Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-12-21
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.
(By Augusta Prescott.)

Merry w ell, L should SaY-COHee.
condensed milk, bacon, one rabbit crack
ers and a dugout hut on a siding to eat ii
all up in-God bless our home!-What
are you staring at?''
'I?-Oh. I'm looking at that light over
there, across the swamp ground"
''Well, if YOU want to know what it is,
its a house"
- know that that's why I'm watching
it. | think | know whose house it is, too
that Yankee prospector that brought
his wife and the kids last month. It's
clapboard concern that didn't take him
much longer to fix up than it took us to
dig out this embankment palace But it's
home
DO you think they've got plum pud
ding?"
My goodness, Bill! Do you think plum
pudding makes a home: The lights burn
ing up. [ believe they're just going to sit
down to dinner
The other man dragged a rough over
coat from the bunk on the other side OF
the hole that served them as a living
room and folded it to make a seat under
the window from which he could join his
companion in the Christmas amusement
of watching light that marked a real
home where there was probably plum
pudding.
The two men had been utter strangers
to one another when he that was called
Bill had been joined one gloomy, buster
ing day in the fall by the new man. an
sWerIng to the name of Tom COrker,
whom the section superintendent of this
new branch of a Southwestern railroad
had sent to be his associate in the job of
watching the half-fnished work. In two
months, or very little more, they had
managed to get on together pretty well,
but neither knew anything of the others
antecedents, except that Bill guessed his
new chum, by his accent, to be recent
arrival from England.
Bill had been watching the moving and
multiplying light intently while Tom
COrker deliberately made his preparation
for comfort under the little window.
They're going to have dance, 1 be-
Heve, said Bill, ignoring the question
of plum pudding.
Bill said, said G Cor 2' irreevantly where
People? How do you know 1 have
any?'
Most men have, you know"
Have yOut
''Well, perhaps I'm an exception-I be-
Ieve those BuXtonS, or whatever their
name IS, are having a Christmas tree
Where would they get the tree in these
God-forsaken parts?''
They might dig up young juniper in
the swamp suppose you used to have
Christmas trees in your own cOuntry?"
Sure. This is my own country, isn't
Yes; but away back in the East, I
mean"
"Oh, I didn't come from 50 very far
east" said Bill, "only Ohio
What brought YOU out here?"
RiIl IluUbad Jad 70 bav-o oh Won
know, just the same as other men. Took
to rai!roading years ago, and this is all the
further I've got in it. | haven't much
of a story. What's yoursY'
I'm sure they're having a Christmas
tree said Corker Wonder if they've
Wonder if they've got -"
Popcorn ball." Bill put in.
Him; I'm afraid l don't know pop
corn balls
You don't? Don't you have popcorn
balls in England?'
"Heighor' was Corker's only reply.
And then there was silence of some
minutes while both men watched the light
across the swamp.
At last Corker said: 90 mans a fool
to chuck up that sort of thing"
That's right" said Bill. ''Never was
married man myself, but that's right,
COrker-fool or worse
COrker gave a start.
what do you mean?" he began. Then
he went on with a sudden change of
manner. Yes, [ know, you don't mean
anything. You don't know. Look here I
can't stand it any longer"
''Stand WHAT
''Why, those shanty lights Last
Christmas we had a Christmas tree-she
and |, and the young one-Oh, my God"
Say. partner" said Bill, evidently af-
fected though the light of their one kero-
In aIO oh 70 oh no
expression of his face as he gaZed
through the window-''say, partner, don't
you get to talking soft, or you'll make
me blue, too, and I'm blue enough al
ready
Then there was another silence, which
ended by Bills adding: But if you want
to tell me how it was, I'm game to lis
ten
How it was?" Corker echoed. at was
through my fault, | suppose. Last
Christmas we had Christmas tree for
the young one there-at Brixton.'
''Brixton? What lines that on?"
cts on a dozen lines,' said Corker
It's suburb of London. If you had
lived over there the word 'BriXton' would
have been enough to tell you what 1 was
a clerk on small salary-most people
who live at Brixton are that"
Smaller than you get now?" said
Bill.
Corker laughed bitterly ooh. it makes
a difference you know when you have to
put up an appearance-Sunday clothes
and ali that, and the young one
Great Scottr' Bill exclaimed. ''You
left them?''
Hold on, old man. The salary seemed
very small then. That was how l began
to get discontinued. But I couldn't just
chuck them all ever and come out here
in cold blood. | tried the races. 1t was
not long after Christmas that 1 began
that game"
Guess | know what's coming" said
Bill. Say, they've put out some of the
lights over there-gO on
The Christmas tree must be over. I
suppose they're putting the young ones
TO bed now-well, I'm going on with it;
only this is the hard part to tell-the
races didn't come out right, somehow
They never do Bill interrupted.
What did your wife say?"
"She didn't say anything-I didn't tell
her-then the big Esher spring meeting
came, and l made sure [ had the right
thing that time. But, to work it properly,