The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-12-15
GIT Is TOO OLD TO SELL. !"

And wiZened old Peter Perkins got into
his old overcoat and went home through
tho streets where the snow lay thick and
heavy until he reached his comfortable
looking three story house. After he rang
the bell he muttered to himself:
81 might just as well have only given
Mark 81 instead of 50. He'd a'been just
as thankful, and I'd a'saved that much.
And all those things there-why, could
have sold them at discount, but then,
after it all, l was losing ground in church
custom by what they call my stinginess,
and low, well, guess after all I'm glad
l give them. The poor who get them can't
complain. Oh, here she comes at last! And
she will expect a present, too! 1t seems
as if everybody was beset Christmas time!
Pm sick of it. Hap
At this instant Mrs. Warner, who was
servant and housekeeper both, opened the
door, her rather long face wreathed in
smiles and her form dressed in her best
black silk gown. Peter Perkins was as
tonished and surprised as she led the way
to the diuing room, where the old mans
dinner was laid, for on the table smoked
splendid turkey, while several other
dainty and toothsome dishes stood about,
among them noble mince pie that gave
out mellow, luscious odor that mortal
could not Withstand, and yet he turned,
saying fiercely:
'sMary Warner! Who gave you author
ity to do this' Why, here is dinner
enough for twenty, and such extrava-
CANCEL l told you this morning l didn't
believe in holiday nonsense, and | told you
to cook half a mackerel and a potato,
didn't I?''
'sYou did, sir, and was going to do it:
only this morning my sister in the coun-
try sent me Christmas box, and these
were in it, and as couldn't eat them all
myself l made bold to offer you half, sir:
and no offense, hope"
ooh, well, that alters the case. Well,
yes, don't care if do,' and he allows
himself to fall in the chair she pushed for
ward, and he fell to and in a short time
had eaten most excellent dinner, which
he finished with great golden doughnut
and piece of cheese. He tsOOk these as in
2 dream, one in each hand, and made
alternate bites of doughnut and cheese in
a reflective and even retrospective man
ner as he thought:
"Why don't city folks lear2 to make
crullers like this? For love nor money
you couldn't buy anything like this in all
this great city. They taste just as
mother used to make them. Her tin
cruller box was never empty and how
good they were; the older they were the
meilower and better they were. l re-
member she used to make me boy and q
mouse every time she fried crullers, and
always two P's for my letters. And
Christmas and New Years she put car
away seed candies all over mine. won
der how she did it. That mince pie was
good. I think I will take another piece.
1t hain't cost anything and it makes me
think of old times.''
And so the miserly old man sat and ate
until his usual bedtime came, when he lit
his candle, for he never would have gas,
and went to bed.
Scarcely had he got warm and comfort
able when he saw standing by his bedside
stranger whose face was carefully
turned away, and who wore long, loose
garment of some unknown fashion, and
instinctively Peter Perkins put his hand
under his pillow after his revolver, think
ing of robbers, but the stranger said in
low voice, which yet had such authority
in it that the wretched man dared not
disobey:
'Arise, dress yourself and follow me- I"
AS in dream the little miser followed,
but they went so swiftly that he could
not see where they were going until at
last the stranger said:
"Open your eyes and tell me what you
see.''
Peter Perkins stood and gazed with his
wizened face pale and frightened. He
seemed to be in vast place, so vast that
it appeared to be visible illimitable space.
There was no beginning nor end to any
where, and yet he was there in the midst
Of this inf1nity of distance, and before
him upon nothing stood great tables upon
which was piled a heterogeneous collection
of everything imaginable, and while he
was trying to understand this confusion,
he noticed that there had appeared, rank
or rank and file on file, limitless, count
less numbers of cherubim and seraphim,
and in the midst of this throng sat upon
IL crystal throne Christ, the benign, the
loving, the pitiful. and his features seemed
to exude sweetness and mercy from every
lineament, and his smile was ineffably
tender.