The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-12-19
A CHRISTMAS QUEEN.
DY MARTHA McuLLocn WILLIAMS.


lCopyright, 1891, by the Author.l
Aunt Charlotte came sturdy ae~oss
the Lee plantation. The fields We're all
sere as became mid December. Yet i'll
the flower garden roses, pansies and
chrysanthemums were rapidly unfold
ing III the warm, slow rain, rather
ragged and discolored, to be sure, but
flowers for all that.
Denis do ve'y tings fer drcssin up
de table. Aunt Charlotte muttered to
herself as she scudded betwixt the Dor
ders and on to the back porch. Before
she could knock, the hall door opened,
and Mrs. Leo called out;
"Howd'y, Aunt Charlotte? Come
right in my room to the fire You'll
catch your death yet, running about so
in bad weather. Sit down and dry your
feet while you tell me all the news. y
Aunt Charlotte stuck her torn, mud
dy shoes toward the blazing logs, fetch
ed sort of grooming sigh and said:
La Miss May, you know | never
hears no news, but dey nor'ated it at
church meeting 'istiddy dat ole lady
Brantley wus metty low wild dc brown
skeeters, an ole Miss Calishaw's Flo
ence had done ruined off an married
dat Dodd boy. F."
"Well, well, she has driven her ducks
to bad market Girls are so foolish.
Oh, did you hear from old Mr.. Pegram?
| am told he was badly hurt last week. y
"Yessum; he clumb up de stable lof',
huntin fer de boyses jug or Ticker, an
fell through on dat young mule, an de
critter kicked him. So de doctor say de
spine er he back is querrelized
Dear mel You don't say SOL Mrs.
Lee returned
For AN hour the talk slipped along
the channels of local gossip. Aunt Char
lotte knew there was nothing like It'd
bits of news to put Miss May in good
humer Whatever happened in ten
miles around was reported, with en-
largement and variations, at the color
ed church. Besides Aunt Charlotte her
self was outdoor laundress for some half
dozen families, 50 of course knew all
about them. When her feet were dry,
she got up, picked her sunbonnet from
the floor and said, balancing herself on
one foot:
"Well, mus be goin. Miss May,
is you got any COLE paper?'
''Let me see. Yes, think--I know
have. Do you want some: Are they go
ing to have another Christmas tree at
the church,
"Yessum--no'm. does wants some,
but faint fer no Chrismus tree. Dey
done had so many er dem, an fesservuls,
an May suppers, an SO on, de folks Is
tired on um. Mict' Pasco, dc teacher at
de free school, is metty high larnt. He
been one session ter de Frisk nuniver-
sity, up hat Nashville, 80 de church
call on him ter pervent UNI somp'n new.
An he tole um dey mus have err queen
er Chrismus. -
'Indeed2 That is something new.
Tell me all about it,
81 amt zactly got. de hole thing
straight yit. but fur es I kin make oft
my Meely--dey choosed her fer queen
Is gwine be dressed up in white, wild er
crown on, an red shoes, an set up on er
cheer on top de teachers table, wild or
big stripe-ed shawl all hangin down
ter dc flo. an de schoolchilluns is ter
come up fore her an say dey speeches.
bout de boy stood on de burnin deck,
an twinkle, twinkle, little stars, an dc
reaper whose name IL debt, an all dem
yothers. Den dey gwine have di-logs
fer the big chilluns, an arter dat all dc
young men will march an sing around
her, an she ha' ter choose one on 'em fer
king. OATS whut gifts Nicely whar de
woods short You know she amt for