davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

had b. almost superhurn2n effort trnrs-
formed the whole room until Il might
have been = niche IN Al2ddiz's palace
On the foor there vas magnificent
Smyrna carpet. which had been made
% order in Europe. and was exactly liz
size OF my roou and q eeEign which
Just atted-
The Old marble uautel Ez1 b~en
taken out, and in place II l. there v-zs =
handsome I'll. shelf with a tle front
and fireplace large enough and IN
vitj1y enough % deliEat TIC heart Of
any bachelor and KEEP him ~ hgrnc
nights- Ny large collection q owls Tad
AL BEEN gathered togethaT and va sea-
toned on tap q the Dez1tlEul ezhl1sts
AID bookcsses with which nv E-oflle-
had hned M =oo1z- Tae top q tas
drtssse- Vas corers1 with re1 plush &nd
OF il ve-e more silver TRIES t3aan Z ever
expect agaia 70 Sc on @ay Other ran
bureau. The bezisssso "a a nLzzS s4lls
sp-Ea1 "a IS T.:1 4zpzzSasz ae-Lrl- IN
r.-se7 gold There rss = Japsu-sa.
alan - c0veE4et ~ eEpc1aEvr tnz- !
dared not rzaess h1w Easen ~ zao1L~-
bad pad Tor q. s1sd n ps&>-s - go CT
cfuzrv tz-Lroozl c.sAsrs tlsers eg=er o-s4rf-
L.. - s-s-S.. -S@@Ez. veEs s-sgaS- &c. %
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
"ArE" HumMEL's CHRISTMAS.
While he Was at Work Els Mothers
Loving Hand Made Hts Room . Bower.


The pleassntest Christmas surprise OF
my life was given to me By nay mother
The memory of it Will lincer forever in
my mind, and to recall il from time to
time forms the most pleasing reIninis-
oence Of any that have In mind.
1t happened on The day before Christ
mas. left home as usual in the morn
ing to attend TO my law business which,
unfortunately, is of such nature that
l hardly know what 1t is TO have q va
cation. and was busy all day-so busy
that l scarcely thought Of Christmas at
all When went home that night it
was very near midnight End | toiled
YEARLY upstairs too tired 70 notice
anything ! opened the door OF nay
room, walked half way across the floor,
and then suddenly realized that l was
standing in the midst of most en-
chanting scene
When left my home in the morning
LETT behind me an ordinary bedroom,
not unlike that which any bachelor
might occupy. The room N which I
found myself was simply gorgeous IN
~ h>saty. During the day ny mother
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

in SO many and such varied forms.
NY own life has been particularly
happy ia this respect, and although
shadows intervene now between me and
the place where the stockings used to
hang 1 can look back upon those times
with the perfect conviction that at no
period IN my existence have ! expert
enced such perfect joy as when could
hear the prattle of many childish voices
at peep Of day-voices that were impa-
Siently awaiting sunrise, longing eager
" for the fire to be lighted In the nur-
sery, that they might spring from their
beds and hasten to see what st Nicholas
had brought for their enjoyment.
There were six of those little folk
born to Us within ten years. AS they
stood in line, side by side, their little
heads formed the stepladder to happi-
ness over which any fathers fancy
might climb with that calm enjoyment
which supersedes every other worldly
pleasure.
Every Christmas eve was gala time
in our house then. It was delight to
contemplate their eagerness and inno-
cence, to answer their multitudinous
questions. TO indulge them in their rap
lures Of expectation, to administer to
the fond fancies which are all in all to
child life, all in all to the fathers and
mothers of such children.
It was no small task 70 induce the lit
tile ones to retire Christmas eve, but
when at last they were asleep the joys
that l experienced in playing the part
of Santa Claus and in filing each little
stocking with longed for toys were
greater, ] know, than any that can ever
como to me again
Now, even though sadness is mixed
with that precious season of the year,
iSwiN ever remain a glorious event to
me, for with it comes the memory of the
days that were. Ny own boyhood
sinks to insiCnificance IN the contem-
piation OF the happy faces, rosy cheeks,
eager voices and light footsteps have
seen and heard around my own freside
among my own children.
The father and mother of a family
should be the happiest people in the
world at Christmas time, even though
some of the merry voices may have been
stilled by the changes which time in
vOl1es; but when the children are all
there, laughing, dancing, shouting,
singing. running, stamping, blowing
horns and whistles and pounding
drums, wordg utterly fail to depict the
acme of happiness a parent feels; the
heart falters and is dumb when Joy
such as this becomes its portion.
The happiest Christmas days ever
lived were with my own children, when
i knew them to be happy.
CHARLES F. CRISP.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

