davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wiarus. (Winona, Minn.) 1886-1893, 1892-01-07
w S q d z e.

w S q d ii e..
K o m isarz: Widze,, ze
.jestes w}oczega, Mo masz arod-
k6w do &ycla...
w f6czega w~ycjagajao
sledzia z nkieszeni: Jakto, panic
kom1sarzu, a to co jest7 - Nas-
taio gfebokie mllczenie W sadie.
Podczas dnia skwarnego W
Lipcu zebrak proslf przechodnia
ratarczywie o ~ia}muzns, zalae sig.
zo juz cd szesciu miesieoy ME ma
retety.
- 4 czem&e sic trudnisz? -
zapyta} 60 nagadniety.
- Jestem zgartywaessm bn,s.
gu - odrzegf &ebrak.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

The legend of the mistletoe is an inheri-
lance from the religion of the Druids The
cathedral arches under which the Celts
worshiped were the spreading branches
of the oak, the roof dense foliage Of
greeuery. and the mistle toe, the mystical
parasite OF the. tree. was a symbol full of
meaning. for it was believed to renew its
life by some agency differing from that
which propagated all other plants, and to
exist by a divine power. Here, under the
oak, the favorite tree Of the Celtic sun-god,
at the period OF the winter solstice, priests
and people sacrificed white bulls and hu-
man victims The mistletoe was gathered
and dispensed in small SPRAYS, to be hung
by the worshipers over their doors as
amuets against evil and Precipitation to the
sylvan deities.
The mistletoe still grows wild in England
and parts Of France In England it is also
specially cultivated for the Christmas trade,
but the apple-tree has taken the place of
the oak as the soil on which the plants feed
most generously. In the wild state it is
most often sown by the misselthrush: but it
is raised artihciAlly 10y crushing the berries
on bough, to which their glutinous matter
adheres and where they generate; others
make a slit with penknife on the under
side of branch, so that it may not be OBJ
served by the birds, and there insert the
seed; and something of weird and mys-
terious character is seen in a species of in
telligence manifested by it. since, in what
ever direction the seed is pointed the rad
ical will turn toward the surface, and
fasten itself in such manner as to draw the
most nutriment it can, and it has even
been successfully grated upon another
misletoe
Mstletoe grows freely in this country
anywhere in the latitude of Virginia, and
is common in the city flower markets at
Christmas time. 1t is not, indeed, the true
and ancient mstletoe; but it takes a botan-
ist and good one, to tell you why not;
and it is quite as interesting in its appear
ance, with the long olive-like leaves and
the singular translucent berry with CLEAN
of green in its wilderness, something be-
tween a oon-stone and a pale cat's-eye
quartz in tint.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

the thunder of n blast of dynamite in the
mine above him A shout went mn. "a
snow-slidelu and n mass of snow dislodped
bv the exulosion came crushing mast A
corner of the shed containing the men was
carried away The men looked at each
other Their escape had been narrow.
where v,as the nov yybo had inst no,v shot
forward in the very patb of the avalanche,
II needed no shout TO tell Harry what
the result of that report would be. He
had started and almost Mt that instant the
snow was on his track There was no
chance for turn mr. thonpbt of nause His
only chance for life was to reach the val
lev before the avalanche
Over the shortest steepest decent he
flew the wind cutting his face ou Thought
merged in one fire of effort To fly faster
Faster. faster. he skinned the plttering
spo,y rim he shot Iike an arrow from a how
into the nlain below and fell beadlonp GOV
cred Inv the frosty sprov at the edge of the
spent avalanche The breath seemed
messed ont of his bodv. and for SON. min
utes he did not move Then sho came
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

