Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-12-24

1t is the first glad Christmas
hat we have gathered here,
Since to US came the baby
The dearest of the dear.
We could not hang the stockings
That cl0the thy tiny feet;
They would not hold the treasures
Thou sweetest of the sweet.
When each bright toy Is jingIing,
Love-chimes shall fill the air;
Then take them. little darling
Thou fairest of the fair.
May Santa Claus remember
On every Christmas day,
To make the childish laughter
The gayesI Of the gay.
Eleanor w. +. Bctes IN Good Housekee21s NO.
Mrs. Peters Christmas Party.
ct aim any use talkin' He'll mar
ry the wilder, an Keziah Hinkley'll go
begin"
"Abner !" The little woman who
called him husband and 'fPa" turned
and surveyed him with intense scor1.
"You needn't look so, NJ ria" said
the good man composedly, and proceed
ing to the sink for dipperful of water,
which, being leisurely drunk off, he
wiped his mouth on the brown towel
depending from the roller before he
finished, che will, now mark my words.
If mans determined to butt his head
agin stone wall there can't nOthin'
stop him, skurcely the Lord him
self. An the widder'll be Mrs. Job
Backus before we can any on us turn
round"
"She shan't," exploded his wife, with
very red cheeks, and hurrying to the
stove she began rafting the various
pots and pans reposing on its surface
noisily to assist her thinking process.
''How are you goin' to stop it ?" asked
Abner. laughing heartily. "Sho. Ma,
/ wouldn't feel SO stuck up in a heap"
"Well p'raps you wouldn't, an then
again p'raps you would" retorted his
wife. taking off one of the lids to punch
refractory piece of wood into better
burning position. ''No, Abner Peters,
do you s'pose I'm goin' to have that
woman spyin' an crawlin' around my
back door, an countin' the pieces [
have on my clothes-line, and the scraps
| give to the hens. as she would if she
was next to us? Say - She turned alb
ruptlv and faced him.
''Let her count 'em," said Abner
table set out in the center of the
kitchen. "What harm would it do?
Come, Ma, I'm hungry as a badger.
Amt dinner most readyp'
81 should be nervous as which,
cried Mrs. Abner, glancing at the tall
clock in the corner, and beginning to
fly around the old kitchen with as much
grace as one Of her hens in hurry, 81
can't and. won't sstand'it."
But Abner only laughed good natured-
~, repeating his question, 'What you
goin' to do about ?"
'I'm going to have Christmas
party" announced the little woman,
putting on the last of the smoking
dishes, and triumphantly slipping into
her seat. "Come, Pa, ask the blessing,
do.'
ga Christmas party, repeated Abner,
eyes, I ann" she cried with an en-
phatic nod; edo ask the blessing, an
then III tell you all about it. You're
SO slow
Not that Mr.. Peters meant to hurry
out of his usual rut, but the astonish-
ment filing his mind at his wife's plan
caused him to get over the ground in
the customary religious preliminary to
their MONDAY meal in a surprisingly
quick manner, and in the same breath
he demanded, "now tell"
"You shouldn't said it SO FAST" said
his wife reprovingy, though she could
scarcely control her own excitement;
"well, it's just this. It will pay in the
long run to get Keziah Kinkley next
neighbor to us, besides dom a good turn
to Job"
can spitin the widder," finished
Abner, spearing mealy potato with his
two-tined fork from the center dish to
carry to his plate.
Now you know very we'll, Abner,"
began his wife in an injured tone,
chat T love Miss Hine as we'll as you
do or any of the folks in Badger
town"
ooh, I should fight with Der about
half the time" her husband said COM
posedly, elf she lived next. probably"
''Well there" declared the little wom-
an theoretically, ''there'd be lots of
comfort, now wouldn't there, Twin so.
She shan't step foot in that house if
can help it."
go ahead, M'ria," exclaimed Abner,
81 bet on YOU" he added, warmed up
by the thoroughly good meal he was
furnishing to his inner man by rapid
thrusts Of the knife and fork, 'let's
hear"
"I'm goin' to run round an invite
'em soon's | get the dishes done up"
declared his wife. christmas is next
week, you know, an none too soon
considerin' how things is, an how smart
the wilder can be when she's made up
her mind to do a thing"
"Who'H you have?" asked Abner, be-
ginning on his third potato.
"Of course the parson an his wife, or
Keziah-"
'.He'd be all handy to do the job up
on the spot" interrupted Abner sly
~.
GAN, J0h-''
''Of course" assented her husband
with a nod of his iron gray head.
"Do stop interruptin' )" said the little
woman; 81 hadn't hardly had time to
think who we would have, it's all come
so suddin'; oh, Miss Bagley an her
mother, and Brother John must come
from Melville"