Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-12-20
sHEPHERDsTOWN w. VA, THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 1894
What Happened Last Christmas.


Last Christmas was the jolliest one
l ever saw. l guess what makes me
think so is because it was such a good
one to Aunt Mildred and Uncle George
though he was not my uncle yet,
then-and they say if it hadn't been
for me they wouldn't have had such a
Christmas. And reckon if hadn't
been so anxious to work and earn some
thing, things never would have hap
pened just as they did. Ny pa died
when was just little fellow, and my
Aunt Mildred earned nearly every
thing we had after that, teaching mu-
sic, for my ma was sick nearly all the
time. While my pa lived we had
plenty, but everything he had was In
vested in a bank, and the bank failed
soon after he died. People said that
if he had lived the bank wouldn't have
failed; and they think the man that
was in with him cheated my ma out
of what ought to have been hers.
For the last three or four years |
have been earning nickel whenever |
could by carrying parcels or running
errandS, OF something of that sort; but
last winter l made up my mind that
a great big boy eleven years old could
do something harder than that so when
big snow fell week or two before
Christmas | started out to shovel snow
for people. There was Mrs. Bronson
living up on Fourth street, that had
always been mighty good about giving
me little Jobs to do, and | went to her
first. She let me shovel the snow off
Of all the walks for her, and paid me a
good price for 1t and then she went
and brought out an oyercoat OF Mr..
Bronsons that she said he would not
wear any more, though it was real good,
all but on the sleeves and on the edge
of it. and wanted to know if my ma
could not cut it down for me. l knew
ma could do it, for she had made lots
of things for me out of pas old clothes,
and | needed an overcoat, too but
hated to take such a thing from a
stranger, and my face burned like hre,
but she offered it in such nice way
like she was afraid Of hurting my feel
ings and her face looked like 1t was
burning, too, 50 I thought may be d
better take it, and told her | would
take it if she would let me do some
thing to pay for it didn't feel like
| could take it for nothing, 1t seemed
so much like a beggar-and she told
me all right, l might go in the cellar
and rick up the stove wood that had
been hauled and thrown in there, sc
it would not be so much in the way
l went and piled up the wood, and she
wrapped up the coat ina big paper Sc
no one could see what it was-l thought
that was nice of her-and | took II
home with me. When | took 1t to ms
and told her about it she cried a lt'
tie, but she said l did right to take 1t
and ripped it up to make over for me
She was ripping away on it, when al
at once she said: "Why, Harry, here
is letter addressed to Mr.. Georg'
Bronson that has worked its way dowI
out of the pocket between the inint
and the outside. You must 90 rlgh
back to Mrs. Bronson and take the let
ter to her and tell her how we founc
it."
We talked little more about 1t au'
then I hurried back with it, though /
did not look as though it could be 0
much importance, for it seemed to hay
been written years ago, and didn't looI
like a business letter, either. 1t wa
in a woman's handwriting, and mi
and | both thought it looked llttl
like Aunt Mildred's handwriting, onl.
smaller. But think all women an'
girls handwriting looks a good dea
alike.
When gave the letter to Mrs. Bron
son she said George was her brother
in-law that used to board with then
when they lived in Palmville, and sh
reckoned her husband must have pu
the letter in his pocket and forgot t
give it to his brother She said ]
must have been in there for four or fv
years, as George had left their hous
and went off to some western city t
practice law before they left Palmvill'
and that was over three years agc
She said she would send the letter t
him and explain about it. The even
ing before Christmas l was helPin
around in Mr.. Patton store and didn
get home till about eight o'clock
went up to the kitchen window an
peeped in and saw that ma and Els
tbat'smv little sister-were IN Their