
tree for him. / was in dilemma but re-
mcmbeied that had in my pocket pair OF
red and green suspeDders with brass buckles,
that had made to put ON the tree for my
brother Cyrus, and now l concluded that the
least could do, in return for his generosity
to me, was to put them on for Ebenezer. And
acting on this conclusion | placed them on
the tree.
"The tree was beautiful, to our uLaccus-
toned eyes, and the old school,house was
full of people. Mr.. Hooper, as each present
was taken from the tree, read the name of
the boy or girl 10 whom it was given. When
my name was called, marched up, and what
do you think that awkward boy had put there
for me? Why, a big china dolls head and
candy heart as big as pic, with BE True to
the Giver on it in large gilt letters.
My brother Cyrus knew that had made
the suspendcrs for him, and kept pointing at
them as they dangled from the tree, saying to
the boys around him.
"'Them's my s'penders! Them rcd and
green gallusses is going to be for me-
you can imagine, therefore, what follow
ed, when they were called off for Mister Ehe
nezer B Dill Cyrus fairly screeched in his
indignation, and exclaimed
"'Them galusses amt for Eb Dill They
are mine. My sister Prissy made em, an she
didn't make 'em for no Eb Dill, neither
"Of course there was roar of laughter all
over the school-ro0m, and Cyrus began TO
Cry. But Ebenezer kept the suspenders, and
candy heart to keep him quiet.
"Well, when thepresents had all been given,
Eb and left for home. He talked fast enough
then, but about nothing but that dolls head
and the heart, and how splendid they were.
ave had not gone very far when old Uncle
Simon Sharpe overlook us. He was singu-
lar old man, full of humor. | hardly think
that Longfcllow himself could make rhyme
easier than Uucle Simon. His head was full oft
and they did say that he could say his prayers
in poetry. He was in the best of spirits, and
when he saw us, held his lantern up in our
faces, and exclamed,-
is this you, Priscilla Fink? Well, WE'LL
ut may in truth be said by some,
That Ebenczer beaued you hum;
blame you not to take spark
To light you home when it is dark
Then he gave Ebenezer n poke with his
cane, and off he went ahead of u.s.
We were nearly home, and were crossing
our pasture, when said, Il wonder if there
really are any beals in the woods For there
were occasionally bears in those days, in the
section OF country in which We lived, and
once in great while panther was killed.
"'Wcll, you're all right if there are bears
replied Eb, quite bravely. But just then
something big and black jumped up from
under an old upplc-lree that stood a little dis
idiSS Nv Jul iIBh'. ~ oiOOu GUN lOl lDO-
ment, but when we moved it jumped back
"'There is bear : exclaimed Ebenezer, and
| could feel his arm tremble.
"The animal made another jump, and Ebc-
nezer made II spring also, and actually got
round the other side of me, so that was be-
tween him and the animal.
~ started and ran past the tree as fast as
my feet would carry me toward home, leaving
Ebenezcr screeching behind. Twas sure that
the bear was eating him up.
"Iieaching home, burst into the house
screaming, % father, father! Ebenezer! A
bear Under the old apple-tree in the pasture
lot ! and down fell in dead faint, with the
candy heart and the dolls head broken to
pieces under me.
"Fathcr and my older brothers took lanterns
and guns, and started for the apple-tree as
fast as they could run, while mother put me to
bed"
Don't tell us that poor Ebenezer was kill
ed, even if lie was coward" cried one of
grandma's breathless listeners.
Goodness, mop laughed the old lady.
"When father and the boys got within TWEEN
ty yards or 80 of the tree all was still but the
form of the animal could be dimly seen.
"'You hold the lantern,' said father to
brother Henry, and I'll shoot the beast But
Pm 'fraid it's all up with poor Eb.'
But just as father was taking aim, he
heard voice: Don't shoot, Mr.. Fink. 1t
amt no bear. Please git me loose
"Father and the boys at once ran to The
tree and the next moment they were laugh
ing so boisterously that mother heard them
at the house.
"You see, we had n big black calf about
nine months old that had been kept in the
stable lot, and that day father had moved a
81 to ,,la tl,nl lot
keep The calf from running away, the hired
man had taken long rope ard lied the ami
NAL 10 the tree out in the pasture.
when Eb and came along the calf jump
ed up, rs badly scared as we were, and then
| ran, and Eb in his fright thought that the
safest place for him was to climb the tree.
AS he was rushing for it, the calf started,
tore round it in circle, and before the fright
ened boy could get out OF the way, that calf
had wound a coil of rope around him and it
kept on runnin' round and round until it had
bound poor Eb to the tree in three or four
coils of rope.
"While he was trying to get out of the
coils that were about him, father and the
boys were on the ground, and before they
were through laughing, Eb had contrived to
extricate himself,
He said that when he felt the rope wind
ing around him he thought it was boa con-
strctor, and he was so pale that when the
lantern was held to his face, the freckles
showed like the spots on a turkey egg.
"And the boy was SO angry because they
laughed at him. that he lay down on the
ground and fairly beloved, and / don't know
but he was there when Santa Claus went his
rounds that night. At any rate after that l
was never a favorite of his The adventure
and the laughter of the boys at his cowardice
effectually cured his lsve-making."
A Plea for the Girl Of To-day.