New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
PLAYFUL MASTER TUCKER.
HIS ARTLEss LETTER CONCERNING CHRISTI
MAS

take the libety Of giving 10 below. III certainty TO
veals a most extraordinary state OF affairs In inc
Tucker household.
THE LETTER
New-York Dec 81, 1858. Dear Brother: gov
your letter about Thanks giving, but MISS slocun, my
teacher, has kept studying on my GEOGRAPHY
lesson so like sixty all the time that haven't go1
around It before. sho Is going 10 %
married Christmas and they are always cross before
that She slapped Jim HAYES the ear with big
history of the United States and most had the head
ache for pretty near minute, but he stayed OUT OF
school two days and caught onto Dobtan cars and he
all o. X again. ,
The hired girl had when you went away has
skipped and Ma has been doing tho cooking, which has
been some tough. Pa claims IT isn't nothing hAs
his mother used TO do Ma give It TO him pretty
lively though when he said that, and Pa TOOK another
potatow and didn't say any thing more Ma don't ssem
to have the fackty of making her bskis well up uAa
Maggie had. | asked her II she made them with
die like read about their making liver liars at the
mint, and she settled me quicker than she did Pa os
tried hand on some sponge-cake, but she coudn'b
get IT out OF the tin she didn't bring up The cas-
has had about the best time sho has boon living
sises gold fish. She has EFT two Of them, and the
other is swimming low down among the rocks, and
ways his tail awful lively when ! say CATS to him
The cat couldn't quite reach the first one, but sors
OF lifted him little and he landed II Just liks
nothing He sneaked the next one b, getting up Ola
Mas Robert Esmore' which happened to be handy.
We got a girl to-day but don't bolieve she VIII
stay long She tried the panno when she was busting
It and said It was all OF tune specially at tho
right hand where the sharp pointed notes come from.
We have all been pretty busy lately getting ready
for Christmas. You will have big time whom you
come home for the hollOwdays. Sis has got You
smoking set-she told me she would box my ears ID
told so | though / would Just mention It. Tbs
set cost SO. She has six cigars In IT, They cost ten
She says that the tried to sell her some
that and fifteen cents apiece, but she couldns
see as they any different from the twenty cent
a-dozen ones Pa told her she paid too much, and
she was wishing she had got cent-a piece ones when
Ma caught him winkng at and made him Keep
still pretty quick Ma has got Pa pair OF pillow
shsms hoard her telling SIS that she know be ddn'o
Ike pillow shams very well, but she thought II he had
pair Of his he might take more interest In them
and learn like them. She got him hall lamp too.
She said she's wanted new hall lamp for two or
three years Sis has got him book called Repors
on our Watcr,vayss cause she says he is fond Of
boating and yachting.
We aren't going to get anything for Aunt Lucy this
year cause she didn't send anything last IL was
Mas idee, and mine some too; told Ma ] guessed
we'd show Aunt Lucy that we want no rabbits and
she wanted TO know If I'd been sociaung with that
horfd Jim Halves again, and then She went to thinking
what 70 give Aunt Miranda She settled on vase
Pa said pair Of vases but Ma said no, cause Anns
Miranda hadn't done very we'll by us last year, and
she wouldn't be sprsed II she didn't send nothing
this proposed to lay low till Christmas day and IL
she done the square thing send the in tho
afternoon and blame the slowness on the messenger,
but she said no. We're going 10 work that game on
Cousin Frank, though If he gets to the front, all
right; If he don't he'll find that We amt doing much
at the sucker blsness this year.
The one spreading ourselves on, you know,
Is Uncle William. We sent HIS box to-day by express.
He never sends nothing, Of course, but Ma feels
quite encouraged about him The last time she seen
him he didn't say word bout starting orphan
asylum after he died She thinks maybe they havo
got that foolish notion out Of his head II she can
steer him away from that and get his eyes open 30
he that all Aunt Lucy's folks want Of him Is
lis money then will be all o. X. and have
carriage with fur door mat round tho cOachmsn's
neck yet Ma made him q dressing gown and Sis q
pair OF slppers-she said she bound TO have
some originality this time, they both sent
slippers last year. They got a nice gold cane
for him and marked # from Pa. Pa told her tlau
uncle had now, one Aunt Lucy sent him last
year but Ma told him she knew what she was do
ing, cause Aunt Lucy's wasn't more'n half nice
ours. Ma left the prcemark ours So he could SEQ
Il wasn't any fraud and that love for him was
the jenuine stuff. They got him cup and saucer
and marked 10 From your loving little nephew and
namesabe Willie Tucker" Sis wrote a letter for
and copied It and sent II along. thanked him
again for the twOcent piece he gave three years
ago and hoped that he might live very great
many Christmases Then told him was trying TO
be good, though it very hard work sometimes,
and that I thought l should probably do liko other
wicked boys sometimes II didn't have the noble
ample Of my dear Uncle William before me, who l
knew must have been very good little boy. Sis had
me end up like this And shall ever strive, my
dearest Uncle to merit continuance OF that good
opinion which tfust may hope you entertain OF
your little nephew Willie Tucker p s. have those
tive cents I'm the saving bank yet and make my Pa
reckon up the interest for me every week II now
amounts to two cents and &lrec mills. / purpose
using for grand noble object when It reaches
large sum- wrote this all myself please dc
not laugh at any errors l may have made because
am only very little boy Good BY, Ever yours,
Willie" That isn't bad for little boy is III Ma
let me stay ont OF school the day I Wrote IL. and
Jim HAYES, who out TOO cause be had the head
axe awful and thought he vas going to have the hung
feever-though ho didn't and took his dog and III
bet the will remember that day longs they i've
Ii takes Jim's dog TO razzle-dazzle the cats.
don't know yet what Pa Is going to get for Ma He
said one morning breakfast he guessed he get her
one Of these photographs SO she would have
something to blow up when he away. but guess
he wished he'd kept still before Ma got done with
him.
Ma has made a pair Of slippers for the minister and
Sis has made him yellow banner with . green COW
worked on It eating red grass She SkDd Pa II 10
wasn't artistic, and he kind Of shaded his eyes with
his hand and said yes. Then he asked her why she
didn't label it Autumn Sunset on the Medteranan.'
and exhibit It, Sis told him he didnt know are
when he seen it, and Ma finished him. The n'inisies
was at our house a while ago and happened TO tell
Ma about a poor family that he had heard Of down
town somewhere, and Ma said right away that
she would send them Christmas card and ;hs
minister said how much more pleasant It would mako
their christmas.
Tho minister came to see what old clothes Ma could
give towards making up Christmas box for the
natives in the Feegy Islands. lie told her she couli
have no dee how much progress our missionaries
nakiag among the Feegyers. She couldn't hardly
believe he said how extremely light they dressed
before any work done among them, tut now thcy
wore quite a lot Clothes and he'd bet they'd gee