The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-12-21
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We z >TNIz-1aN ners; Ali he he
W$A SfasN children, and old
a.s1}> t. folks, too, h ad
gEM8 & !. i!FS1 Gathered at the !
yeEMVE sc=I school house t o
a(oIlIl hIASA1[-t take part in the
~S---- exercises and wit t
Nes ne:s the distribu-
ton OF presents
from u gorgeous Christmas tree. Nora
Ellis wa managing the evening fcs-
tiyities. She had been busy for days
and DAYS with trips to town and jour
new, to the school house. i
In the midst of it all Nora had
Thought now and then what Christmas
meant and her heart was gentle, as
hearts should be, when her fancy con-
iurcd up the star in the East; when
that finer ear which never bends to less
than heavenly music caught the
rhythm OF that anthem which filled the
skv one distant night in distant land.
Yet one thorn troubled her. She tried
to forge, Ed Morrow and their quarrel,
but the thought would come back and
confront her. She remembered how
happy she was in the summer time,
when she walked with him along this
same plain road and thrilled as II good
girl will when the angel of true love
troubles the waters of her waiting soul.
He had wandered away with the sun, rs
the summer ended, and she heard OF
him now and then from friends who
drove to Hendricks County. Once or
twice he had drifted up to the borders
of her neighborhood. but she never
saw him. Rumor. that agile assassin,
declared he was going with Eliza
Raines. and honest Nora could wonder,
in the midst of her pain. what he found
in the girl to admire. He would come
to the Christina, tree, and she must
suffer in silence while that brazen
creature stated her eyes with looking
upOn her.
Everything was as ready as it could
be at the school-housc. The day had
filed the eye of Christmas lovers.
Snow lay deep upon the ground. and
through it the sleigh tracks had beat
en- like Il sort of canal between high
banks of white. Sleighbells rung a
greeting to laughing parties. rich with
life and hungry for en- oyment. Nora
did not conduct the exercises. She
only managed the manager. sending
the Sunday school superintendent upon
the narrow stage to ask for order and
announce successfully the programme
numbers.
In Indiana we always aimed to min
gle some portion of the intellectual
with all our carnivals. There were
debating societies and the reading
part at singing schools: they were
dcclamations and original essays at
every gathering. till the sun of compo-
sition waxed warm and full in the
season of reviyals. Tonight, be-
sides the distribution of presents,
there were songs i'll which Nora
had trained the children: recitations
in which the children had mostly
trained themselves: q tableau Or two
and ubilant chorus. Nora, looking
through peep hole in the curtain. saw
Ed Morrow sitting close up to the front,
but far away from tho women. If he
came with that girl he had done the
very uusraceful thing of leaving her
to shift for herself in \ stranger COM
pany and pushed his way to the point
most near the woman whose heart had
followed him in all his wandcringS. He
could not see her and she stood for a
moment until time came for the outer
curtain TO rise, filling her hungry eyes
with the blessed picture of his stalwart
frame perched up there little higher
than the rest, his handsome face laugh
ing above 4 brilliant scarf. his bearded
lips parting to return Il greeting from
some VI the IVi III " as
Il favorite everywhere. Then she
no, ed aside into what might be called
the dressing-room. while the children
sang:
In Il nau-er laid so lowly.
Game the Prince OF Peace to earth:
While u choir OF angels holy
sang III celebrate his birth
She tried to forget the man out
there beyond the curtain: tried 10 join
her heart with the swinging rhythm
of the carol: tried to think OF that
older. better time when still and
starry night like this brought the era
of love. not the season of pain. She
vas in the far, chill corner Of the
room. for the moment alCne. The
whole busy house WAS behind her. Be-
fore was the frost-painted window.
which curtained the outer night and
hid it's glory from her Drumming eyes.
She was as distant from all familiar
scenes rs JudeaS plains were distant
from this humble celebration of their
Christmas birth. And she wrote his
name with the bar OF her tuning fork
on the thick. white frost Of the win
dow pane.
Almost instantly the song was ended.
The curtain fell with the slow. disc
bedient movement OF tyros' curtains
everywhere. and the children rushed
from the narrow stage to seats by THEN
parents Ill the crowded house. Then
came the evenings great event. ORA
peries which reached from the ceiling
were parted and drawn aside. revea' ing
the Christmas tree. 1t was Nora 5
work. and she knew the whirlwind Of
cheering down there in the house held
something of compliment to her. 1,
was 1oisy aud rude; she knew that