The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-12-25

taking turkey 10 ola Mrs. Stevens,
down oy the lake They stopped at
the gat and he went down to look
at their pr s-nts. They each had d
pair of skates and We're goiug to try
them on the lake if tbs ic- ws,s good.
But no ice coulo add to the present
pleasure of ownership. They had
new shoes and a SilS handkerchief,
with e letter IN the corner of it. aud d
number of candy horses. and one OF
the girls had a gold fnger ring. They
had hung their stockings on a liue be-
hind thr s,ovt, aud everything was
filed ia the mornin-.
Little Billy added another view to
his Christmas lore 1t was time Tor
makiug people happy. He remember
ed party of children th"t came down
here in light wagon when hszi.nuts
were ripe aud stopped for drink 81
water from the spring. and he fou"!
hlmself wondering what the day had
brought to these ch: :iaren.
OF course it never occurred to him
10 take PERSONAL view of the matter.
He newer Imagined himself included
IL that wondrous embrace. For of
such is the kingdom of heaven
His uose was red. aud his hands
were thrust deep ia his pockets when
lie returned to the house. But he sat
on the chest there by the fireplace and
wondered silently.
Zeph was greasioe his boots and re
GREETING that 2e didn't have oil instead
of tallow. He rather resented the fact
that the house w-as t:,:ifr tina us.iai.
that plate of app. was upon tie
table, aad that his ii. vas rollin2 r:e
crust and cutting cno;;ieS-ner n2lr
dcIe up as she used tn wesr 4 when Il;
went wooing. He exy:e ,sed his dis
approval Of all tbs :.oky poky and
asked her y nat She was goins % hav.
OR dinner. Sue said rotiin;; for a
line. S." wished u. nad ~. asked
n-r. T@nrr w"s So little, but sac had
p,'n1le0 ~ make it appear as far as
possible.
Across l.1c silence, came tie bark of
Dasa over :i,:re in the woods. ana the
hunter instincs in Z-ph was reused
Siuce no one had asked him TO 60
hunting he felt 40 disincliuation 10
look for game. So he glanced out Of
the window, caught sight OF the hound
sitting there in the timber, looking up
tor Que moment aud then turning his
eyes to The house, barking occasionally
the short. emphatic statement that he
mad found asQuirrel.
Billy was in great glee. His mother
had baked a colander full of cookies
and had then nodded with her fingers,
a little crudely perhaps, a number of
animals from the dough. Billy didn't
recognize all of them, but when she
told him he saw the points OF resern-
blance. And when his father came
back he was quite happy playing with
them.
Zeph cut hazel stick as he came
back through the woods, and after the
squirrels he had shot had been dressed
he held them on the stick and broiled
them before the fire. They were deli
cious, and there was a dish of mashed
potatoes-quite an unusual thing
and some baked apples and the Won
derful cookies. Billy couldn't imag-
inc better dinner dish than that.
Zeph ate with great relish, but by no
means forgetting to regard the whole
thing as ''hoky poky." And after
dinner he went down to the sawmlll
and told stories with the rest of the
men. coming home rather before they
had exhausted their jug of applejack.
He had taken one drink himself, aud
it may be that made the difference.
Anyway he was moved to unusual be-
hayior.
The FIRE was low, and he stirred up
the burning ends Of logs till the cabia
was filed with flood of light. and as
be turned he saw tHere on the pillow
al the side of his sleeping sons head a
pitiful little menagerie of bent, brown
dough and knew that each animal had
been perfect in the large blue eyes
that had fought S, hard to keep un-
closed the heavy gates of dreams.
Zeph saw the happy face and knew
that somewhere his boy was wander
ing among delights more rare than
any his hand had given. And the
spirit of contention, of rivalry, of a
race, awaked within him.
Hugh p he said, and wondered why
the smoke should burn his seyesto weep
ing. Then he turued to the door and
stole out in the moon gemme5 night.
Down the road he went with q
sweeping sep, full Of vigor and with
rising haste, till the miles lay behind
him and ne fronted the lights of the
town. It was early evening, in spite
of the hours Of darkness aud Christ
mas Joy was full. He turned neither
to the right nor the left, paid no at
teution to the gaudy doors of the sa
locus. where loud young men were
boasting, or betting, or trying to quar-
rel. He kept right on till he reached
the shop of the tinker, down by the
bridge, and there he stamped the snow
from his heavy boots.
The tinker hsd not expected Gus
toner, aud he had heer looking at me
toys left over from ;he sales Of the se.-
son. He had done very well, but Le
wished now he had lot bough: 50
many. The hand GA his la!ch lifted
his hopes little, and his eager face
was strange contrast with the puzzl
ed cou atenance OF Zeph, now for the
6rst time il his life yielding 70 the
weakness Of scanning Christmas pres
ents.
,>How .nuch for this?" inquired the
couutrymap. touching ! c..n,c' With
his great fore finger. And the tinker
was so w;l;,uy 10 sell that he q':c:ea a
figure far o%:ow his ruling prices.
va as, and this" continued Zeph:
It was candy castle, with powdered
gilt and frosted silver on the sides.
There was q2ite store of painted
woods and rufied tins and nodded
candy there at the end of the counter
by the time Zeph reached the limit of
his purse. He felt the same STRINGS
he had known while husking corn,
when some boaster tried to beat him