Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-12-15

with Melchisedec?"
"Beelzebub, you mean, don't you? l
was coming up to your house when the
freak bunted me-. ="
"Well, yen mustn't be too hard on
him, if yeh amt hurt. Yeh amt, are
yeh?'
"No.''
"Yeh see, he's had lot to try his
speerit this winter. The wind may be
tempered to the shorn lamb, as the sayin
is, but it amt by long shot for a
shorn ram, and kinder guess the fit Of
his overcoat amt exactly to his likin.
But 'scuse me for talkin so much before
wishin yeh merry Christmas.
"a WHAT" asked Preston as he look
ed at the farmer with an air of bewil-
derment.
"a merry Christmas.
"Nonsense, man. This is almost the
end of February. Christmas was over
two months ago"
"Not by loug shot it amt. Today
is Christmas, tell yeh. Yeh must have
got twisted when havin it out with
Melchisedec. He didn't hit yeh ON the
head, did he?"
"Now, see here, what sort of non
sense is this you are talking about
Christmas?" asked Preston, with the
air of man who was ready to get
angry.
"None at all. Yeh must come to the
house and have Christmas dinner with
us, and maybe that'll convince yeh. "
Preston did what he could to remove
from his clothing the effects of the en-
counter with Melchisedec and followed
the farmer to his house. The man was
one of those natural pioneers who had
moved into Ontario because the settle
ments on the st. Lawrence river were
becoming uncomfoItably civiliZed-a
man who was at home with nature and
had way of making the best of the
rougher side of life. His wife was
woman who was in every way in accord
with him, and when Preston was usher.
ed into the one room of the hut she re-
turned his greeting shyly, but still
frankly.
"This is the new postmaster, Jane"
the farmer had said by way of intro.
duction, land old Melchisedec went at
him as if he'd been keepin back
registered letter, and do yeh know" he
added, with wink that required fully
half of his whiskered face to execute,
"he didn't know that today was Christ
mas until told him."
The woman looked at her husband
laughingly and, understanding the
meaning of his wink, she chimed in:
"That is funny, but don't suppose
he'll object to havin his Christmas
dinner with us just the same"
"Well," replied Preston, looking
hungrily at a huge wild turkey that
was browning in heavy iron pan on
tho Goals before the roaring fireplace,
lyon may be poking fun at me, but
that old gobbler is no joke, and he
smells appetizing."
The bill of fare, though brief, was Of
kind to satisfy an appetite sharpened
by vigorous exercise in the open air.
The savory turkey was stuffed with
chestnuts, and there was a large wooden
dish full of steaming potatoes that had
been saved for the occasion. These, with
fresh scones of johnnycake, completed
the homely banquet.
While they were at the table there
was sudden stir in the pieces of blan-
ket that covered large sap trough in
the corner, and the querulous cry of
baby was heard. The mother hastened
to take her child from it's primitive
cradle, and while she was hushing him
the father explained to the guest:
''That S the little man that got Mel
chisedec into trouble and made us post
pone Christmas.
"But don't understand how" said
Preston.
"Well, replied his host half humor-
ously, half defiantly, "hardworkin
folks like US never have time for Christ
mas, but when this little fellow came
along it didn't seem just right that he
shouldn't have one. But things wasn't
ready just in time. Yeh know yourself
there couldn't be no Christmas without
baby havin socks to be hung up, so we
had to shear old Melchisedec to get
wool, and as the socks didn't get made
till this week we just naturally had to
postpone Christmas until we were ready
for it.
Preston entered into the spirit of the
occasion and added handful of pennies
to the little doll and string of glass
beads that Santa Claus had left in the
stiff little pair of stockings, and the
shadows were long before he passed the
guard of Melchisedec and returned to
his lonely office.