St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-25
FRONTIER CHRISTMAS
Mrs. Custer Tells the Story of
a Yule-Tide on the West
ern Plains.
Concocting Presents in Camp
Making Gifts Under
Difficulties.
A Hard Hunt for a Christmas
Tree in a Desert
Land.
Christmas Dinner in the Bar
racks--FeStiVitieS in an
Isolated Camp.

Sometimes think our Christmas on
the frontier was a greater event to us
than to any one in the States, we all
says Elizabeth Baton Custer in the st.
Louis Post-Dispatch. 0nr ingenuity
was taxed to the utmost, as we had no
tempting shop windows to point out to
us by their beguiling beauty whatwould
be ''juSt the thing" for this or that one.
MY brain reels" said one of my pretty
friends, and She ran her fingers through
her bangs in a most reckless manner,
furrowed her brow, thus proving that
the ''reeling" was going on, and knew
that the rapid approach of December 25
was the cause. Il have made John
smoking jacket, slippers, and all
the stereOtyped presents for men,
and last summer, while the campaign
was keeping our people in the field, l
made him a robe-de-nuit, that he said
was so beruff1ed and befrilled he knew
he would mistake his identity, and that
If l clothed him in such purple and fine
Hnen-for | even put in lilac ribbOn-he
would surely mistake himself for some
body else, which meant me. Now, what
shall make this year?" This despair
was brought to an end by happy
thought. An old cap was ripped, the
visor, which had survived the tooth of
time, was rubbed and oiled into fresh
ness, and the exact copy" we all pro-
nOunced equal to the best work of a
military halter. The really difficult
part Of this work was the insignia of
the crossed sabers for the cavalry, and
rhsa RlReF-
meath, worked in bullion. The latter
was obtained by rubbing up pair of
furnished shoulder straps, turning
THE GOLDEN THREAD.
which was still bright ON the under
side, and using it for the new work.
" hateVer we did. we were obliged to
concOct under very trying circumstan-
ceS, il We attempted secrecy, for our
men were always in and out of the
house sdOZenS OF times day. We had
no opportunities for long, uninterrupted
seasons of occupation. as do women in
the States, where the husband goes to
his avOcatiOns in the morning. and
does not appear until 6 at night. The
officers day began at reveille, when they
went to roll call; then came stables,
guard-mOuntlng, Inspecting the mess,
drill. perhaps cOurt-martlal duty and
dress parade, stables again, retreat and
tattoo roll call. 1t will be easily seen
that they were flying in and out of their
quarters between these various
duties all day long. 1 watched
for months a horses head being
stitched into canvas for sOfa-pillow.
No real horse had more active life.
When the sound of a clanking saber
and the jingle of spurs announced the
arrival of the head of the house, the
work was rolled III heap. thrust under
lounge, or in drawer, with a celebrity
that increased with practice, for the
quick movements of an active cavalry
man neceSSitated great haste on the
part of any one who Wed with him in
speed. A Seventh cavalry bride at
tempted with great trepidatiOn the
manufacture of her first masculine gar
ment-a smoking jacket. 1t was ImpOs-
sible to make success without innu-
merable tryings on, so she impressed
the striker Soldier servant into
her service. He was model TO
neatness and respect, and as
he was about the size of his captain,
and had little else to do but stand and
be fitted, the garment was gradually
smoothed into beautiful shape. While
the scissors shipped and the needle flew
in the busy fingers, the striker stood
guard in the- hall or on the porch. If
he saw the captain coming home across
the para'it ground, he came to announce
the arrival, but should he appear I'M
awares from another direction.
A LIVELY LITTLE TUNE
WhiStled in the corridor was the warn
ing that sent the jacket flying into the
depths of the closet, while tie little
bride. with conscious blush, met her
husband at the door, trying to look as
if holiday presents had never entered
her mind. The Christmas dinner was a
feast that required long and earnest
search in gathering the materials
for its construction. 1t we CHANGED
few forts on the frontier are without
village just outside the very edge of a
government reSeryatiOn--no one rode
through the place without throwing a
calculating glance into every yard. or
about the dOOryaTti of the less Dreten-
tlous huts. A chicken, duck or turkey
was quickly noted, and the owner was
called out to find a booted and spurred
caVaIryman at the door. who accOSted
him with the usual frontier salutatiOn,
Il say, stranger, can [ engage my
Christmas dinner of you?' Once we
were thrown into state of envy by one
of our officers, who surprised US On the
lOng-lOOked-fOr holiday by a roast pig.
The apple that distended the Jaws of
the tOOthsOme little animal might well
stand for the apple of discord.
until we found how much he
paid for the piece de resistance OF
his dinner table. Naturally he would
have to pay well, for every one out
there, in that country that was Just be-
gun, was anxious to increase his stock.
That same dinner, we had as an in
gredient of the soup tiny birds that
were delicious. They reminded US
fOreibly of the nursery rhyme, -Four
and twenty blaekbirdS baked in pie."
That winter was extremely cold, and
there was no sign of insect or animal
life on the bleak plains except these
hardy little snOwbirdS. The ground
about the stables where the horses were
fed and groOmed was black with this
swarming bird life. They were very
tame, and settled themselves all over
the horses. Sometimes an animals
back was completely outlined from the
ears to the tail with these tiny chatter
ing creatures. But no one had thought
until this
CHRISTMAS FEAST
of utilizing them. Though one of the
remote garrisons in which we were sta
toned had enough people within its
limits TO make a good-ZiZed town. there
were but three children of officers.
The row of houses occupied by the Iaun-
dresses had the usual ornaments to the
front door and steps that are common to
the Irishman, but the three youngsters
in garrison were all the child life we
saw. and they were idols in their way.
One mother gave up from the start try
ing to celebrate with Christmas tree,
but the other persisted. NOtYithstand-
ing that even on summers day we
looked as far as the eye could see on the
sun-burnt grass of the plains, without
green. still the fond mother
somehow seemed TO believe that
should any one go far enough they
would either find an evergreen, or
else, by some necromaney of the nine
teenth century, withered tree would
be made to put forth foliage especially
for her boy. The child's ''paternal''