The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-12-28

eve and business was over as | closed
my desk and rose with "a weary yawn.
There was little in my surroundings to
remind me of the day, no frost on tho
windows, no snow on the ground out.
side and no sharp bracing cold in tho
air The windows were rs wide open as
they could be, and tho steady swinging
Of the "puniah" overhead was ali that
kept the room from being stiflingly hot
and close, for tho Office was situated
somewhere about latitude IA north, in
the PARKWAY Philippine islands, where
the great, beautiful flowers have no per-
fumo and the wonderful birds never
sing, where tho southern cross glittors
over the land ut night and the great
dipper is upside down and the sun sets
within two minutes of Il quarter after 6
all tho yea around.
SO | had before me about two hours
and Il half of daylight, and | wa try
ing to decide whether to utilize it by
riding out to tho tennis club and hay
ing afternoon tea, or walking to the
par; to hear tho band play and see tho
Spanish dignitarics. The native clerks
i'll 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 ''buCnas
nochcs" and q happy Christmas, and in
cidcntally to receive each his holiday
gift of ono or perhaps five big silver dol
lars, according to his station, from Jose,
the half breed chief clerk, who on the
strength of his dignity and of his speak
ing Il little English kept his shirt tuck
ed inside his trousers and wore Cmbroid-
cred sandals, down to little Nito, tho
GRAND boy, hardly more than Il savage
Of the wilderness. They had the
"Christmas feeling" anyway, and asso-
ciatcd it with the mcrcury's ranging
from so to l05 degrees, as wo Now Eng
landcrs do its rambling from zero to
freezing.
The last ''muchas gracias, senor,"
had been said, and the last clerk glidcd
out, and tho gray headed old ''punkah
cody" was stealthily watching To see
me take up my jacket, the signal for
his departure, when tho tramping of
unmistalkablo and evidently stout boots
sounded without, and with Il prodlgious
crash of tho screen door there entered
into my sanctum stalwart Captain Hale
Of tho gooL nip M~onhcgan, arraycd in
snowy linen Il crowned with Il broad
pith helmet, accompanied by stout and
jolly Mrs. Hale, carrying Il big basket
and Il brown Bingham umbrella, with
her cheerful face bcaming from tho
depths Of n real old fashioned %sunbonnet.
GOOD evening, SIR" they both call
ed out, and Mrs. Hale added: "NNish
you a merry Christmas, Mr.. b. My,
amt it hotl' subsiding into tho BAN
boo chair which l had placed for her
under the punkah, with Il "pica, hon.
bre" Caster, man), to old Pedro, the
cody, who redoubled his efforts with a
disappearing grunt.
Good gracious, Mr.. b." exclaimed
Mrs. Hale, don't, for PHYS sake, make
that poor old Teller work so this hot day
on my count. Stop it, shaking her UNI
brella vigorously at Pedro, who took
this for a signal to go faster still, and
tho big fan tapping madly back and
forth till l called, "Despacio" gently
Tho Monhcgan had been in the bay
for n month past under charter to me
for Boston, and was now cleared and
ready to sail tho neXt day. | had spent
many a pleasant hour on board with the
captain and his wife, rejoicing in the
homeliko feeling it gave me to hear
their good old Yankee forms Of speech.
The very sight Of their healthy faces,
Drowned by the sun in many seas, did
me good in my weary exile, and their
presence seemed to diffuso an atmos-
phero Of the breezy pines and wind
swept shores of Maine. And how good
their primitive, ~shipboard food was aft
er months of awful Spanish cooked din.
ners OF shorol
And now the sound of their hearty
voices seemed to give the earthquake
rent, dingy walls of the old Office build
ing a pleaSanter aspect. You sec, Mr..
b." said the captain, I'VE kinder
thought we'd drop in and give we the
good wishes Of the season fore goin
round to do our Christmasin. Fact is"
he added, smiling, "tho old lady can't
get on without celcbratin Christmas,
no matter where she is, and she's al.
ways bound to give some presents to
folks. If we're at sea. she gives 'em to
my crew., and if we're in port like this
she hunts up poor folks and gives 'em
to 'em, heathens and all. Amt that SO,
mother?"
Mrs Hale nodded. THAT'S a fact,
father" she said. "Why, 'twouldn't
seem the least mite like Christmas if /
couldn't give presents, whether ! be
home in Boothbay or not. AS for hea.
thens, that don't make q bit of differ
ence. It's Christmas jest the same,
whether they know it or not, and it
tlckles 'em jest as much toget presents,
and me to give 'em. And you're lest
the same, John You know you be-"
We'll, l don't know but what I be,
MARIA, . acknowledged the captain, and
they went OF to tell of their queer ex.
periences while "Christmasin"i in out OF
the way Chinese and African ports with
chuSkles and pcals of laughter that set
Pedro grinning by force Of example,
though he couldn't understand a word.
aga spcaKln or That, Mr.. b. salu
Mrs. Hale. 81 thought maybe | could
make 1T n little more ike Christmas TO
you and them other young men here
away from their own folks, so | made
you this And with that she extracted
from her basket the very grandfather of
all Christmas plum puddings-the first
one L had seen for three years. MAYBE
faint jest what you'd get at home"
She said, holding it out with both hands
while the captain lowered beside her.
Ola ieeJ or genuine delight at my sur
PRISE, " cause l didn't have lust the
right fixin's, but | guess it'll go down
pretty well. There, take it and don't
bother to say one word" And knew
the kind old coul eo1u tl,ot o.. A.