The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-03-02

large rooms rang with merry laughter
when one of the party was unwittingly
caught beneath the mistletoe Dough"
Having wearied of dancing and
games, We gathered in the large, old
fashioned hall-another of our time.
honored customs-and then, in front
of the great open fireplace, piled high
with blazing hickory logs, we passed the
last hours of the old year in story-tell-
ing. One of the most remarkable of
these stories was told by my aunt, and
| shall endeavor to repeat it as nearly
as possible in her own words:
There is always one story which
comes to me on New Year Eve and
seems peculiarly appropriate to that
time, although it is not a joyful one
When l was sixteen, my mother
died, and soon after her death my
father sold our old home, and removed
to a large farm. I had been born in
the city, and until that time had al
ways lived there. / keenly felt the
change from the gay metropolis to the
solitude of the country, but fortunate
ly was fond of reading and was also
great lover of nature. so that in a
measure l was compensated for the
life which had left. | saw little of
the outside world; therefore the most
trivial things became of interest to
me,
One afternoon in June, when we
had been living on the farm two years,
was sitting on the porch
reading novel and crying
over the sad fate of the heroine,
when suddenly my attention was at
tracted by the sound of wheels.
looked up quickly from my book and
saw buggy rapidly approaching our
house. Ny curiosity was at once
aroused, and my disappointment and
surprise were great when found that,
instead of stranger driving behind
the thoroughbred little mare, Lake,
one of our rough farmhands, held the
reins. Presently he drew up beside
the porch, and his errand was made
known i'll few words. There had
been runaway about mile from us,
and the gentleman who was driving
had been thrown from his carriage
and seriously injured. Lake saw the
man fall and went Immediately to his
rescue. He managed to get him to q
barn near by and, after capturing the
horse and buggy, both of which were
unframed, had driven over to see
what could be done. 1t would be sew
eral hours before a doctor could be
brought to him, and he was suffering
so much pain that Lake did not like
to leave him so long alone.
Just then my father came up, and,
having heard Lakes story, said thai
the man shonld be brought at once tC
our house, and ordered one of the
men to harness two of the horses t.
the farm wagon. A mattress was the1
laid on it and off they started, leaving
me at home to put things in readiness,
for the injured man.
Our pretty spare room, with it.
fresh mating and Swiss curtains, wa
the one which selected for him. |
was on the ground-foor, and woul(
therefore be more convenient than an,
other. Our guest, who gave his nam
as John Graham, soon arrived an,
was carried carefully to his chamber
and before very long the doctor came
Having set the broken limbs, for on
of his legs and one of his arms wer,
broken, and applied some cooling
wash to the bruises, he left the pAtien
to our care.
1t was many weeks before he wa
able to move from his bed, but be
tween the doctors skill and our care