The record-union., 1896-03-29
"OUT OF THE MOUTH OF HE'LL. :

| (Written for the Record Union" by
Kittie Spargur Hulse)
LET us stay at home tonight, dear,
pleaded my husband I pouted "You
know what a rattletrap the old build
ing is, and if there is much of a crowd
the floor will go down with u.s.
But the men have been bracing it,
and the children will be so disappointed
| if they don't see Santa Claus after all
! I've told them," I persisted.
Would you risk their lives for the
sake of letting them see a tuft of cot
ton and some white yarn on a mans
face?" asked WILL angrily; and then, Il
never yet saw a woman that had any
Judgment"
You better have said you never
saw a married woman that had any
No woman with any judgment would
give up her freedom for the sake of
being mans slave!" I retorted.
"All right. Wen CO." said Will, as he
left the room.
The hall in which the Christmas tree
was to be held was in the second story
OF one of the Oldest buildings Of the
frontier hamlet in which we lived The
pioneer merchant of the place once had
his store on the first floor, and the room
above had been used for a storeroom
He had long since moved out of the
old building and into a handsomer and
more commodious structure, and the
old store was used for a warehouse, the
upper floor being occupied by mis-
chievous tenantry of rats and mice.
We had neither town hall nor church,
and our tiny schoolhouse would not
contain half a hundred souls, so when
the townspeople concluded to have a
Christmas-t tree for the little ones the
storeroom of the old building was fixed
upon as the best substitute for a hall
in the place. Some shook their heads
and declared that the floor would never
hold up the people who would come.
1t was a sparsely settled region, and
such an event was of exceedingly rare
occurrence, SO everyone for miles
around would be there.
However, the men went 70 work with
WILL and soon had the floor and walls
braced till there was only a few who
had serious doubts as to the advisa-
bility of holding the tree there.
To be sure, there were no windows on
the sides, and only one at one end of
the building-but what need should we
have of windows at night, with the
lamps lighted? There was only one
door, and the stairway was frail and
narrow, but then only a few need go
up at time.
Several times as I dressed the chill
dren that night I had half a mind to
lay the dainty garments aside and stay
at home Even after I had put the lit
tie hoods and cloaks on, came near
taking them off. Will had looked very
grave at supper, but his angry words
of the morning rang in my ears. I tied
the strings Of the baby-s hood with a
jerk. "Fie had no right to talk So" I
said to myself. Il will go and show him
whose judgment was best this time"
So we went. VIII carried the baby and
I led little John by the hand. We went
early and secured seats well UP in front,
so that the children might have a good
view of the stage: but Will led us to
one side, so that we sat near the wall
He was compelled to go back to the
Office for time, and when he returned
the room was so crowded that it was
almost impossible to make his way to
US, and he stayed in the rear of the hall
near the door.
The children were enraptured. The
sight of the two tall trees laden with
gifts, festooned with strings of snowy
popcorn, adorned with the gilt orna-
ments and colored candles, drew from
them exclamations of delight and as
constituent
Above the curtain, woven from ever
greens, was the inscription whose words
the angels sang to the shepherds on the
Savior's birthnight: Peace on earth
good viii to men," AS I Tread, I repented
OF my childish conduct toward viii.
who had only desired the safety of his
wife and children above everything else.
How I wished he were by my side that I
might whisper my repentance or show
it. if only by silent hand pressure. I
tried to see him in the crowd but failed
to find him.
The choir. was singing the first song.
Scme man in the audience rose to his
fcet-standing on his feet, they said. in
order to obtain a better view of the