The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-05-31

ticket. That twenty-five turkeys became
several hundred before the raj was finally
ended.
The shades we're good livers and their
friends in different parts OF the country
remembered their fondncss for good things.
To one of them, a tradesman, came from
the West a brace oil fine wild turkeys.
With pride and watering of the mouth
he showed them to his comrades, and laid
them carefully away in n back room OF his
store. "Strat's" wa~ then famous resort
in town, and the place where an oyster, a
fowl, or anything else good to eat was pre-
pared in the highest style OF the culinary
art. An invitation to supper at straits"
not so unusual n thing as to excite com
ment or suspicion, was that day passed
around, and late in the evening the Shades
were discussing two fine turkeys, with ex.
tras, wet and dry, and when the feast was
ended they kindly accompanied their com
rade to his store to assist him in conveying
to his home the present he had that morn
ing received from his friend in the West.
Ho went to the room where he had stored
his treasures and after some time and much
rummaging around emerged in a somewhat
disturbed aud suspicious frame of mind,
calculating, "BlaDkety- blankety blank,
wasn't them my turkeys we've just been
eatiRg?"
Space and time would not suffice for full
recital OF the hilarities OF 1.-THE Shades"
but no reference to the incidents OF this
association would be adequate that omitted
to mention its remarkable Christmas tree.
Imbued with the spirit of the season the
members determined to celebrate the Christ
mas of 1866, aud to convey to their com.
rades on that occasion marks OF teen,
and, to some, assurances OF very distin-
! guished consideration A tree" was ac-
cordingly selected, the scrawniest OF the
| forest, without verdure or life. Its branch
es were illumined with tapers and hung
with an aggregation OF gifts the like OF
which never before or since was gotten to-
| gether on a Christmas tree. Scrupulous
care was taken that no present Of any use
or value should be made. II any "Shsde"
had any marked personal characteristic, il
| suggested the gift. Nature had made the
hands Of one, the feet of another, on gen.
erous scale, and for the former was provid.
ed pair OF mittens and for the other OF
slippers, OF heroic dimensions. Another
had returned from an ocean voyage for his
health, and for him the tree had Goldfish
the largest procurable in the Boston fish
market. For another, j9weler, there was
a tin watch large as a dinner plate. For an
artist member, painters easel OF the size
of a bill board, and the artist contributed d
painting of the clubs Goat of arms" tC
| which reference has previously been made
Toy savings banks, horses, sticks of candy
OF the conventional childhood type, othel
articles unnamable and indescribable in
print, made the tree" the biggest thing o.
the kind In all Christendom. The Shades
and invited guests assembled for the dis
| tribution. The master OF Gel emonies tn,
wag OF the club, dilated upon the uses O
the various presents, explained thei
points" and announced the names of tn,
| recip ents. There was nothing artificial il
the merriment of that Christmas celebra
ton H. might not have been, in all re
spects, just The sort of thing for a Sunday