it moughtnt. 1t mought be ole Sandy
Claus sorter skrmishin' roun' and feelin'
his way"
"Trufe, too" said Aunt Crissy falling
in with the idea "He mought not want to
skeer nobody, so he DIES let folks b'lieve
faint nothin' but sleet. Dey tells me dat
ole man Sandy Claus is monstus slick"
"He bleeze ter be slick, " remarked Daddy
Jake, "kaze l bin Twin we're, off an on,
a mighty long time an amt saw i'm yit
An let you know hit got ter be a mighty
slick man dat kin dodge me all dis time.
H. got to be bofe slick an peart."
'Yasser," said Aunt Crissy, holding her
apron up by the corner, and looking at it
thoughtfuly; che slick for true He light
pom top err d. house same ez jay bird,
an dey amt no scufin' when he slide
down de chmberlv."
"Dsy sez " said IDLY Jake, in a reminis-
cent way; "dey SCI dat he rubs hissef wild
goose grease fer ter make he iints timber
an lose, when he got dis yere grease on
i'm day can't nobody ketch i'm, kase he'd
slip right out'n der hans"
Il speck dats So" said Aunt Crissy,
"kase one time when wuz Twin wild
Marse Wdlyum Henry an sleepin in de
house in time er Chris mas, tuck'n he'p'd
de chillun hang up der stockiu's After
dey all got ter bed sot by de fer nod
din How long sot dar III never tell
you, but all of sudden yeard turrible
racket. gun jump did, an open my
eyes De outside do wuz open, an stan
min dar wuz one er Marse Willyum Hen
RVS houn dogs He stood dar he did, wild
his bristles up, an dar in de middle er the
flo wuz de ole cat. Her back wuz all
bowed up, an her tail"-here Aunt Crissy
paused and looked all around the room as
if in search of something with which to
compare the old cats tall amt tellin'
you no lie; dat cat tail wuz bigger roun'
dan my arm"
II don't 'spute it," exclaimed Daddy
Jake with fervor, dat don't"
AN dat amt all, " said Aunt Crissy,
closing her eyes and throwing her head
back as if to add emphasis to what she
was about to say. Dat amt all, dem ar
stockin's wuz done full up wild goodies, an
dey 'wuz done fulled up whilst wuz asset
tin right dar" No style of type that
would convey even a faint idea of the i'm
pressive tone in which Aunt Crissy made this
startling announcement has yet been in
vented
"Ole Sandy wuz gittin' you in close quar-
ters mos, exclaimed Daddy Jake.
'Man. you er talkn' now" said Aunt
/ Crissy Il wuz settin' right spang at de
I fer place, she went on, describing her po-
sition with appropriate gestures, IAN I
/ could er des retched out my han'-so-an'
totched de stocku's, an yit, spite er dat,
| long come ole Sandy Claus, whilst l wuz
settin' dar noddin' an fulled UNI up. Dat
des what he done. He come he did. and
fulled UNI up right TO- my face Eff my
eyes had er des bin open, I'd seed i'm,
an eff Id seed i'm, I'd a grabbed i'm
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
"REMINISCENCES or SANDY CLAUS.


Daddy Jake's house on the CASTOR place
was not far from the kitchen and the kitch-
en- itself was only a few feet removed
from the big house; in fact, there was a
covered passageway between them. From
the back steps of the kitchen two pieces of
hewn timber, half buried in the soil, led to
Daddy Jake's steps, thus forming, as the
old man called it, a wet weather path over
which the two children, Luciau and Lii
liam, could run when the rest of the yard
had been made muddy by the fall and win
ter rains.
Daddy Jake's house had two rooms and
two fireplaces. One of the rooms was set
apart for the old man, while the other was
used as a weaving room. In one Daddy
Jake used to sit at night and amuse the
children with his "reminiscences and his
stories: in the other Aunt Crssy used to
weave all day and sing, keeping time with
the flying shuttle and the dancing sleys
Lucieu and Lillian might tire of their toys,
their ponies and everything else, but they
could always find something to interest
them in Daddy Jake's house. There were
few nights, especially during the winter,
that did not find them seated by the old
mans wide hearthstone. On special occa-
sions. they could hardly wait to finish sup
per before going out to see Daddy Jake
Sometimes they found Aunt Crissy there,
and as she was fat and good -humored-
not to say jolly-she was Away wei
come guest, so far as the children were
concerned AS for Daddy Jake it was al
one to him whether Aunt Crissy was pres
ent or not. To use his own sententiou.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
CHRISTMAS AT THE NORTH POLE.
Gen. Greely's Account OF How He and
His Men Spent the sad Christmas OF