over the glorious time of the preceding
night and in laughing, chatting, play
ing jokes and telling stories.
Then dinnerl
What gathering 1t was, to be sure!
The table in ordinary use was not half
large enough TO seat the company or TO
accommodate the viands, and our in
genuity was put to the test TO make it
larger. What a dinner it was! There
was wild turkey, coon, rabbit pie and
possum, with vegetables galore, mulled
cider, tea and coffee and such pies as
only mans mother ever succeeded in
manufacturing don't think woman
ever learns to make pie until she has
son who is old enough to appreciate
it.
After dinner nobody wanted to move;
everybody had eaten too much. Grad
ually, however, digestion got in its
work and we came to life again.
In the middle of the afternoon we
boys got the horses and sleighs ready.
That consisted in filing the boxes with
straw and buffalo robes, placing
the boxes on traverse sleds and hitch
ing four horses to each outfit. Then
we went from house to house, picking
up all the boys and girls in the neigh
borhood and piing them into the boxes
pellmen.
can hear those sleigh bells now
some of them were cow bells to be sure
i can hear the shouts of laughter, the
singing, the witty sayings; can feel the
fun of that day to this hour.
What ride we had covering about
twenty miles! One rig was overturned
in snow bank, and it looked for an in
slant as though dozen enterprising
BARRIERS had begun business in that re-
giOn. We dug the girls out, however,
put them back in their sleigh and drove
on, happy, merry, full of life and
energy.
We reached our destination about
dark. 1t was large hall that had
been warmed for us, and there, to the
scraping of fiddles, the rattle of bones
and the PUNK of banios, we danced and
frolicl1ed nearly all night. There was
supper, too, of baked beans, cold
turkey, cold coon, bread and butter.
pie-such pie-and hot coffee.
It was broad daylight when we got
home. That Christmas was thirty-six
hours long, and it was the happiest one
/ ever spent. CHARLES FOSTER.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
ART kao ARTISTS.

A PoErzArT - tie well known Tri-
terrain divine Or. Bartol. q Boston.
painted bv hls daughter. has besn pro
sen.ed y tie America Unitarian 4asoe-
iz1ion-
D0BA WHZErTR. the z-tis, hss rrr--n
rounded and .n@troaly. Alwaya = taI
woman with . wonderfully fre car
rszzs sad - sssic features ker Gyurs
Gov Is ~ II . y0uaZ Jsuo.
ScrIf1oE ELwEIL- II Hs7s YORK Is
been awarded tt.e csn.rzct ar tAs Easr-
au1crt % C,ea- Uzneock ~ - ~rsetrd
b. he Cet.ysszrg tfoagr8eot ssa1.elz-
ti1A The cot ~iH be t4z.S10 szsia0z3t
lae PEDESTAL
WALTTE sATTEEr-EE, fke zrSsst. saTs
orc 81 the greatest di1calties - rsee.s
with IS th> izck - rzo1sls. tr t54s ec-sE-
~. whoae BAR "a - slzek Ia e has
a.ae o. ysrp.c Lights ia T. e s1os
,Azi g hat hs x&ats - soHfzou r. AZ
-. tsas zlzs1st uzastasazbse herp
a s1sr tssztflfa3 ed q a.ost ur Erc-a
portra-s ~ 's.e unfortunate Cz-~n IA
sis AHtoa5s'-a - e.. pe-sens - sew %
l5zzge.dgrt The portrait, saish a
ts.r-s-5zs ~teTe Ef~-ztze - Ea.as rep
~esesis tiss s5ren ss-sTaGiuE Eo.1lag =
lssls ass Charles ss-Essl II ASE zEaE-s.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
Closer. Let me see you" he said.
hoarsely. Let me see your face!" And
the new man said, softly:


