The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-18
A CHRISTMAS CHOICE.
MARTHA M'cULLocH-wILLIAMs.
Copyright, 1898, by Martha Mcculloch-
Williams


Copyright, 1898, by Martha McCulloch-
Wil1iams.)
The crowd in the store overlooked
upon the porch. but there was lull in
trade-a surprising lull considering it
was we'll toward o'clock of Christmas
eve. The morning had been April wealth
er, full of fitful sunshine and soft,
hawy winds. Now the sky was leaden,
the wind sat northwest; lower, ragged
clouds scudding before it let fall a
little spiteful snow spits, or dashes of
hail.
The Murray outfit came webbing up.
There was a sort of tremolo even to
the loud crackings of Sonny's whip.
Lassaphine at Sonny's elbow, scowled
and shivered impatiently at the noise
Such useless noisel The crack of doom
could not have quickened the patient
amble at which Brandy, the red OK,
and jimmy, the pale little donkey, drew
their Gathering load.
by gonnysl Must be you've fetched
a feather bed aliver storekeeper Wal
ker said, holding out both hands. Las
saphine overlooked them. Instead of
getting out, she writhed down amid the
turkeys. They were fine, big fellows,
greenish bronze. She had fed and tend
ed and talked to them since they came
out of the egg A lump had come in
her throat as she hoppled them in pairs
and laid them upon the scant straw
at the bottom of the wagon. The lump
was there still. though LaSSaphine was
very far from a sentimental person.
She could have sold her flock to the
turkey drover last week with the light
1,r-4l nr-nc 10
another matter to seize and bind them
treacherously as they fed from her
hand, and deliver them thus to make
sport for an idle holiday crowd.
''Sa-ay, Jim WalkerI Amt you got a
new frock and stick er red-strip-ed can
dy? They mought tole this yer gal er
mine inside" Sonny said, stamping his
feet hard as he clambered down. "She
wants ter Spite our fun-LassaDhine
does-ben a-beggin' me all the way not
to have the turkey walk-thouSh she
knows [ saved them bur-reds jest fer
nothing else in the world"
Come, now, Miss LassaDhine! That
won't dol Not never in the world"
Walker said. christmas comes but
once a year, you know. Come in! Do!
I've got the very dress for you-told my
wife so last night, when the newest
goods come in
Lassaphine shook her head decidedly.
Il don't want no dress you got" she
said. 'Nothin' you've got-until the
money to pay for it is in my hand
THAT won't be long" Walker said,
rubbing his hands. Look at all them
fine gobblers. 1 call it jest great no
ton of your pa's-havin' 'em walked for
stand you in twice whit the drovers
8 ben payinH Eff you don't wanter
trade, though, femme take you UP to the
house,
81 don't leave this wagin till it starts
for home" Lasaphine interrupted, turn
ing to pick up the rope reins her
father had dropped. He had vanished
inside the log store-house. AS the team
crawled a little from the steps to make
room for a smartsnew buggy, he came
out, wiping his mouth with the back of
his hand his eyes CLASSY with satisfac-
ton.
so you rally did come, Jack! Good
boyI Man of his wordp' he shouted to
the buggy's driver. Lassaphine did not
turn her head, yet a slow blush gath
cred in her olive cheeks. She had long
dusky eyes with a spark at the bot
tom, heavy, night black hair, and the
poise and stature of a Greek goddess.
Notwithstanding, most women in the
countryside reckoned her ugly. She was
so unlike their standard of pink and
white prettiness, they could not in the
least comprehend why so many men
of so many minds and fortunes lost
their heads over her
Jack Childers, for instance, a con-
CHEESEMAN'S son, rich and looking,
though reputed wild; Len Haskell, most
driving and thriving of the young
farmers round about; Doc Grant, the
bachelor tobacco dealer, a catch for
any girl, to say nothing of Teeny Wal
ker, the storekeeper's bashful young
brother. 1t was certainly aggravating
to good women with girls of their own
to settle to have so many bangle after
Lassaphine, who coquetted with all
and favored none. The Murray place
was poorer than poverty, the bare and
understandable fragment of a wide
plantation. Its starveling acres were
either CALLED and quilted or overgrown
with Yagrant briers, and the big
weather stained house was ruinous ex-
cept in two or three south looking