Gen. GreeIy's Account OF How He and
His Men Spent the sad Christmas OF
1883.
1t was spent i'll the miserable little hut
of ice and snow at Cape Sabine. Cape Sa-
hine was reached by the party of Arctic
explorers in their southwark search for
succor in October, and on the Goth of that
month Gen Greedy and the men under his
charge took possession of the hut AL
though the scant supply of food showed a
steady decrease from this date, the men one
and all seemed by common consent to buoy
up their spirits looking forward to the
great Christmas festival as though it were
to prove, even in that land of drifting
snow and eternal ice, time of merriment
and rejoicing. All the while. with the
frghtful silence of the polar night about
them, the cruel ice king ever advancing
nearer and nearer with his Understanding
touch, the party of explorers were looking
forward to the winter solstice, the burst of
sunlight through the gloom which should
announce the coming of the Christmas
child, the birthday of the Lord, the Grad
ling of the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.
At length the morning dawned for which
all had so long looked forward, and, with
the barometer at 80 90, Thermometer at
35 5, a breakfast was served of thin soup
of peas and carrots, with little blubher,
and some spoonfuls of potatoes. This
meal was eaten at 6 o'clock, after which
cloudberries were served out-two cans to
each mess At / o'clock came the grand
event of the day, the Christmas dinner, in
honor of which brave show of lights was
made in the hut. The cooks, having been
allotted an extra gill of rum on that occa-
sion, did their duty bravely, notwithstand-
ing the great trouble which they encoun-
tered from the smoke, there being very lit
tie wind The menu consisted of a fine
rich stew of all seal meat, with onions, a
little hlubber, potatoes and bread crumbs
I his dish was enjoved not only because of
the savory ingredients, but because the
quantity for the once was sufficient to sat
isfy hunger. After the lapse of an hour a
dessert was served of another stew, this
time of raisins, blubber and milk At
o'clock each man was given a cup of hot
chocolate, over which they fingered long,
exchanging "reminiscences of home, recall
ing luxuries of every description, and en-.
tering into a compact to pass the next
Christmas together should fate allow them
to return to civilization. Then followed
singing the various songs taken from the
French German. Danish and lnnut.
So ended Gen. Greely's Christmas day
at the North Pole, the last spent hv him at
Cape Sabine, and, TO many of his brave
men, the last ever spent upon earth
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

dread Of Christmas because Of the sordid
aud mercenary standards 10y which 1t is
measured
Of Trimmins little dinner and avoids it can
stay the abuse and regenerate Christmas.
1t is essentially day of human good will
1t commentaries the spirit Of the brother
hood Of men. You cannot buy Christmas
thy costs little If the extravaganza Of
funerals is such that great society is or
ganized to withstand it, should not the ex-
travagance of Christmas cause every honest
man and woman practically to protest by
refusing to Weld to the extravaganza
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
Christmas Eve.

We sit and watch the twilight darken slowly,
Dies the last CLEAN upon the lone hillside
And in the stiffness, growing deep and holy,
Our Christmas guests come in this eyentide.
They enter softly: some with baby faces
Whose sweet blue eyes have scarcely looked
on life;
We bid them welcome 10 their vacant places;
They won the peace, and never knew the strife,
And some with steadfast chances meet us grayely,
Their hands point backward to the paths they
tired;
Dear ones, we know how long sc struggled
hravely,
And died upon the battlefield Of God
And some are here whose patient souls were
riven
By our hard words and looks of cold dsdain;
An, loving hearts, TO speak of wrong forgiven,
Ye COME TO visit our dark world again
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

right by de coat-tail Yasser I'd grab
bed i'm eff he'd kyar'd me up de chin
berly."
Lucien and Lillian listened open-mouthed,
so intense was their interest Bat now
Lucen spoke:
Suppose You had caught him, Aunt
Crissy, what would you have done theul"
"Shoo, honey I'd helt i'm hard an
fas': Id rasted wild i'm, an when he
gun ter get the better un me, Ia a squalled
out same ez one er deze we're will cas- I'd
a squalled so loud I'd fair Harmed de
settlement"
Aunt Crissy paused, folded her fat arms
across her broad bosom and looked in the
fire. Daddy Jake, with a long pair of
tongs, as musical as those that SHAKESPEARE
wrote about, put the noses of the chunks
together, and carefully placed fat pine
knot in the centre. Then he leaned back
in his chair, and rubbed his chin thought
fully.
well, h." said he, after awhile, 81 dunno
ez bin close to ole Sandy Claus az what
you IL, Sis Crissy, but bin mighty close,
an faint bin so mighty long ago nuder.
One ight des TO Christmas wuz gwine
long thoo de woods close by the Ward
place wuz gwine long, wuz sorter
studyin' wild myself bout whedder ought
ter hang up my stockin's wild de res err de
folks, when, fus news l know, look like 1
kin year de win BLOWN. Hit SCUM SO
loud dat stop right in my tracks an ak
myself what de name err goodness is de
matter / amt feel no win an amt see
no bush shakin', but up dar in de top er de
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

