The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
IN AN AMERICAN HOUSE.
1t Was an Occasion Of Tranquil JOY
and Happiness.

IL Was an Occasion Of Tranquil JOY
and Happiness.
The best Christmas in the whole city j
found out on Messer street. 1t is one of
those comfortable home streets on which
every house contains a real family, where
the men all own enough to pay taxes on
and none is so rich but that he has
to work for a living. Any OF great num-
Der of houses about the city would prob
ably have answered my purpose, but
had to choose one so went in where a
woman had good naturedly left the front
door ajar and as she had dropped one OF
an armful of bundles OH the steps it gave
me an additional excuse to get inside. liz
wasn't needed, however, for the reason that
some mem ber of the family had shaped
strings of evergreen into the word "w ell
come" and placed them on the wall facing
the door and 1t applied to everyone.
The place was full OF people invited for
the week-all relatives, with the exception
OF the school teacher whose room two OF
the children are in and who had bee n In
yited there because she IL boarder
soinew here else the rest of the year and
because the mother liked her, as the chill
dren seemed to make so much more prog
ress than they had under the old teacher.
1t was the day before Christmas and
everyone was full of business-the Woman
who left the door open had only just lin
ished up the last shopping and an ac-
count OF stock was being taken behind
closed doors up stairs while the teacher
who was worthy of being invited 10 that
house kept down undue curiosity on the
part of the babies by telling them
stories. They all believed her when
she SAID that in Germany all the cows
talk like human beings on Christmas eve,
but that it Is q sin for anyone to try to
prove IL by listening. Sne also told them
that in England the children always
carry apples into the orchard and bury
them az the foot of the biggest tree as an
Offering TO the orchard god and that they
fill their shoes with wheat for the rein
deers that drag Santa Claus along the
roofs and leave cake on the hearth so
that their driver can have lunch.
Most of the houses on Messer street
have back yards big enough to contain
trees, and in the hack yard of this particu-
lar house there was an apple tree. The kids
all Went out and dug up enough of the
frozen crust at its roots TO bury good
share OF the dessert that was on the supper
table that evening. and out of all that
crowd OF grown folks there wasn't one
mean enough to laugh at them.
After the orchard Offering had been
made they all played games until the first
bed time, when the youngest got out of
sight, and their stockings were filled up.
Then every one left could play cards, so
they had whist till the next gen.
GRAFTON retired and their presents
were laid out on the piano, ana
finally everyone had said good night but
the man who pays the rent and he i'm
sisted on being left alone for 10 minutes,
while his wife went upstairs wonder
ing what 1t was going to be, he fished nice
gold watch out of his inside pocket, scrib-
bled her name "witb a merry Christmas"
on the outside wrapper and placed il on
her plate, and then making sure that
no one of his numerous offspring was
getting ready to break forth before day
light went to bed himself.