The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-12-29
A PRAIRIE CHRISTMAS
By MARGARET MONTGOMERY.

( dollar was every cent that she cOuiC
gather for her Christmas shopping. i
had taken hard work and long saving
to get that much, and, now that sh'
had saved it, it took great deal o.
stretching to make fifty cents buy
handsome presents for six people
Every one must have a present and 3
handsome one at that--Nell had deeid-
ed that point long ago.
1t YVES dreadful to live on the prairies,
where you couldn't buy single thing
but a postage stamp for less than 3
nickel-and a postage stamp didn't
seem exactly the thing for Christmas
present. In the East you could buy love
/ ly things for cent, 50 Nell had heard.
But never mind, she had done very well
with her fifty cents. She gave each
parcel pleased little squeeze to see that
all the things were really there a half
dozen times during the afternoon Of the
twenty-fourth, after she had tied the
six parcels for the last time.
In this bl ndIe was handkerchief t0r
father, that she had hemmed herself
that cost ten cents. This big fat bundle
was the glory Of of the whole collection
mothers pincushiOn. The pieces for
it came out of the pieee-box, but it had
to have a bow on it. Ii had TO be a
nice one, too, and ribbon was depr,ss-
ingly expensive. 1t fairly took Nei.'s
breath away when the girl in the store
said 1.-TWO bits" but when the girl
found what an important bow this was
to be, and had tied the ribbon for the
child into a most beautiful knot with
two fancy brass pins stuck into it,
Nell was so happy over it, she could
hardly wait till Christmas to show it 20
her mother. Out of that same pie e.
box that the beautiful pincuhsion pieces
came from, came some bits Of black silk
which, with her mothers help, Nell
made into a nice neck-tie for her uncle
Ben, who was visiting them from the
East. For her brother Dick there wss
big orange, to which Nell had given
more than one squeeze, to make sure il
was juicy. Then for Jim and Joe, the
two hired men, there was lead-pencil
with a rubber on the tip for Jim, and
a cigar for Joe.
81 didn't know another thing he lik-
ed bat al acs)rliOl AMI the only one
/ could find cost seven dollars. Music
al instruments are very expensive,
don't you think 50, mother? Besides
l have only five cents apiece TO spend
for each of them"
But when night came and the excite
ment of pinehing the six packages to
see if she could have made any mistake
in labelling them had worn away, Nell
wasn't very happy. She went to bed
early, hanging up her stocking in a
fOrlorn little way on nail in the kiteh-
en-. She had tried 50 hard to have
Christmas this year, but she knew very
well that she was the only one in the
house who cared anything about it.
In all her life she had never before
minded much.
But she did mind tonight. In Il at
lovely book she had read last fall, the
children hung up their stockings and
got them full Of candy and had 80
many, many happy things on Christ
mas Day that, before she meant to do
it, there was little girl with bright,
freckled face sobbing away as if her
heart would break. She tried hard,
but couldn't dig her nose down deep
enough into the pillow to prevent the
sound Of the sObs from getting out.
Soon her mothers head was on the pill
low beside her, and it didn't take long
to find out what the dreadful trouble
was. ~ won't get anything in my
stocking and 1 didn't know cared
so muchr'
Mrs. Harris caressed her with her
lips and hands as she said: "Santa
Claus doesn't know much about
this little house out here on the prairie,
but you shall have something in your
stocking. l saw an apple in the cup
board; I'll put that in"
"But-but that's mine already" sob
bed Nell.
"Well, never mind, my darling"
was all Mrs. Harris could say. "THtry
to find something for your stocking,
and we'll make doughnuts tomorrow
and try to have good time
But even the promised doughnut
treat didn't keep Nell from a sob or
two every now and then till sleep esme
and took her strai ght into the region
of fairyland.
Not another sound didshe hear till,
christmas gin. Nelll Christmas gift!
was shouted in her ear by Dick. Then
how she laughed and tumbled out bed,
christmas gift! Christmas gift!
Merry Christmas
o it was all so delightful! 1t was
Christmas morning at last. Every one
had slept late, so that the east was
streaked with crimson. How brilliant
the stars still wereI They had never
been so bright! 1t was Christmas!
Nell was very happy; for all the time
she was buttoning her dress and put
tingon her shoes, she was thinking Of
those beautiful presents she had TO give.
Not soul knew about them, no one
but mother-and of course she didn't
know all, for she didn't know a thing
about that lovely pineushion. Only
Jack knew about that, and he said
"Craekieri when ne saw it.
Nell could hardly wait till she was
dressed to give her presents OF course
every one was pleased. How could they
be anything else, when such happy
faced little girl gave the presents with
such an important, but such loving
air? She felt like a real sure-enough
Santa Claus.
Father took the new handkerchief
and wiped his speetaeles; then put
them on TO admire the little stitches in
the hemming. Mother SAID she had
never seen a pineushion she liked 80
much as this, with its beautiful bow.
In fact, every one seemed pleased,
though no one quite 50 much as Nell.