Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-12-03

of good humor. In the fall he held
the little fellow high in the air, anc
while falling fiat upon his own back
kept the child from getting even /,
jar, and reaching the baby back owe
his head as he lay, said, "Here, yol
take him, Brother B." The
preacher had the little fellow in his
arms when the mothers screams
began, and he soon relieved the
mother by handing her the baby,
but Aunt Jane" was wrathy, and
when Sammie reached the house.
she took him i'm and shut the door
The public was not party to the next
act. But Sammie had served his
time as ship engineer, and was at
home in storm. After a short
while he paid the young preacher a
visit in his study. His face full of
smiles. Said he: "Just make
yourself at home, sir; my house is
free you, and tomorrow is Crist-
mas" So saying he stepped out and
went whistling down the street.
That was an epochal night.
Events transpired rapidly. The rain
ceased, and a "norther" blew up
The thermometer fell thirty degrees
in two hours. 1t became freezing
cold before midnight. The train ar
irving about that hour brought
Aunt James" sister up from Gal
weston to so spend Christmas. Upon
the same train there arrived drum
mer boarder whose wife was away
spending the night at her mothers.
Aunt Jane" took her sister into
her family room to spend the night,
and prepared bed for Sammie else
where. She felt 'coo' towards him
anyhow. The two boarders occu-
pied separate rooms, and both were
about to freeze. The preacher sug-
gested that the drummer come in and
the two occupy the same bed. But
the bedding was for a single bed.
"I'll solve the problem" said the
drummer by taking the blankets
from the bed in the room adjoining
mine and we will use Them"
This was done, and soon the two
were enjoying the luxury of d warm
bed in Texas "norther," "a rare
treat.
Before a great while Sammie came
home, putting and blowing his fin
gers atgfully cold. His own room
door he found fastened; he could
not get in; and he knew not
why. A deep whisper came from
within: "You go and sleep in the
bed in in the back ROOM"
Sammie trudged to the "back
room," but soon came again to de-
mand admission to his own warm
room and bed. He thumped on the
door. He could not find the bed
fixed" for him. Again the whis-
per came from Aunt James" side
of the door. "I fixed bed for
you in the back room. You go
sleep there. Sisters come from
Galveston, and is sleeping in here"
Sammie's only reply was: "you
didn't fix the bed let me IL. :" The
whole thing looked like a lockout,
and Sammic was in his own house.
He went back towards the kitchen
again, but this time not to hunt a
bed, but the ak, to unlock the door
with.
Strange to say, Aunt Jane" had
even taken the ak into her room to
have it warm for Sammie in the
morning. The ak was not available,
This was too much for Samuel's
English dignity on Christmas eve
his language would not look we'll in
a religious journal. In his declara.
tions he awoke the drummer and
the preacher, too. He said he would
60 where he could get warm, and of
khe went.
But kindness came to the rescue
"Sister Mary" came out, and in
tones as gentle as a lovers, called
down the street: "Sammie, oh,
Sammie, come back, won't you,
please"
He did come back, and a bed was
fixed for him in "Aunt James,
room or. buffalo robe by the fire
In a short time all was quiet.
In the morning all was lovely
But who could explain the mystery
The bed in the back room was appa
rently intact, blankets and all. Nei
ther "Aunt Jane" nor Sammit
could explain; yet nobody said any
thing about blankets, or the colo
night-company and Christmas rulet
the question out of order.
What became of the baptizing
1t did not occur that night, an,
"Aunt Jane," true to her Baptis
instincts, said: "That proves tha
baptizing infants is all wrong. Tn
whole thing was providential."
But they were afterwards baptized
The five-year-old had to be dragge,