The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-01-06
THE FARMERS CHRISTMAS.
By HENRY D. TAYLOR

"What In the name of common
sense have you got there9'' asked
| Farmer Jones' wife, as he came into
the room carrying turkey under hi s
arm that could not ave weighed less
than eighteen pouIi Is.
I've got turke'. Of course. Did
you think | was Z, Jug to celebrate
Christmas without turkey?'
'Of course not, bat how do you
think we are goi. to make away
with turkey as H.. ge as that2 Why,
it will last us two ,,eks, if we eat tur-
key thiee times i day, every day.
Il think we wi.- invite some com
/ pany. L want you to cook the bird
and make all the Lecossary prepara
tions for having several extra people
for dinner and supper, besides Betsy
Bates, whom I'm going after now to
help you do the work"
! Mercy me, who is coming?"
'Ill find some one, don't you fret
| We've eaten dinner alonDe on Christ
mas for the last time We've always
| iavited some of our relations from
the city to come out and spend tae
day with us, bnt they never came, for
they think they will get more pre-
sents by staying in the city. Don't
you remember that parable about the
wedding guests that did not come,
and how they went into the byways
and invited every one that they found.
I'm going into the byways and invite
some people who have no relations to
look after them, and who hardly have
enough to eat, let alone having a tur,
key at Christmas"
That's just like yon, father, and
I'm glad you are going to do it. I'll
get up one Of the best dinners | ever
cooked. How many do you think you
can get to Gomez"
Il know of seven, anyway. How
many will that bird feed?"
Fifteen at least. and not pick the
bones very clean either. Don't let's
have less than fifteen"
All right, mother, fifteen it is then"
and the old man started ou after Bet
| sy Bates, who frequently came over
to help the old couple when they need
ed any one to do any extra work.
AS he was going down the steps his
wife called to him:
Say, father, if you should think of
more than fifteen invite them ALL for
we can kill few chickens to help
out with
Yes, wife, I'll inv ite every one l
can think of who amt provided for"
Say, mamma, will we have any
Christmas this year,"
I'm afraid not, dear. You know
we are very poor"
Il don't care for myself, but I do
wish we could have something for
Alice"
so do l, Charlie, bnt l don't see
how 1 can have anything more than
usual. | have not had much sewing
to do lately. and4 have no money to
spend for anything but just enough
to eat"
Charlie Ihorne turned away and
went ont Of doors so his mother might
not see him crying. He was the old
est of q family of three children. and
his sister, Alice, whom he dearly loved,
was cripple, and for her he would
have sacrificed anything. He was
only thil.een years old, but he had
done some work for the farmers in
the summer, and every cent that he
| could earn was given to his mother to
buy something Tor Alice, who was ten
years old Carl, the youngest, was
only four, "nl SO long as he got
enough to eat he was happy. He
could not remember anything better,
but it was only three years since Mrs
Thorne had been in comfortable cir
cumstances, and her older children
remembered the merry times they
had before their father left them.
Without thinking where he was go
ing Charlie turned into the road and
walked down toward Farmer Jones's. |
met by that old gentleman, who was
on his way to notify Betsy.
Good morning, Mr.. JONES'" said
Charlie
Good morning, Charlie; is your
mother at homer
Yes, sir"
81 guess I'll stop now and give you
all an invitation to come up to our |
house to eat y our Christmas dinner. |
We are all alone now. so [ am going
to ask in some of the neighbors to |
help us make merry Do you think
she will Gomez
II think she WILL for it was only a |
few minutes ago that we were saying
that we shonld not have any Christ
he /
on my sled.'
'Ili come up and get you all in my
big sleigh on Christmas morning. I'm
going after all my guests with my
sleigh
BY this time Mr.. Jones had arrived |
at Mrs. Thorne's house and he and |
Charlie went in. He had called on
Mrs. Thorne several times before,
and had helped her more than once,
things to her, but he had never learn
ed just how she lad come to be so
poor. As he entered the hobse he
made up his mind to inquire about |
her former home and friends.
''Good-morning, Mrs. Thorne, l
came in to see if you and your family
would come over to our house and
spend Christmas with u.s. We are all |
alone now. and want some one to
come and help us to make merry.
You will come, won't yon?'
Il should be very glad indeed to
accept your invitation. But Alice is
such an invalid that it is hardly right
to take her among people. We have
to carry her everywhere.
Never you mind that. I'll come |
after you with my big sleigh, and we
will have plenty Of folks there to help
move her around"
IF you think it will not be too
much trouble to nave us there
should like to come very much on the
| children'S accOunt They don't fare