The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-19

eNIiNilieu 10 me lnlt III order 10 have
our Christmas dinner it would be neces.
sary to 60 10 market that night; the
stores would all be closed next day.
Bina must 80, too. Would | BIO afraid
to stay with the children while they
were away They wouldn't DO long
scarcely an hour.
Afraid! Not J." was my proud an.
swer. For when, rs she generally did,
my mother treated me as 4 woman
grown, | tried hard to live up to the
honor.
The next morning, with tho twitter-
ing OF the snewblrds outside OF my win
dow, came the refrain OF q familiar
melody:
"JcfT Davia rides q white horse
And Lincoln rides Il mule"
and from the Resembling box and shrill
yell that followed | knew exactly what
had happened. Bina wasn't going TO
stand anyisuch nonsense. She wa not
responsible Tor our matters and morals,
but Pcto must be trained in the way he
should go. Course III alters be er fas'
ircn' OBJ dc fambly's, no mattah how do
wah ems" sho would say, but l isn't
Swlnc ter stan no niger chile OBJ mine
eastin' 'spcrsions on Marso Linl:um's
cac'ter."
But to return to my Christmas and
tho dinner. Never did l have a better
one. Never was there such a bursting
breast to another turkey: such grainy
rice, or sucl: huge and mealy yams, all
wrapped i'll wet newspapers and baked
in the red hot ashes. Then with all
these good things, such draughts OF per.
slmmon beer, light and sparkling US
champagne, pouring out with q gurGle
and drunk with Keeling senses! At the
very last, after the dessert Of fruit cake
and hickory nuts, came 4 tiny nip OF
good old rye, just to help digestion
along, and toast-but am anticipating.
AT 3 o'clock sharp the feast was an
nounced, and exactly one minutes past,
with u dramatic opening, it began.
First, Pete flung the pine door back;
then, with n great flourish OF black ell
bows, Bina appeared, bearing our tur-
key a!oft rs they did the boar's head of
old, her own bound up in Il marvellous
%bandanna turban, and with a stitily
starched purple calico accentuating her
broad hips with q balloor.likc grace.
She had hardly set down our NAM
moth bird and began to wrestle with it
than Pete gave u frightened howl. 1t
was echoed by M from his mother.
With her eyes rolling wildly, she
glared past where l sat at the window
behind me, crying aloud: cts q sperrit!
A sperrlt!" Then, with q tremulous
tNTnrp ~ NV mothar r,pbnJ sron, +bo
ROOM, andl, too, turned TO be electrified,
For there, with its haggard face pressed
to the window pane, was n skeleton
mule, and on its back the wrath OF a
man-our father! 1t was not long be-
fore We had him in that warm room,
asking thousand questions and thump-
ing him all over to see ii he wa really
alive and whole.
"Wounded!" lie cried, tlinging his
cap down and catching us all in his
arms at once. "Nary a scratch. Just n
little blood spittin' that iollered a COLE"
he declared. (And quote him literal
ly, truth thus compelling mo to
admit that, though VIC proud
Southrons had many high-down
notions, We were not any too
choice with our English.) The doctor
OF his damp fort had sent him home to
get we'll, but, alas, though he little
thought it then, to die.
All, what Il happy dinner that WINS!
Such pleasure to see that weary soldier
stretch his long limbs to u fires
cheerful blaze, to hear him vow that he
had never had so nice q meal or felt so
"good' in ali his life before! What
brilliant jokes, too, We made that day!
And what rollicking toasts with our
beady persimmon beer!
Only, ut the last, came q sad moment
when, with a pitiful working Of her
face, my mother acknowledged the
price she mad paid for this famous din
ner. 1t had been dearly bought, for
our treasure was gone to return no
more.
"Of course, it was IN orful pity to sell
it," said my father, after We had bitter
ly bewailed the sacrilcge that our pow
crty had led TO, "but, as you say, Cathe-
rinc, the children had to have Il dinner.
And YOU sorter thought pa was comm,
eh? Well, well, suppose it couldn't
be helped"
Then, springing TO his feet and taking
his favorite Napoleonic attitude, one
thin hand thrust in the breast OF his
shabby gray coat-once SO tight, now so
loose ovcr that hollow chest!-ho an
nounced hat he had ono more toast to
propose; but he Wouldn't drink this n
in weak beer; genuine old ''pop-skull"
this time.
"\Vhat is it, pa" l asked eagerly, as
l handed him up the requested "iew
drops" Jeff Dayis-the Confcderacy?".
Not by q long shot! No, kit, my
girl; the sweet thing that gave us our
Christmas dinner-ma's woddin' froclk."
MING Fitch in Romance.
Din You ever buy a horse and not