The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-24

, masses are concerned I don't remembe
, thing that would be OF interest I
anybody. i hung up my stocking an
got up at an unearthly hour in the morn
| ing to examine the contents OF II, but be
, yond that / remember nothing. l hat
two Christmases in 1864 and 1865 tina
were rather noteworthy, because on
| was spent in the hot tropical jungles o.
! Nicaragua, and the other on one or I'M
great snowy tundras OF North East 81
IBERIA. one OF Inese holidays l spen
riding in my shirt sleeves through a trop
teal forest, shooting now and then al
monkeys with revolver, and the next
twelve months iater-I spent in a fur bag
on the snow, where / lay for the whole
twenty-four hours, listening TO the roar
Of a fierce arctic gale, and gnawing a
piece.of dried fish.
GEORGE KEENAN,.
DIR. Hale. Noah : Ark.
In my boyhood every school In Boston
| was opened on Christmas dayr-every court,
every shop, and all the markets The
business Of the banks and of State street
went on as on any other day.
The first Christmas present ever had
! was a Noah's ark. II was given me by
J. Van c. Throop, a distinguished en-
graver-a cousin of my fathers. II was
! explained TO me--a child Of three or four
years old-that he was Of Dutch family,
and had lived in New York, that his
| customs were therefore Dutch, and that
this was the reason why he gave his pres
ents en- Christmas-Day instead of New
Years. In this / cared less than for the
present itself, which was done up in
white paper and somehow appended to my
stocking. 1t could not have gone into 1T.
EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
The Great Cue riIia Chieftain.
My earliest recollections OF Cristmas are
when ] was a child of five or six years old,
in Old Virginia. Preparations for the
great festival generally began some weeks
in advance. The signal that announced
the advent was the Growing of chickens
at night which confirmed the Christian
faith in the legend of the cock that crew
on the morning of the crucifxion. In the
Old South, a weeks time at least-be-
tween Christmas-Day and New Years
was given to merry-making. The slave
was given holiday, and for season for
got his chains. On the eve before Christ
mas, my mother was busy baking mince
pies and stu!iing turkeys. The children
were happy at the thought of waking up
the next morning and finding their stock
ings full Of good things; the negroes were
just as happy as the children. We were
all put into our trundle-bed early, after
hanging up our stockings, and admonished
to cover up our heads and go to sleep.
Not one of us doubted that fairy (Which
we called the Christmas woman) would
come after we had gone to sleep, and
fill our stockings. 1t was beautiful SUI
perstition. In which devoutedly relieved,
that cast poetic halo around my child
hood days. AS we went TO bed early, we
rose before day-break, and emptied our
stockings before a fire of blazing hickory
VII
generany ran out doors to hear the Christ
mas guns that the nelghbors were firing
TO proclaim that Christmas had come
Our cook, negro woman, always had Il
lot Of stories TO tell us of having teen
the Old Christmas Woman on her hoe
turnal travels, and what she said 10 her
about us. 1t would have been impiety
not TO have believed every word she
told us. In fact the cook had repeated
them so often she believed them h@Tselt.
The truth is, the negro has great deal
of sentiment and Imagination. In the
nursery 1 have often been Fept awake
nearly all night by the stories they would
tell I'm which dumb animals would be
the interlocutors. Aesop was a negro,
and a slave, and his inventive genius
still lives in his race in the South.
JNO. S. MOSBY.
mMarsh" wiIder's Dog.
can even go back in memory 10 the
day was baptized, but the first Christmas
! recall was when / was about seven |
wears old. 1t was in Wolcott, New YORK.
was happy in being possessed OF two
aunts-the only mothers l ever had My
father and ! have lived as bachelors al
our lives These aunts had two families
of children. about twelve in ALL They |
living in the country and In the city, l
used to visit them, and / always came
there on Christmas.
AS / said before, on this occasion l
made this visit to my relatives home. III
was a case of twelve-to-one, they all had
TO give me presents. The day before this
Christmas stands out very wildly in my
memory. I remember that 1 upset the
whole town.
What my cousins couldn't think TO do
did. A capital idea struck me-to dis
guise myself 1 BACKED my face as well
as I could so well that even the family
dog didn't know me- In this guise made
several calls in the village. and every one
failed to recognize my makeup
There was one young lady l was espe
cially fond of. / made UP my mind TO
visit her. and knocked at her door, mean
ing to ask her If she had anything for me
TO eat. When she opened the door i
jumped at her. She had lamp in hand
remember that well-and so frightened
was she, that she jumped down n flight
OF eight steps into the Kitchen. landing,
as luck would have IT, on her feet This
startled q gigantic bulldog, whose exist
ence l had forgotten, but whose voice ]
Instantly recognized which remarked
I'm after YOU" and ran home with all
my strength. l am still possessed with
the idea that I'm running yet.
Well. for this / was put immedia tely 20
bed. But l kept awake ] had been told
that Santa Claus was the straight thing,
and / thought I'd find out about IT, /
got up at four and crept down stairs.
Not a thing did ! find. l went back TO
bed, oversight, missed the prologue and
they had the laugh on me. At eight o'clock
/ was aroused. just in time for the distri-
button Of gifts. Everything was arranged
on chairs Each Of the four girls and the
eight boys had their own chair marked
with their names and oh, the little meek
thank yous." but this isn't a marker
TO what | gave YOU" all conveyed I'm the
same look. There was a great assortment,
chiefly of handkerchiefs and neckues
The rest of the day was given up 10
games. IL was day Of jollhcatiOn as
Christmas ought TO be In every household
The cousins have grown up and now my
are very dull But OF the
earliest l remember everything was very
Joyful" except that incident OF the dog
M2T1fly yours,
MARSHALL +. WILDER
The Governor of Texas.
My first impression OF Christmas was
made by Santa Claus / thought that I'm
4 great battle with the Devil. God had