The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-12-28
How Christmas Came to The SkiingS.

comical looking had you seen Jackso
and johnnie SHILLING as they appeare
TO Mr.. Jordan, the afternoon he wer
down by their house to look after hi
logs. de was q lumberman and store
keeper in u little village in Arkansas
and their father and mother lived in
small log shanty on the river bank
near where he tied his RATS. 1t wa
the day before Christmas. While tn
weather was not as cold as it is /
Chicago at this season OF the wear, th
sight OF jackson and Johnnie mad
Mr.. Jordan shiver. Their father woul,
rather hunt than work, and was ava,
now, no one knew where, nor when h,
would return. They often enough hat
| little to eat, and as for clothing, they
wore such cast-otf garments OF Older
| people as they could pick up. jackson
had on very dirty straw hat, the tor
OF which twas nearly split off, while
through the crack his red hair shone
not unlike fire under partially lifted
stove-lid. Johnnie's head piece was q
black felt hat many sizes too large
which he had adapted to his use by
tearing OIL the rim where it lOODed
down over his eyes. Their shirts were
much worn and ragged, but being very
large, the many folds and creases
helped to keep the weather out. They
had no coats. Their trousers averaged
pretty well having been cut OFT for
su nmer'use, they were short, but made
up for this in width. Their bare feet
and legs were reddened aud chappcd
by the cold, raw wind.
MIR. Jordan had been busy some time
examining his logs and seeing that
they were properly fastened, so that
ne would have nothing TO worry about
while eating his Christmas dinner on
The morrow. On looking up, he saw
jackson and Johnnie, with hands in
the holes they called pockets, gravely
catching him from the bank above.
Now it so happened that Mr.. and Mrs.
Jordan had had q discussion about the
Skiliings that very morning and in
spite of their comiCal appearance, the
sight OF these children made MIR. Jor.
dan uncomfortable.
What do you want here ?" he
called. "Go and put on your shoes
and stockings
Johnnie stood on one foot, and tried
to warm the other by holding it against
the supporting leg. Jackson, being
older and wiser didn't He had tried
it, and had found that it only make the
er. He looked down at his feet
moment, and then slowly drawled, in
the way his father talked.
I'VE uns ain't got no shoes"
Go in the house, then, where 1T is
warm" said MIR. Jordan.
'Tain't much warmer in There"
piped cut Johnnie, patting down his
foot, and standing with his knees bent
a little, like jackson.
MIR. Jordan looked over the tCpo
the bank at the house. Through the
open door he could see Mrs. SHILLING
crouched over feeble little fire in the
big Fireplace.
Why don't you shut the door, and
keep the wind out?" he asked.
SIT don't pear to be no use," said
} jackson.
The clay chinking between the logs
had fallen out In many places, and the
wind could enter freely through the
cracks. Most Of the panes in the win
dow being broken, i. was covered with
an old shawl, which drew in and out
with the draft. 1t was plain that the
open door was needed for light. Mr..
Jordan could say nothing. He had
found that with this class of people his
words were thrown away. They knew
nothing better. Laziness and impro-
they could not realize that they were
at all responsible for their poverty
They could not see any particular use
in striving for anything better.
Just here, Johnnie, who had been
restlessly, nudged Jackson,
and whispered hoarsely, ASK him
now, quick"
jackson cleared his throat and said
hesitatingiy, 81 reckon there amt no
use in we uns eXpectin' any Krismus,
is there, mister? Nam says there
ain'L."
There was wistfulncss in Jackson's
tone that betrayed a hope that he
would be contradicted, wistfulness
which made Mr.. Jordan feel yet more
uncomfortable.
mo. there isn't any use,' he said
shortly. And he went On up the river,
where he had some other logs. But
all the way up, and al the time he
was there, those children seemed to
follow him, and Jackson's mournful
eyes and Johnnie's eager face seemed
to be watching him. In spite OF his
efforts to put these children into the
class to which he applied such words
as " lazy" shiftless," and "good-for-
nothing" and so get rid of them, he
could still hear Jackson's wistful voice.
Had he answere the boy fairly?
There was a short cut through the
WOODS Wnlcn ne mlBnU nave taken
when he went back, but for some reason
he did not take it. Instead, he followed
the river bank down to the Shilling
shanty, pretending to himself that he
| wanted to see his logs again. Johnnie
and Jackson was picking up drift-woOd
| for the fire, when he went by. They
were shambling along toward the house
with some wet sticks in their arms,
but stopped to look at Mr.. Jordan as
| he came near. He noticed that their
hands and elbows were red and chap
ped, like their feet. For some unac
countable reason, the sight of these
two fOrlOrn figures, their rags whip
ping in the wind and the water dripping
upon them from the wood they carried
irritated him, and he broke out, hal
angrily, addressing Jackson as tht
older and more responsible Of the two
"See here, boy, Christmas dOesn'
come to people who won't work. Wh.
don't you take al AK and chop SOM
good wood, instead of picking up tina
worthless stuff ?"
Jackson dropped his wood, an,
stared at Mr.. Jordan In surprise. III
could not understand why Mr.. Jorda
should be displeased at the way he 60
his wood. 1t had never occurred
him to get in any other way. Tha
was the way his father had alway
done. But the reason he gave Mr. Joi
dan was that he had no ak.
"Go down to the mill, then, an
borrow one" continued that gentle
man. "Tell The man there | sent yo,