hoarsely. Let me see your face!" And
the new man said, softly:
'Fatherl'
And the squire told Us that something
within him laughed joyously, and that
he felt as if it was growing dark, but
that in the shadows he heard a voice
saying: Father. forgive mel" and that
then he had to speak, and the words,
the only words he could say were:
Forgive thee, Willy! 1 forgave thee
many year ago!" and with that he
came to himself fully and he was sitting
In his chair and a fine young cavalry
officer was kneeling at his knee and the
servant in the smock frock had disap-
peared, and he asked, quickly: Where
is my Willy?'
Then he found out that Willy had only
put on the smock frock to see if Willy
would be welcome for WHY'S own
sake; for he had become great sol
dier, and had been with Sale and Pol
lock and had taken his full share in all
the brave deeds that had been done
that famous year in India.
The company were dancing Money
musk under the holly and mistletoe
boughs when the squire and his
handsome son came into their presence
again. And all the lovely young girls
looked at him. and some of the married
women, remembering his face, broke
the dance up with a glad cry, and sur
rounded both the father and the son
with noisy joy. But l noticed that
Willy very soon passed to the side Of
the beautiful Adalaide Plessy, and said
something TO her in a whisper, and she
smiled at him for reply and gave him
her hand And after that Christmas
really began. and the singing and dane
ing and feasting and frolicking that had
been only social necessity became
something very much different and
very much happier.
Then on one happy night when it was
furiously stormy outside and delight
fully peaceful and radiant inside Willy
Broom told as all over again the glori-
Gus story Of the taking of the passes
told it with such fire and passion that
every man was feeling for his sword,
and every woman was listening with
flaming cheeks and tears like dew drops
on them. And know it was that night
when this martial story was finished
that Willy told another story 20 Ada
laide Plessy, and the end OF that story
was the grandest wedding that had
ever been seen by Eallowlees or Otter
burn.
1t is fortv-niue years ago, and yet but
few months since met a gray-hSired
woman who had been my companion at
Broom. and she recalled with me every
emotion and event, and added:
Yes, they were married. Willy and
Adelaide, and though some Of us have
been but poorly used since, as far as 7
know they lived happily ever after
ward" AMELIA Z. BARE
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
SECRETARY FOSTER ON PIE.

Especially the Christmas Pie His Mother
Used To Make, the Like of Which No
Woman Ever Made without = sen to
Appreciate It.
Christmas is the one day in the year
which above all others should be the
occasion Of family reunions and general
rejoicing. It is the nidwinter festival
when we should celebrate the fact that
we are alive ! doubt if there be man
living to-day who, having attained the
Tipeness Of middle age, does not look
back upon the simple manner in which
Christmas was celebrated thirty or
forty years ago and compare it to the
present decade very much to the disad-
vantage of the latter.
The pleassntest Christmas I ever
passed was at my old home in Chic
when was boy, with no idea OF the
honors and responsibilities Of life
! remember one occasion when the
sleighinG was excellent-it was about
the winter of 1870, think-when we
were all together at the old home.
Nothing can ever eff3ce the memory of
that day from my mind. for to us it be-
gan on the evening before and ended
the morning of December rs.
can see the old kitchen now where
we spent Christmas eve together, crack
ing nuts, pulling candy, with pitcher
of mulled cider on the table, while the
sInol1e-begrimed walls and ceiling of
She quaint old room rang with laughter
and light-hearted frOlic. There was, of
course, the usual contingent of fiddles
we never called them violins in those
days-and when the nuts were cracked
and the candy pulled the floor was
cleared and fun ran riot in that old
house until nearly daylight. We
danced, we sang, we told stories, we
played the good old-fashioned kissing
games like "Snap-and-Ca en-. The
Needles Eye" Post Office" anda dozen
Others that have forgotten. and the
old folks enjoyed them Just as much rs
the young ones
1t was nearly daylight when we went
20 bed, but we were up and at il again
bright and early Christmas morning Just
the same.
| remember that there we're a few
simple presents exchanged, but in
those days such things were given more
as mementos than for the purpose Of
demonstrating the status of the donors
fortune, as seems TO be the custom now.
The presents that pleased me most on
the occasion 10 which refer were a
pair Of suspenders from my father and
some soft thick mityens from my
mother.
The morning was spent in talking
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
comfortable IN appearance -tha, I saw

they were for everyday use
l rubbed my eyes and stared about
me. Had made mistake and entered
the wrong house? And was I Ia tho
room Of perhaps some maiden fair who
might return at any time and 20 iato
Mysteries at finding strange man in her
room? Again I stared around the room
Surely had made some mistake. Yet
no; was correct, for there on the walls
hung my collection OF otd prints, and
scattered about were familiar land
marks which told me that was In ny
own room.
just then my mother burst into the
room 10 wish ne a Merry Christmas. =
for the clock had crept on 20 several
minutes past t"efye.
How thanked my mother for syieh \
joyful surprise, and how Toasted my
eyes upon the handsome things which
had always longed 70 possess but which
It had always seemed rank extrAvagAnoe
70 buy
And 50. after all, my pleasantoNt
Christmas reminiscenco Il the one on
which my mother transformed my roora
from a plain everyday affair into al
Aladdin bower. A. II. HUEME1
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