OF late years Christmas has become far
more a domestic and merrymaking holiday
than religious one, But it is religious in
the best sense, since it is day of peace
and rest, and opens the heart to human
needs and human sympathies.
The most satisfactory way to observe
Christmas is to do at least one good act to
some of our fellows. The consciousness of
doing such an act will inspire us to do
others, aud so sanity the day as to make
it ever welcome
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

Christmas has gradually evolved out of
its theology and has come 20 stand for fes-
tival of love. Therefore all men love it,
for throughout the universe love is born of
love and is worshiped for its own sake.
Christmas is always associated with Je-
sus, who, whether regarded as God or man,
was the purest, kindest, noblest being that
has walked the earth He has inspired
love in saint and sinner in devotee and
skeptic alike. Men may wrangle about
creeds, but about Jesus and his beautiful
life there can hardly be any difference of
opinion, for he pitied all who suffered and
strove to heal every aching heart.
The great-graudfather of the writer-a
small proprietor in the Carse of Falkirk, in
Scotland, and an Episcopaliau-used regu-
larly himself, every Christmas morning, to
carry a special supply of fodder to each in
dividual animal in his stable and COW house.
The old gentleman was wont to say that
this was a morning, of all others in the
year, when man and beast ought alike TO
have occasion TO rejoice. Chambers Book
Of Days.
'Only the man who gives, hoping for
nothing again, who gives freely, without
calculation, out of the fulness of his heart,
ever can find his love returned to him. He
may win hatred as well as love; but love
does come in measures he could never dream
of. We see it every day; and every day,
perhaps, we may be disappointed at finding
some favors which we thought were well
laid out bringing back no recompense.
They were bestowed with the hope of some
! thing again - d. Maurice
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

phrase, she was welcome to come, or she
was welcome to stay away
One evening in the early part of Deem
Der, the children hurried through their
supper of bread and butter and milk, and
ran TO Daddy Jakes house. Aunt Crissy
was there, and her fat face and white teeth
shone in the freight as she sat smiling at
the youngsters.
Il done got Cris'mas in my bones" she
was saying, as Lucien and Lillian ente red
wall, l amt gwine ter say dat, " said
Daddy Jake, "kaze I'm dat ole dat 1 amt
got no romance in my homes fer nothin'
tall 'ceppm' tits de rheumatism; yit dat
don't bender Christmas, an l amt maxim
no deniance but what hits in de ar"
''Now you er talkin'" exclaimed Aunt
Crssy, with JUNCTION. you mos sholy is A"
There was little pause, aud then Daddy
Jake cried out:
'In de name err goodness, des lsseu at
datl"
What was itl The wind, rising and fall
ing, ebbing and flowing like the great
waves of the sea, whistled under the caves,
and sighed mournfully over the chimney.
But it was not the wind that Daddy Jake
heard. There was sharp rafting on the
shingles and a swift pattering at the win
dows. Daddy Jake and Aunt Crissy looked
at each other and then at the children.
"What is It'll" asked Lillian, drawing a
little closer to Daddy Jake.
"Pshaw! know what it is" said Lu-
Glen; tits sleet Daddy Jake shook his
head gravey as he gazed in the fire.
! 1T might be, he said IAN den agin
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

When Christmas white comes in the night
And lines the lawn, the gl-be and glade.
Then doing lads and lassi-s haste
To reach in dreams, the land Of taste
Along The fields OF iujlhr paste,
Across the streams of lemonade
A moment seems "a day in dreams,
A minute for "a month avails
Until iney reach that honey land
Where sugar takes the place of sand,
And gum.drop trees ou every hand
Are plunderrd boy vanilla gales
The hills are made of marmaIad",
And ieli.d into da.es and deils;
The peaks in tafy ridges rise
Where soda fountains hzl to skies;
Where bushes bend with custard pies,
And trees hang low with caramrls
The streams that leap adoVu the steep
Are melting creams of frozen ice;
And these IN rivulrts begun
With malows soft med ny the sun
Into the sponge cake valleys run,
with everything that's sweet and nice
Then DER the mead, with eager greed,
The youngsters fit like sunny CLEANS;
But ere a single sip they take
The jelly mountain starts to quake.
1t topples. -tumbes; they awake
And that's the way it is with dreams
Lippincoffs
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
ON ChrIstmas Day.

