Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-12-11

before that Christmas, but I was small
for my age and looked no more than
ten. There were four of us. was
the eldest. Then there was girl OF 10,
one of 81 and boy of Z. In October
we had moved to the house on the shore
of Lonesome lake, which was very lone
some indeed. 1t was solitary little
sheet of water on the top of hill, al
most a mountain. There were no
neighbors nearer than a mile. Father
had moved to this farm on Lonesome
lake because his father had died that
fall, and the property had to be di-
vided between him and his brother,
Uncle William. Uncle William was
not married, though he was olde. than
father and he and father ana graEd
father had always lived together and
worked the homo tarm, sharing the
profits.
After grandfather's death father and
Uncle William had some difference.
never knew what it was about. One
night after l had gone to bed 1 heard
them talking loud, and the next morn
ing father and Uncle William looked
very sober at breakfast, and mother
had been crying. That afternoon she
told us that we were going to move
because the properly was to be di-
vided, and we were to have the farm
on Lonesome lake, near Lebanon. LIE
banon is little illage about ten miles
from Wareville, where we were living
then. Mother said she was sorry to go
away because she bad lived there so
long, and she was afraid she would
(be pretty lonesome in the new home.
but she said we must make the best Of
1t. Uncle William was the eldest son
and had right to the first choice of
the property, and of course since he
was bachelor it would be very hard
for him to go to live at Lonesome lake.
We children rather liked the idea Of
moving and began packing at once.
Flory and Janey had their dolls and
their wardrobes all packed within an
hour. Flory was the sister next to me
and l thought her rather old to play
with dolls. I had given up dolls long
before I was as old as She
Two weeks after grandfather died we
were. all moved and nearly 1ettled in
our new home. There had been no one
living in the house for several years,
except when father and Uncle William
went up there every year in haying
time to cut and make hay Everything
seemed pretty damp and dismal at first,
but when we got our furniture set up
and the fires started it looked more
cheerful The house was large, with
two front rooms looking on the lake,
which was only about 20 feet distant
One of these rooms was our sitting
room; the other was our parlor Back
of these rooms was a very large one,
which was our kitchen and dining
room. There were dark bedroom in
the middle of the house, bedroom out
of the kitchen, one where father and
mother slept, out of the sitting room,
and four chambers.
Thanksgiving came about a week aft
er we had moved, and we had rather
forlorn day. We all missed grand
father and Uncle William. / am sure
mother cried a little before we sat
down to the table, and father looked
sober.
When Thanksgiving was over we be-
gan to think about Christmas. Mother
had promised us a Christmas tree. The
year before we all had the measles
and been disappointed about going to
the tree at the Sunday school, and
mother had said Next year you shall
have tree of your own if nothing
happens" OF course something had
happened. Poor grandfather had died,
and we had moved, and we wondered if
that would put stop to the tree
Mother looked little troubled at first
when we spoke of it. Then she said if
we would not be disappointed if we did
not have many presents and the tree
did not have much on it except pop
corn and apples she would see what
she could do.
Then we children began to be full of
little secrecies. Mysterious bits of
wool and silk and colored paper and
cardboard were scattered about the
house. and we were always shutting
doors and jumping and hiding things
when door was opened. Each of us
was making something for father and
mother, even Charles Henry. He was
working a worsted motto, God Bless
Our Home" Then, OF course, we were
all making presents for one another.
1t was a week and one day before
Christmas. We had our presents al
most done, and mother had promised TO
take two of us the very next day and
go down to the village to do some shop
ping-we had been saving money all
the year for some boughten presents
when the news about Uncle William
came. A MAI rode over from Ware
vile mite 1ate at night and hrOupht