/ heard the thrilling story of the struggle
through the frozen pass of Khoord-
| CabuI. / had followed in imagination
the heroic death OF the army who per-
iShed to man there amid its hunger,
cold and treachery, and CT the women
and children who as hostages and pris-
/ oners were hurried from Tort to fort,
while Gems. Sale and Pollock and Sir
Richmond Shakespeare were forcing
the Khyber Pass for their relief.
And just before this Christmas had
ssved-that husbands and wives and
children had met again, while soldiers
cheered and the mountain train guns
rOaTed out royal salutes and the Eng
iSh flag was once more set blowing
from the Bala Hissar of Cabul. All the
talk was of these events and strange
stories were told Of dreams and oInens
and presentiments relating to them.
And | liked this better than the old
cumbrous ceremonies which were still
kept intact in that lonely hail, and
which indeed greatly wearied the
squire, though he would not forbid
them. But as soon as dinner was over
he escaped to his private parlor, where
he proposed to go comfortably TO sleep
as usual over his evening paper.
But this night something awakened
his heart. and he could not shut his
eyes and forget. Twelve years before
his son Willy had left him in passion
Bis mother had hoped and watched.
and died calling him home, but Willy
had never answered the call-and he
had now been forgotten. At this day
his father seldom remembered the face
that had been SO beloved, and his SIS
tiers sighed and spoke of something else.
This Christmas night. the squire told
Us afterward, he could not get Willy out
of his mind. He kept reminding him
self OF the lad-how be could run and
wrestle and ride and hunt, how the men
envied him and the women loved him
and bow proud he himself had been Of
his beauty and cleverness- He became
nervous with the iteration Of the same
thought. and finally took the handker-
chief off his face and stood up. The
room had grown dark and the FIRE low.
He rang for wood and . man entered
with an armful Of ash logs The squire
said: as that you, Baldy?~ and the fell
low answered: My name IS William.
be new man. sir
The logs began 70 blaze, the squire
lookea AZ the stranger, and when he
raised himself from the hearth he said:
who are you, William? Where do yon
come fom?" Then the man looked a.
eyes, and the squire trembled and went
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

Georgia Drew Barrymore, Ada Gilman
and others equally well known We
were doing the southern circuit On the
| Saturday night before Christmas, which
fell on Sunday, we played at Meridian,
Miss, and were booked to play on the
next night, which was Christmas, in
New Orleans. The passenger train
waited for as two hours after the per
formance in order to get us to the
Crescent city in time. 1 expected to
meet my partner and manager, Jacob
Goshe, at Mobile-about two hours ride
/ from Meridian. thought 1 would en-
| Joy ride on the engine by night and
obtained permission to do so. / already
had my foot on the cab of the engine
| and was about TO get on when William
| Harris, a member of my company, asked
me to fill up game of poker. Some
| bigoted people may consider such diver
sion inappropriate and opposed to the
religious impressions and the sweet
carolings of Christmas time, but
my readiness to accept the invita-
ton to enjoy quiet game Of draw"
saved my life. An hour later our
train ran into freight train on the
state line between Mississippi and Lou
| isiana- Two men on our engine and
| four others on the freight engine were
| killed. The scene of horror and excite
ment that followed battles my powers
of description. The engineer of the
freight train was brought into our
sleeper. He was supposed to be dead
and was put on an improvised berth.
| One Of the wounded was carried into
| the smoker. He was horribly burned
and call was made for some vaseHne.
l went into the sleeper to get the article
from some Of the girls in our company.
Passing the berth Of the supposed dead
engineer was startled By cold wise
like grasp on my wrist A voice, filed
with an agony of emotion and suffering,
such as l hope never 70 hear again,
cried out: For Gods sake, talk 20 me "
The engineer was not get dead. / could
| not move. For ten minutes be held me
by the wrist lie uttered an awful
strain OF blespheny. II was simply
horrible he rsvsd Of the terrible pen
atty which be and his associates on the
freight train had paid for their reckless
drunkenness. From what he said
gathered that he, the fireman, the
feeder and the brakeman on the freight
train had all been drunk. They had
/ paid fearfully for their holiday conviv-
iality. While all THIS was going on
could see through the window crowd
gathered outside about the burning cab
of the engine. The da-tC7 feeder vss
pinned down n such a way that It was
absolutely impossible 20 release him
He was slowly being burned 70 death,
and, delirious with pain. he made the
scene stil more weird with the most
nournful chanting Of negro hymns It
made Al -glp7ess,pn upon ne that can
never fosS'- ~ Christmas days since
then have been q tine OF 5oT ard feast
ing. bit TIE day never passes By in -
curing years but what the recollection
Of that awful nigh, IS always made
manifest, and vivid 20 me despite ire
presence % kind friends and al the
happy surroundings 80 irsepzrAblv So
ISOLATED with Christmas
De WoLs EoPPEA
TEE Egyptian. 2ad the Ph0ncizns
srs joiut claimants FOR TIE Aoz0r Of TIE
So :
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

