Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-12-24
Anything been going OH Since

left?"
".No, sab not much. Sam Purdy al
Jim Bates got inter er squabble, al San,
stabbed him, an dc doctor say he ain
gwine lib
''That so:''
"Ya,;, sab, an Miles Parker wuz flung
be er colt day hefo' yistidy, an da say
dat one O. his laigs got ter como off. -
"You don't tell me:''
"Yas, sab, an ole Miss Nancy Lee
trod on er round stick an fell an broke
her hip, all da low she ain't gwine git
we'll, Gaze she SO old.''
"Whatr'
'Yas, sab, an Cap'n Bowles sont
word ter MIR. Hicks dat he wuz or bar.
face liar, an erbout sundown seed Mr..
Hicks ridin toward de cap'n's house, an
dar's no tellin whut has happened by
dis time.''
"Well, you've all had a fine time
since I left. Hop up there now and
drive us home. -
The next day was the day before
Christmas, and how dreamily delight
full did I find this old place. fancied
that in every corner romance was hid
ing. The loud creak Of the old windlass
at the we'll was a cry from the past.
There had been killing frosts, but now
the air was softened with Indian sum-
mer's hazy breath. At early morning
the colonel took me to see his mint bed
The carriage driver lowered hear u.s.,
grim, sly, half laughing. "Look like
somebody dun spit tobaclzer juice on dat
glass;" he said, and the old colonel
turned upon him. eff you don't 80 on
away and attend to your own affairs,
I'll take stick to you. But wait a
minute. You tell the nisgers that I'm
going to give them an old fashioned
Christmas. Tell them-men, women
and children-to be III front of the big
house early in tho morning. Do you
hear?'
"Does I yere??' cried the old negro,
bowling almost to the ground. "Does
yere? Did Moses yere it thunder when
he went up inter dc mountains, sab?
Did Aaron yere de bells dat vuz tied ter
his garments? I reckon does yore, an
thanks de Lawd.''
Early the next morning, before the
winter birds began to twitter, I heard
the negroes assembling in front of the
house The invitations had not been
confined to the tenants Oh the colonel's
place, but had included those who lived
Oh some of the adjoining farms.
The colonel was early astir. He
brought julep to my room, and hand
ing it to me remarked: "Under amber
glass. Don't let that point get away
from you. Listen at 'em down there.
Happiest people on the face of the earth
the only real philosophers. Do you
know what I've got for them: Molasses
candy for the children and eggnog for
the men and women. You know that a
negro has always thought that to have
enough eggnog is to catch a glimpse
Of heaven. We got up before day and
made wash kettle full of it. Drink
that. Amber glass. I'm afraid that you
are about to let that point get away
from you.''
assured him that I was not told
him that it was really better than the
mint that grew along the branch, and
this pleased him. "Ah,' said he, II
see that you have not lived too long in
the north. Well, let US 20 down and
open up
What day that was With yoke of
steers the negroes drew al enormous
hickory log into the yard, bored anger
holes into it, loaded the holes with
gunpowder and Jared the neighborhood.
They ran foot races; they danced and
sang strange songs At noon they wc~e
Toasted and at evening they took their
departure, some of them wabb]ing as
they walked.
And now have come to a mystical
part Of this recital. I have never be-
ieved in the mysterious, have mildly
hooted at Impractical owl, striving to
deal alone with plain realities-but
am impelled, even at the risk Of being
charged with untruth, to tell Of some
thing that occurred during the night
that followed our noisy merrymaking.
Until late the colonel and I sat in the
parlor, a room which once had been
richly adorned, but which was now
dingy with faded finery. Iadmit that
we had talked a great deal about the
amber glass. I confess that the old man,
as he sat i'll arocking chair opposite me,
became shadowy and uncertain. ac-
knowledge that I lay down upon an old
horsehair sofa. had nothing to say,
but the colonel continued to talk. He
told me that the north, with all its
wonderful resources, could not set up
that was his term-could not set up
such Christmas as the one we had just
seen. Of course mint could be raised
there under amber glass, eggnog could
be made there, and hickory logs could
be blown asunder with gunpowder, but
no such a spirit Of the past could be in
voked. I didn't argue with him. 1
couldn't.
It must have been about midnight
when the old fellow, getting up and
feeling about for something which he
did not find, turned to me and said !:
"I'm going into the other room and ]io
down. An idea for the betterment of
my country, sir, has just occurred to
me, and I must needs go and work it
out. You may go to your room or lie
there, just as you please
He fumbled his way out, and I con-
tinued to lie there. My head was clear,
yet everything looked at appeared to
have all amber cast, the pictures, the
furniture, and especially an old harpsi-
chord in the corner. It was an ancient
instrument, with spindle legs and with
Its feet turned under, as if it would
soften its weight upon the floor. I must