Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-12-26

MAY or" fllHt was nNc; Out nc was
crafty and possessni a keen int,aitivc per-
ccption, Aud it Was seldom his Judgment
Was far ouc OF the way. After luo consiI
Grafton he rightly conlnctured that Job
Wpu!,} read the note and ',olieve Dot had
commissioned her fath> 10 return the
volume.
Ii irvitatnd tho naturally turunso..t des-
pot 10 think that tho poor schoolmaster
had lareN tn iilt his eyes toward Dot
But no knew little Of tho tetCher'a strength
Of character Tho mute Christmas token
Was the Uulr evidence he would have
given to Indicate tltat the poor and hu mble
mentor OF the district school entertained
toward tho r,c!! NON y daughter any other
| feeling than that Of the most PROFOUND rev.
! erence and loyal respect
Mayor" Flint decided to be absent
| when Job should arrive, and he left orders
J that the parcc. on the centor- table should
| be handed the scnoomaster.
JOB rntfcd and blowed ana kicked SO
hard ON the scruper outside the lnaguatc's
! front door, that hr was hourd long before
| he attempted tx ring tAe bell. AS ho WIS
! about to ring, ti,U door opened softly and
! Dot neld out Rand Of welcome that sent
au olcctric tnrll through The schoolul;ls-
tora system when her little tuger.sips
! touched his caliouscd ha1d. Job was an
! IuhADo1 trnDo il appearance, Dnt his man"
| negs were those OF a polished member Of
! thc intellectual and refined grado in soci.
| ety, over watch money i: without intlu
ence; 30, "XtornallE tle appeared entirely
! at cas-, IN iots Company, Yet If tho truth
| Mas known, his heart was iiuttcrlnG be-
ucA;i hrs vest liKo Ii Gagged bird.
| "llrro Is Christmas present, Job,
made for 5,o, myself" said Dot, handing
him /. par,ol, rs hu stood ready to- depart.
You must not open II Until You hear the
| Christmas chimes at midnight q, l al
most forgot thut! t'nthcc lett it for you. y
she added 10y the way OF explanation. II
| presume it may contain another Christ
mas remembrance.
! As she took the volume from tic table,
| job watched her beautiful face, and when
| tucir eyes ncxt mot lie own told OF his
smotncroi passion as plainly as il no hal
spoken. She trcmDle'i, FLASHED and hung
| her head as she ,nnocooty profile: ed the
| package addressed TO aim by llrr fathcr.
| Job glanced at the package aud started
| as he recognized the volume through its
| torn wrapper
! Mechanically he received the book, but
it fell from his norvt!ess grasp. He cs-
! s,ycd TO speak, aud b tongue refused its
! function. With on" parting glance he
| tuttsrrd through the doorway and along
tho Path leading TO Inc road, Wnere nc
| caught Il glimpse Of the mayors scoWling
! lace as the moon shone ON q window in
tao second story of the house.
| lie walked with head cast down, neither
looking to the rig'1 nor The left. He was
dASed. He was like one whose reason was
!, clcuded. If her eyes spoke the truth-but
no, his Christulas token! Why did she
return it if such WAS the case' And yet
| no, he had even no right to think That. 1t
might have been natural embarrassment
through fear CT wounding his feol'lgs by
! the return Of the book.
"Hellow, Gog!" exclaimed a familiar
Yoice, as the path was blocked by a form,
| that was irrecogn Fable beneath its great
| coat and heavy muffler. "Uver's d letter
| fur yer got outer the pust-uttis. l got Que
fur tn ma'am, tew. Eef yeov wanter
wait, PHI take We hum; but sotter git
some Christmas fxins fust.h
The speaker vas the farmer with whom
Job lodged. The offer of the ride home
was declined by Job, who thrust the letter
in h pocket and continued his walk
! Queer cuss thet, Oh Cog. Ruther
! walk than ri le on SIGH or night cZ This I'm
Wouldn't ketch me walk n eff didn't hev-
ter, b'gosh! Geel Ho-bahl Glitter Ian &,
there, yewv' and he whipped up his horses
to faster gait and soon wideued the DIS.
lance between himself and Job.
When Job reached the turn that led
into the dark gap between the hills, he
paused and leaned on the rail ng Of a
short bridge that spanned tho frozen
brink.
Christmas Evel Beautiful Christmas
| Eve He looked up to the sky H. seemed as
| though the stars were scofhng 1t him and
the snow-fringed trees ncd6iug ir dcrision.
The moon shone with q winter, br ghter
Light and wore q moching smile. The
water lying under the trees frilging the
bed of the brook was comp,et 3ly frozen
and occasionally snapped like tho pop OF
chestnut; the evergrecpa stood out dis
t;nct and clear, and Tin, weird music of the
! wind, ns 1t stirred the great trees, sounded
:as though the very spirit OF Christmas was
| already abroad. He thought Of tho happy
homes on which tha1 moon was sh ming. OF
devoted husbands and wives, fond fathers
| and mothers, merry children, "his fam.
ily," home from school, OF happy lovers
| aud kind friends.
And he--he stood alone in the world, IN
isolated being on that silent country road
on this Chris tnlas Eve.
A word sensation crept over him as he
stood there. he glanced At the deserted
| house. Part OF It's roof had dropped iu
ward, and the snow had drifted throug.
the inlet and piled itself in TITO center OF
the flooring. How like hia own heartI bic
felt that the rlln Of that home was an in
animate picture Of himself; for the roof OF
his heart had been upliftcd, ana The chilly
snow Of unroquited love had driftod il
upon its floor.
A strange fascination that house held 70,
him! 1t had mover been occupied during
the nine years he had boon in Ciderburg
He had never boon inside " it. II bore the
reputation Of being haunted; bnt Job wa:
not superatitious, and ho feared ncithsl
COLLINS. spirits nor spooN'. SO when some
strange feeling impollcd him 60 Jump the
fence, wade kucv~,leep through the snow
and enter the ruin, no was not frightened
ut the noise made By some annual that
made its escape rather than resent tho il,
truslon
Ho walked through tho several rooms OF
the ground floor, thGu explores the seconG
story, who're no sat upon somc broken tim
Dera and buried mis- TACO in hi, hands. Tht
loose shingles tiApped IN tho angry winl
scuffled over tho disma0t't:1 root and tnt
dangling t.uif2ers creakeh in n.ourlfu