On Christmas Day, when fires were III,
And all our breakfasts done,
We spread our toys out on the floor
And played there In the sun.
The nursery smelled Of Christmas tree,
And under where IL stood
The shepherds watched their hocks " sheep,
All made Of painted wood
outside the house the air was cold
And quiet all about,
Till far across the snowy roofs
The Christmas bells rung out
But soon the sleigh bells jinEed by
Upon the street below,
And people on the way to church
Went crunching through the snow.
I do not see how any child
Is cross on Christmas Day,
When all the lovely toys are new,
And every one can play.
X Pyle.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
What maketh Chr.stmas hrlght.

What maketh Christmas bright,
Though earth be drearyt
Truly think It's 50
Because Gods angels know
The rosy dawn Is near to chase the night
And rest 10 soothe the weary.
What maketh Christmas gay,
Though heart be sorryt
Nay, but think because
The star of glory draws
Mans soul above. beyond the stormy way
OF earthly care and worry
What maketh Christmas peace,
Through rage bee striving
a rush of seraph's wings.
heavenly choir that sings.
Bending before the Babe thai brings release
From death and sins vontriving
-hnrB Elizabeth Blake.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
An OhIIginr LIttIe Girl.

Proprietor OF palatial confectionery store
Whose holiday stock is all in)-"Want to
see me personally, do you ? Well, my lit
tie miss, what can do for YOU 2"
Youthful Applicant-"Don't you want
to hire a nice little girl to sit in your front
window and eat candy l-Chicago Tribune.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

Ne who have scorned each other,
or injured friend or brother
In this fast-fadng year;
Ye who 10y word or deed
Have made kind heart bleed.
Come, gather here
Let sinned against and SHINING
Forget their strife's beginning,
And join in friendship now;
BE links no longer broken.
BE sweet forgiveness spoken,
Under the holly bough.
Charles Mdckdu
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

Fo~ lOl the days ,-,, fastening on
BY prophet bards foretod,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of Rold
When peace shall overall the earth
Its ancient splendor fn,,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
Edmund Hamilton Sears
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
Thought He Gould Save His Stockings.

Maude-Are you going to hang up your
stockings Christmas, GUST
Gus % No. I've had TO hang up my dress
suit and fall overcoat, but think the gov
ernor will send me a remittance before it
gets as bad as that. Truth
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
CHRISTMAS ON
THE PLANTATION
An "Unclc Bcmus" sketch.
KPyle

This charming "Uncle Remus' story was origi-
nally written 10y Joel Chandler Harris for the
Christmas number or the New York CONNER
cial Advertiser. In ITS authors most delightful
vein Il reveals To the children some Of the
quaint suparstitons Of the Southern negroes
about Santa Claus works In moral lesson or
two, and gives picture Of the old time planta-
ton scenes on Christmas morning
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23
MANY Singers, but One Song.

What though the fields arr white with snow
And breath OF winter chils the earth'-
Blithe troops OF children come and 20,
With gentle faces bright with mirth.
Their merry Christmas greetings ring
Like songs Of birds VIII n summer smiled
our gracious Master and our King
Was born to earth a little child.
Whose heart so cold it shall not stir
when Christ.ras emblems, far and wide,
The gifts that household loves prefer
Are sent abroad at Christmastidef
Whose heart 50 cold, whose heart SO old,
But swells with joy and childlike mirth
To see sweet charity eufold
Her royal mantle round the earth'
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-12-23

So Christmas and Thanksgiving clasp
tt cir hands and brightly bridge December,
Close met within that heartfelt grasp.
All friends one Friend Of all remember,
Two feast fires glow across the snow,
Blent in one home-hght for the rowing.
The happiest day that comes must 20;
still dwell the thankful with the loving.
Lucy Ldroom