The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24

piece of boiled salt pork, a loaf of bread
and a package of coffee and sugar.
had 10 speak twice--a little sharply the
last time-to Harry. who was bidding SUI
sic goodby in the kitchen. j thought I
heard a suspicious smack hut / won I
swear TO that; stil, these red-headed fei-
lows-hang him he came away and for
got the ooffeel
Mr. Belkuap told us a better read than
the way we came, 50 we got back without
much trouble. The curtain had caught
fire from the furnace door and broken
every pane of glass In the cab, rendering
it uniuhabitable. The clock had thawed
out. run seven minutes and frozen up
again. But there was both fire ami wa
ter in her, so l didn't much care.
pumped her full again, and. though the
weather was moderatug rapidly. as che
cab was untenable, we adjourned 10 he
snow hole under her. We muhched our
pork and bread in comfort down there.
Harry calling out that he had found the
wishbone.
The storm was about over: 1 had kept
my engine alive, my. stomach was COM
fortably filed and my mind was easy. |
lit my pipe and was doing off TO the end
less hum of Harry's euogies of Susie
Belknap, when | was rudely recalled to
railroad realities by the voice of Davis,
shouting. The snowplow with a gang of
shovelers was halfway through the cut,
and Davis, chockful of business, was call
ing me to get ready.
Where the deuce have you been all
SUMMER" / asked, petulanty. For he
had all the appearance of a man who
had been comfortably housed and fed:
was shaved, even.
"Over here to the house" he answered
cheerly. Where was your
what house?"
'Why, my mother-in-law's jest back o
them trees"
well, it's a. wonder you wouldn't aslS
us over; how'd you 'spose we was agoia
to stan it?"
II expected you over every minute; an
when We didn't come, l thought mebbe
you'd rgther stay by the engine. One O.
the boys was over here Yesterday TO see IL
we wanted anything an he said there
warn't nobody here. Whered we GOT"
Down to Belknap's."
"Belknap's2 GOSH Wha'd We go way
down there fur? Why. it's four times
as fur as tbs UP to mothers"
80, is it? Well, I'm mighty glad I've
found that out, anyway"
They dug us out, and I slammed IL to
old IS for dear life. | knew passenger
train 10 was somewhere behind me, and
l wanted to get by the only switch there
was. between me and home without side
tracking for her. / got by it all right,
and while bucking little pile of snow
that had fallen on the track since the plow
passed. she came up and coupled TO our
caboose.
We went in the rest of the way flying.
The sun came out and made a fairyland
of the heavily snow-coYered landscape.
and tempered the frosty air that came
through the broken windows 1t was thir-
ty hours after Christmas dinner time when
we stepped off her at the ash track, but
I told Harry to come on up to the house
and we'd pick the bones, anyway.
When we turned the corner there was
the house all lit up and as we stamped
the snow off our feet in the entry, the
dining room door flew open, and mother
and Katie--who had become as thick as
thieves-and little Bob, shouted chorus
of Merry Christmases'' at us.
The table, whose snowy linen contrast
ed sadly with our begrimed overclothes,
was pulled out fun length in the middle
of the floor. In its center. his drumsticks
held deflantly aloft, lay the great brown
turkey, with not a brack In his glossy
skin. He was supported on one side by
a massive dome of mashed potatoes whose
generous white expanse was notified here
and there by little dabs of delicious golden
butter. Delicate, feathery fronds of cell
cry nodded iovially to the fat glass dish
of cranberry sauce, while delicious odors
of coffee and plum puddin' were waited
through the open door from the kitchen.
What a sight for tired and hungry rail-
readers!
1--WE waited for ye Pa. Pa, we waited
for yel" shouted boisterous Bob; and so
they had. Katie had worn a path through
the snow to the switch tower and had
timed our arrival home to the minute
I noticed after that, during the winter.
Harry had way of hanging out of the
gangway' as we approached Belknap's, so
] made 1t my business 10 blow crossing
signal there. And as l peered slyly from
under the peak of my cap would see a
giriish figure wave q white cloth from
the back piazza. Harry was promoted the
following spring, and the next Christmas
"a e and / and Bob stretched out our toes
under the hospitable mahogany of Mr..
and Mrs. Harry Mervin.
Yes, as I look back at 1t now, l think,
take 1t all in all, ii was the very merriest
Christmas I ever spent, and I know Sue
and Harry do.