South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1892-12-23
THElNTELLIGENCER
FRIDAY. DECEMBBR 20. 1894.
A Perfect Christmas.

Nothing short OF good old
fashioned Christmas could wake up
such house as that. Christmas
was comingl
Unless Santa Claus and the
Simpkinses and the Hopkinses
should forget the day Of the month,
they would all be there at waking
up time tomorrow morning.
Jane said Grandmother Vroo-
man, that afternoon, to her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Hardy, who lived with
her-'Jane, I've got 'em all fixed
now just where they're going to
sleep, and Eve made up q bed on
the floor in the store-room.'
Anyhow there's cookies enough,
and doughnuts. And the pies,
Jane. And I'm glad Liph gather
cd such piles o.. buttornuts.
oh, MOTHER exclaimed little
Sue. 4 gathered as many az he did,
and beech nuts, hickory nuts and
SO you did, Sue; but wonder il
two turkeys'll 60 round, with Only
one pair of chicksns?'
Mother said Mrs. Hardy, 'the
plum-pudding?'
Yes; but all those children. 1
do hope they'll get here to. night in
time for me to know where I'm GO
ing to put'em'
At that very minute, away up
the north road, two miles nearer
town, there was 3 sort Of dot on the
white road. II you were far enough
away from it, it looked like black
dot, AID did not seem to move.
The nearer you came to it the fun
nlcr it looked, and the more it
seemed to be trudging along with
an immense amount OF small ener-
gy. Very small indeed, for any
body close up to it would have sesn
that it was five year, old boy in a
queer little tint of gray t. imme1with
red. He had on queer gray cap,
and right in the middle of the front
of it were worked a pair of letters
20. A.,-but there was nobody
with the gray dot to explain that
those two letters stood for Orphan
Asylum No, nor to tell how easy
it was for boy OF five years old,
with all the head under his gray
cap full of ChristT as ideas, to turn
the wrong corner where the roads
crossed south of the great Orphan
Asylum building That was what
he had done, and he had walked on
and on, wondering why the big
building did not come in sight, un-
til his small legs were getting tired,
and his brave, bright little black
eyes were all bat ready for crying
spell.
just as he got thoroughly dis
ne came to the edge OF
the woods where there stood wood
sleigh with two horses in front of
it, drawn close to the road side and
heaped with great green boughs
and branches.
4 declare if it ISN'T one of them
little gray mites from the sylum
Way cut herel l say, bub.'
I'm Bijah.'
There was scared look in the
black eyes, for they had never seen
quite like Grandfather
Vrooman when he pushed his face
out between the branches. The
tree all looked as il they had boards
Of snow, but none had longer or
whittier one than Liph's grandfather,
'Bijsh,' said he, did you know
Christmas was coming?
BE here to morrow, piped the
dot in gray, and we are going to
hsye turkey
You don't sIyl Just you wait
until / cut a tree down, and I'll
some out and hear about IT,
lis your name Santa (1aus?'
Did You hear that, Liph? The
title chaps miles from home, and
don't believe he knows IT,.
rs that your sleigh?'
Yes, Bjah, that's my sleigh
Those arn't RENDERS, and you're
llkBeE n you uaeu 10 De-
Hear that, Liph?'
b jah had not q doubt in the
world but that he had discovered
santa Claus in the very act Of get
ing ready for Christmas, and his
lack eyes were growing bigger
very minute, until Liph began to |
limb over the fence. Then he set
fl on . run as fast az his legs would |
AIRY him.
Hold onp shouted Liph. we
Ton't hurt you
Let him co. said Grandfather (
'rooman. He's on the road to |
ar home. Ws'll pick him up
Where could we put him?'
Took mo for Sa Ia Claus, / de- /
lare! BiPh, this here tree'll just ]
nit your grandmother
Now for homo, Liph. Your 1
Grandmother will cut into one Of !
hem new pies, when you get there
Look shouted Liph, that little
elbows waiting for ~ at the top Of 1
ne hill.
The bill was not a high one. and /
no road led right over it and there
n the summit stood Bijah.
I'm 90 tired and hungry, he
aid to himself, 'and there comes
Id Santa Claus, sleigh aud all >