Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-12-21

! bundle, and when they reached the cham
Der door, they stopped and listened. Find
ing that Mrs. Rowley was still asleep,
they entered and approached the right
hand side of the fireplace. The woman
gazed at the great stocking which hung
there, and as she did so, her mouth wild
ened and her eyes sparkled, hut she
made no sound. Then she turned to Mr..
Rowley and shook her head as if she
said: This will not do" He gazed
if he would ask: why will it not do?
What is the matter with it?" She shook
her head again and stood for moment,
thinking. She looked about her, and see
ing cushion on lounge, she motioned
to Mr.. Rowley to put it on the floor.
When this had been done, she gently laid
her bundle on the cushion. Now she APP
preached Mr.. Rowley and whispered IN
his ear the word, Scissors" He looked
at her in surprise, but soon produced a
pair from work table. Then she took
down the great stocking. and, before
the amazed eyes of Mr.. Rowley, she
ruthlessly cut it from the top all the
way to the heel, so that it could be laid
open.
In reply TO Mr.. Rowley's look of hor-
ror, she whispered:
Cant be helped; no other way. 1t
can be Sewed up again."
Kneeling down by the side of the sofa
cushion, she opened the stocking 20 its
utmost width. She laid it over the
bundle, entirely covering it, and tucking
ii around the sides so that it looked as
if it were stocking filled to its greatest
capacity. Then she rose, gazed at Ter
arrangements with smile, and left the
room.
Mr.. Rowley slipped off his coat and
drew his feet out of his slippers; then,
as gently as was possible for him, he
got into bed and covered himself mp to
his chin. He was trembling with pleas
urable excitement.
will be The same as the alarm clock or
Z, but / must not wait for either of
them
Turning towards his wife he gave her
a little push.
Martha" said he, cts time % get
up" She opened her eyes and looked at
him, sleepily.
lis it Z o'clockg' she asked.
"Not quite,'' said he, "but it is Christ
mas morning. Merry Christmas, my
dear! You ought to get up and see what
is LII your stockingp'
In a moment she was wide awake.
'sOh yes, let us look at our stockingsp'
she cried, and with this she bounced out
of bed. Almost in the same second
David was on the floor and had touched
the button of the electric light.
At first Mrs. Rowley stopped, aston
ished, not seeing her stocking hanging
where she had put it. Then pereeiVing
it on the cushion apparently stuffed very
full, she Immediately imagined that it
| was so heavy that it had dropped, and
| stopped to pick it up. AS she did so,
! however, she drew back with cry.
$sIt moves" she exclaimed. 1T is
something alivew
81 hope so,'' said Mr.. Rowley, who
was now crouching by her. 81 should
hnv h0H
died"
Mrs. Rowley looked at him in stupe-
faction. Before she could speak, how
ever, there was a cOnvulsive movement
of the. stocking, a very little fist was
thrust from it and the upper part OF
one of it's severed sides fell back. Mrs.
| Rowley restrained a scream. 1T is
| baby" she cried.
| Yes said her husband, "that is
| what it is. Santa Claus must have
| thought it would be useful, especially in
| holiday times, and then again Che men
/ toned this to me in confdence), he could
not think of anything else which would
so well fit that stockingn'
Mrs. Rowley did not answer. She
stopped and gently took up the baby.
| She sat on the floor and held it in her
lap. 1t fixed it's round eyes upon her and
/; feebly smiled.
David Rowley," said she, "where did
!! this come from?'
| 'sYou must ask Santa Claus about
| that" said he. cat least, you can ask
| two of his assistants who are down
/ stairs. Good women both-and they will
assure you that everything is all right"
! The two women were kept waiting a
| long time, downstairs, but at last Mrs.
| RoWley, who was now sitting in a chair
with the baby in her arms. told her hus-
band that he might go down and ask
| them to come up.
>sBut before 1 co." said he, 81 want
| you to know that / have named it.
have named it Jane Rowley, after my
| mother"
!: "Why didn't you name it after me?'
| she asked, quickly.
mo, indeed, madam" said ne.