yet visible. He bore an ancient and
distinguished family name, but he was
not very popular in our boarding house,
one could hardly say why.
Our landlady's daughter, pretty,
gentle girl, had ingeniously contrived
to lay some little gift at every plate
upon the long table. She was pleased
with the futter of kind words and
thanks which greeted her thoughtful
effort TO give to SO many exiled people
a sense of home, and her young face
flushed with pleasure.
Az we sat there chatting and smiling
and warming each others homesick
hearts and hers as well as we could for
Christmas sake, the late boardcr came
down.
merry Christmas, Mr." cried
the landlady's daughter. She turned
her sweet face toward him with happy,
trustful look. He stood for an instant
black as a cyclone. Then he broke
forth-"Merry Christmas 1 should
Think Merry Christmas / should sayl
It's cold enough in my room to freeze
out"
He mentioned place to which one is
not in the habit Of alluding en- Christ
mas day and flung himself down to his
breakfast amid a silence such as a man
might recall with a pang upon his dying
day.
That night when I drew the curtain
/ stood for awhile and looked with less
than the usual shudder at the piazza
roof where the Irish girls heart, in a
jar of alcohol, rested In the cold noon
light, painless and calm. And I said.
Child of ignorance, sleep well You
have served nobler end than any man
who trains his hand to sacred art while
his uneducated soul is groveling in
blasphemyl'
And from that day to this have
prayed a separate holiday prayer: For
all persons doomed to board at Christ
mas time!"
Then, now and forever it is by what
we lose that we learn to value what we
have From that breakfast hour to this
l have known how to add to my
litany: BLESS God for home on Christ
mas day. And thus ends the moral of
this brief tale-Holiday Law.
If you are in q home, stay there. Il
you have any to go to go there, and
thank Heaven and pray pardon for
your souls if, out of madness or of
folly, or Of that ignorance which is q
compound of both, you obey not this
sacred clause in life's long code.
ELIZABKTH STUART PHELPS WARD.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
a CHRISTMAS IN io4o.

English Victories. at Khyber Pass Made
Happy Hearts In the Old Country.
Christmas has not only personal fla
vor, it has national one, derived from
some event which at that tirne fills the
the public heart. On Christmas, 1s43,
was at Broom hall, Northumberland, a
girl of nine years old, precocionsly OBJ
servant and sympathetic; therefore
trembling and weeping to the great in
forest of the day-the sufferings and
dangers of the women and children
with the British army in CabuL had
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

HE happiest
Christmas days
man ever expe-
ri e u ce s are
those on which
his children are
e a t h e T e d
around him en-
joying the an
nual invitation
Of Santa Claus
and the joys he
brings to them
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
AN ACTORS CHRISTMAS.
How an Invitation TO Quiet Poker Gans
SAVED De Wolf Hepeer's Life

SAVED De Wolf Helpers Life
About twelve years ago, Christmas
time, when nv only ambition Ia life
was TO see my name in big letters and
my Siarese face in refreshing roseate
colors piaStered over the country fences
and city o.llboards. j was enjoying nv
first experience IS a manager and the
head OF great comedy company
Il was z grsst show. but the
public didn't seem 10 believe -
and / was enthusiastically sinking
my good inherited dollars IL try
ing % convince thern- The PLAY was
called One Hundred wives" western
border. Mormon comedy drama I had
sucA clever people n the company a.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30

THE consumption % -four IN China.
Japan and Central Amerioz h. 90 lie IN
crease. II the Chiuese ever soould be-
come sufficiently educated All esr4iizs,i
20 nss -four a. daily article q foOd.
its consumption would oe eu0rlE0-tly
increased
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-30
Ckrlstnas Sentiment from EecvstAry
HA1sord-

A happy Christmas is the rule. any.
thing else would be al exception
Christmas "a not = national festival; IL
belongs 20 the world In recognition q
the unspeAkabis gift 70 al men No
human voice has better sung IL carol
than that Of Charles Dickens. and ~.
when the day cones, God bless -
every one" Z. ". HALJoED.