The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-12-25
UNDER THE
SOUTHERN CROSS.

OON-N-NN-~
1t was about O'Clock ON Christmas
eve and business was over as | closed
my desk and rose with weary yawn.
There was little in my surroundings to
remind me of the day, no frost on the
windows, no snow on the ground out
side and no sharp bracing cold in the
air The windows were as wide open as
they could be, and the steady swinging
of the "punkah" overhead was all that
kept the room from being stifingly hot
and close, for the Office was situated
somewhere about latitude IA north, in
the faraway Philippine islands, where
the great, beautiful flowers have no per-
fume and the wonderful birds never
sing where the southern cross glitters
over the land at night and the great
dipper is upside down and the sun sets
within two minutes of quarter after 6
all tho year around.
So | had before me about two hours
and half of daylight, and was try
ing to decide whether to utilize it by
riding out to the tennis club and hav-
ing afternoon tea, or walking to the
park to hear the band play and see the
Spanish dignitaries. The native clerks
in the outer room had busted up and
now came gliding in with bare, splay
toed feet, like black headed ghosts in
their white clothes, to bid me "buenas
noches" and happy Christmas, and in
cidentally to receive each his holiday
gift of one or perhaps five big silver dol
lars according to his station, from Jose
tho half breed chief clerk, who ON the
strength of his dignity and of his speak
ing little English kept his shirt tuck
ed inside his trousers and wore embroid-
cred sandals, down to little Nito, the
errand boy, hardly more than savage
of the wilderness They had the
Christmas feeling" anyway, and asso-
ciated it with the mercury's ranging
from so to 105 degrees, as we New Eng
landers do its rambling from zero to
freezing.
The last "muchas gracias, senior, "
had been said, and the last clerk glided
out, and the gray headed old "punkah
cooly'' was stealthily watching to see
me take up my jacket, the signal for
his departure, when the tramping OF
unmistaEable and evidently stout boots
sounded without, and with prodigious
crash Of the screen door there entered
| ip+p INV co,ot,,,, ta1,,,ort 10 nj q IN, Ho1 lie
Of the good ship Monhegan, arrayed in
snowy linen and crowned with a broad
pith helmet, accompanied by stout and
! jolly Mrs. Hale, carrying big basket
and a brown bingham umbrella, with
her cheerful face beaming from the
depths of real old fashioned sunbonnet.
Good evening, SIR" they both call.
ed out and Mrs. Hale added: "Wish
you merry Christmas, Mr.. B. My,
amt it hotr" subsiding into the BAN
boo chair which l had placed for hel
under the punkah, with "pica, HON
bre" Caster, man), to old Pedro, the
cody, who redoubled his efforts with 6
disappearing grunt.
Good gracious, Mr.. b., exclaimed
Mrs Hale, don't, for PHYS sake, make
that poor old Teller work so this hot day
nmy count, Stop it" shaking her UNI
brella vigorously at Pedro, who tool
this for signal to go faster still, ant
the big fan Tapping madly back ant
forth till l called, "Despacio' gently
The Monhegan had been in the bay
for month past under charter to me
for Boston, and was now cleared anG
ready to sail the next day. | had spent
many pleasant hour on board with thu
captain and his wife, rejoicing in the
homelike feeling it gave me to heal
their good old Yankee forms of speech
The very sight of their healthy faces
Drowned by the sun in many seas, die
me good in my weary exile, and theil
presence seemed to diffuse an atmos
phere of the breezy pines and WING
swept shores of Maine. And how goo(
their primitive, shipboard food was aft
er months Of awful Spanish cooked din
ners ON shore!
And now the sound of their hearty
voices seemed to give the earthquake,
rent, dingy walls of the old office build
ing pleasanter aspect, You see, Mr.
b." said the captain, 1--WE kinde,
thought we'd drop in and give We tn,
good wishes of the season fore goil
round to do our Christmasin. Fact is, )
he added, smiling, 1.-THE old lady can
get ON without celebratin Christmas
no matter where she is, and she's al
ways bound to give some presents t,
folks. If we're at sea, she gives 'em t
my crew, and if we're in port like thi
she hunts up poor folks and gives zen
to 'em, heathens and all. Amt that so
mother"
Mrs. Hale nodded. That's fact
father" she said. why, 'twouldn'
seem the least mite like Christmas if