Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-20

Now all our neiEhbors chimneys smoke,
| And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with bakt meats choke,
A9H W,,bnui all ihslr r sPts Por are ar 0rrdw 1rning
And If, for cold, It hap to die
WeeI bury I i'm a Christmas pye,
And evermore be merry"
.withers. Juyenilia.
The dinner was served up in the great
hall, where the squire always held his
! Christmas banquet a blazing, cracking
fire of logs had been heaped up to warm
the spacious apartment and the flame went
sparkling and wreathing up the wide
mouthed chimney The great picture of the
crusader and his white horse had been
profusely decorated with greens for the
occasions and holly and ivy had likewise
been wreathed round the helmet and
| understood were the arms of the same
| warrior. | must own, by-the-by, | had
strong doubts about the authenticity of the
painting aud armor as having belonged to
the crusader, they certainly having the
stamp OF more recent days; but | was told
that the painting had been so considered
time out of mind and that, as to the armor,
1t had been found in lumber room and
| elevated to its present situation by the
| squire who at once determined 1t to be
the armor of the family hero; and as he
was absolute authority on all such sub
/
passed into current acceptations. side
board was set out Just under this chivalrlc
trophy, which was display of plate that
might have We'd (at least in variety with
| Beshazzar's parade of the vessels of the
| temple; 'iagons, cans, cups. beakers,
| goblets, basins, and ewers;' the gorgeous
utensils OF good companionship that had
gradually accumulated through many gen
| erationa of jovial housekeepers Before
| these stood the two Yule candles, beaming
like two stars of the first magnitude other
lights were distributed in branches, and
| the whole array glittered like a armament
of silver.
We were ushered into this banqueting
scene with the sound OF minstrelsy; the
old harper being seated on a stool beside the
fireplace, and twanging his instrument with
a vast deal more power than melody. Never
did Christmas board display more goodly
and gracious assemblage of countenances;
those who we're not handsome were at least
happy and happiness is rare improVer
| of your hard-favored visage / always con-
| slider an old English family as well worth
| studying as collection of Holbein s
portraits. or Albert Durer's prints. There
| is much antiquarian lore to be acquired;
much knowledge of the physiognomies OF
former times. Perhaps it may be from haV-
ing continually before their eyes those rows
| OF old family portraits, with which the
| mansions Of this country are stocked;
| antiquity are often more faithfully per-
petuated in these ancient lines; and /
| have traced an old family nose through a
whole picture gallery, legitimately handed
down from generation to generation, al
| most from the time of the conquest. Some
| thing of the kind was to be observed in
the worthy company around me. Many of
| their faces had evidently originated in a
| gothic age, and been merely copied by sue
ceeding generations; and there was one
| little girl in particular, OF staid de-
meanor with a high Roman nose and an
antiuue vinegar aspect who was a great
! favorite of the 'souire's being as he said,
! a Brace bridge all over, and the very counter
! part of one of his ancestors who figured In
| the court Of Henry VIII.
The parson said grace which was not a
| short familiar one, such as is commonly
addressed to the Deity in these uncere-
| monious days, but a long, courtly, well
| worded one of the ancient school. There
| was now pause, as If something was eN-
pccted when suddenly the butler entered
| the hall with some degree of hustle; he
was attended by servant on each side with
| a large wax-light. and bore a silver dish,
| on which was an enormous pigs head, deco
| rated with rosemary, with lemon in It's
| mouth which was placed with great Tor
| mallty at the head of the table. The mo
| ment this pageant made its appearance the
harper struck up a flourish, at the conclu-
| sion of which the young OXonian, on re
| ceivng a hint from the squire, gave, with
| an air of the NEST comic gravity, an old air
the first verse of which was as follows
| "Caput apri defero
| RclderS laudeS domino.
| The boar's head in hand bring |.
With garlands gay and rosemary.
| / pray you all synge merrily
| Qui CStis in conVivio.'
Though prepared to witness many of these
| little eccentricities, from being apprlsCd OF
| the peculiar hobby of mine host yet J
confess the parade with which odd dish
was introduced somewhat perpleXed me, un-
| til l gathered from the conversation OF
| the squire and the parson that 1t was
meant to represent the bringing in of the
boar's head-a dish formerly served up with
| much ceremony, and the sound of min
strclsy and song at great tables on Christ
mas day.
The table was literally loaded with good
| cheer and presented an epitome OF coun-
| try abundance in this season of overlooking
| larders A distinguished post was allotted
| to ancient sirloin." as mine host termed it;
| being as he added, "the standard of old
England's hospitality and joint of goodly
presence and full OF expectation There
| were several dishes quantity decorated, and
which had evidently something traditional
| in their embellishments, but about which,
| as / did not like to appear over curious l
| asked no questions.
l could not, however. but notice a pie,
| magnificently decorated with peacock s
| feathers in imitation Of that bird which
\ overshadowed a considerable tract of the
| table This the squire confessed with
some little hesitation, was pheasant pie,
| though a peacock pie was certainly the
most authenticate but there had been such
| a mortality among the peacocks this
season that he could not prevail upon him
self to have one killed
| When the cloth was removed the butler
| brought in a huge silver vessel Of rare
and curious workmanship, which he placed
! before the squire. Its appearance was
hailed with acclamation, being the Was
| sail bowl, so renowned in Christmas fes-
| tivity. The contents had been prepared by
| the squire himself for 1t was a beverage
in the skillful mixture of which he par;Icu
larly prided himself alleging that 1t was too
abstruse and complex for. the comprehension
OF an ordinary servant. 1t was a potation,
| indeed, that might well make the heart
of topper leap within him, being composed
| Of the richest and raciest wines, highly
| spced and sweetened, with roasted ap-
pies bobbing about the surface
The old gentleman's whole countenance
beamed with a serene look of indwellng
delight as he stirred this mighty bowl
Having raised 1t to his lips, with a hearty
wish of merry Christmas to all
present, he sent It brimming around the
board. for everyone to follow his example