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

!, rlcs" or whether some urchIn had heard
/. some .,i,lcr nntn,.,rr OF the family call Job
! q peGaGoeur and had shortened tho word
| To Cog as b, .u:; al, easier word for Il boy
| Of his years to hnrlle, no one could tell
| Lyeu LAe town sc.cctmaa Familiarity sulut-
| Cd him with Hello, Gog!' and there
were possibly people in the village who
| l1uow him under no othor name. For ninc
years he had taught school, and he would
probably hstvo Taught it for nine more
| " thout attempting to better hi1nseAf If
fate had not uccrcei otherwise.
! On the afternoon before Christmas ho
had ,lism 3snd his family" early, giving
to EACH OF them u small token OF reuom
, bruncu.
Twenty-Five romembrances mnhe u large
| reduction in tho tctal sum Of his scant say
ings ana on this particular Christmas Eve
Ao was made to fcol the faCt in full force.
Not that nc regretted his klnduess, how
ever he wa, 100 noble Cor that to ever &C.
chr TO him,
! Eve minutes aftor the school had been
dismissed, no had received noto from tho
chairman OF tho town committee request
| ing him to CALI to sec HIN. The chairman
! was d Mr. Flnt, "a man who was AZ hard
! as his name il business transactions, and
who had acquired the position Of chairman
! because the vilIagars for the Ir.oat part
| feared him. He was rich, uin lu"Sy was
the ulAu in i:jtv rburg whose house nnG land
Was not suhJ&Et ~ a mortgage hrld by tho
"Wlvorn as hH insisted was l.is yigAt
title.
Io;, had hurried home g. The farmhouse
where ne din chores Tor hls board AND
loA&in-. and lad walked back to the
village ccl:,er without cat ,ls his supper,
~ Great was his fear that he might Keep
the n;A@nate waiting minui>
Tive roadway laid between 4wo hills, and
N the shadow of ono Of thou Wis b de
serted farm house that had been partially
destroyed by fire. It's open doorway
looked like. a black, yawning abyss, and
tho wilsl howled dismally around the
huilding
job felt creeping sensation pervadc
him f., he hurr ed through tho gap, al III;
pleasant feeling such as no had never be
fore experienced; something, as he
imagined, one might teel when evil fore
BODIED; hut he shook it of when he stopped
into the moonlight beyond the bend III the
oadway. Il short distance ahead at t G
end Of the road the church spire stood
forth, tall and white, like a Christmas
ghost Il at did its vigils once a year. The
moon darted behind q teathe"y cloud. then
reappeared ami cast silvery gleam over
the snow clad scene making it exceeding
ly beautiful. Although the evening wind
was keen and cutting, Job stood for q mo
ment wrapped almost in worship Of the
grandeur Of nature 80 it was p ctured 10
his gaze at the time. The moonlight kissed
the white spire, the snow~coyered mea>i-
ows, the distant houses. From the bare
hedges and the branches of the trees hung
great icicles which gIittered like diamonds.
The white-tipped cones glistened in the
pines, the tall dark frs stood out in mar
tial array aud stars shone in. the night sky
The cold and frost tingled Jobs feet and
brought him back to earth. He ran, u
rather stu n bl,d and slid, along the rest OF
the road, and arrived at tho 'Mayor's'
house with his homely but honest face
aglow from the unusual exercise
Had he known of the reception awaiting
him, he could have taken his time; in fact,
he could have saved himself the Journey
His min had been visited with hopes that
the SUPERB llious village king might in
crease the yearly stipend he receive TO,
a salary; and he was between hope and
fear as TO whether the chairman's hand
some daughter, the belle Of the village
had taken exception to Christmas token
he had sent her that afternoon by her lit
tie brother
directopposition to her name rs her fathers
was IN keeping with it. While she was {
dutiful and afectionate daughter, she haC
a mind Of her own and keen perception
OF the right and many Of her fathers
transactions. 1t grieved her deeply thai
her father should be so merc'less anC
hard hearted toward every one save her
self; for it certainly was a fact that he
was utterly Indifferent to every one alike
and, with the exception Of his handsome
Dot, no one could exert the slightest int1u
ence over MIN.
Dots little brother brought home the
| Christmas present for her intrusted hin
by the schoolmastcr, and as Dot was not
in the house, he opened it, as he said, "t(
see fits bettern m ,e"
1t was merely voiuno Of poems, nicely
bound IN blle and gold, and on tho fy-lea1
was inscribed:
ITO MISS DOROTHY FLINT: With best
CHRIS tmas wishes OF the glver, JOB P1pPIN."
Old Mayor" Flint howled worse than
the wind howled around the ruins OF the
deserted farmhouse that Job passed as
he toiled through the snow. He was not