The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-12-21

A western lady who formerly lived at
Cambridge. Mass. writes entertaining
ly Of what she declares was the hap
piest Christmas Of her life. The climax
of this merry occasion was a house
party given at the home Of her uncle
not many miles from Cambridge. The
lady writes:
MY uncle owned a big place about
twenty miles from town, and every
year he invited all his relatives to
spend the Christmas holidays with
him. He was a widower with two chill
dren-a son rs years old and daugh-
ter of II. This girl, my cousin. Stella,
was one of the brightest and most
fun-loving girls l have ever known. |
was just two years her senior, and be-
tween us we managed to stir up that
house party to degree nothing short
Of startling! Twenty people beside
our family were invited, there being
altogether about thirty guests in the
house. Among them were a young law
yer from New York (for whom | i'm
! mediately conceived a violent admira-
| tion), a naval officer, three Yale men
| from New Haven, my two brothers, an
antique female cousin of ours cage I'm
| known some girls from New York
and a young married couple from st.
/ la and l had almost originated a di-
vorce case, where the young St. Louis
couple were concerned. OF course,
there were some other people, but they
were sort of chaperones, old fogies who
didn't count much. Well that year
the 25th of December fell on Wednes-
day, and the guests were invited from
Dec. % to Jan. 2, and l can tell you
we made Rome howl My brothers
and |, with our parents, arrived at our
uncle's late Monday morning. The
snow had been falling steadily for
thirty-six hours, and was many inches
deep.
I'VE drove from the little rickety
station three miles cross country tC
the farm. We were the first arrivals
and we made good use of the advan
tage over the other invited guests. Tit
next train, at 4 O'Clock, brought then
all, and at they came shouting ant
singing up to the house, an sleighs
wagons and carriages, borrowed from
country. Well, the first evening wa
passed in the big dining room. all 0
I us crowded about the roaring log fire
7. That is, all Of us. excepting the youn
. lawyer from New York and-myseli
r We were seated on a chintz-covere
. soap-box, of In a dim corner OF tn
n room, discussing-er-the possibilitie
of effect of mistletoe on--ah- mankind
Before the candles were brought in
announce the time for disappearing
i we two had begun to understand eac
g other. 1t was our first meeting, but |
n the country, and at Christmastide, pee
e pie become acquainted very quickly.
1.-The next morning we all arose at
o'clock, and after the jolliest kind OF
breakfast. we hauled in great bunch'
y 81 evergreen, reels of crow-foot mos
r md pile after pile of holly and mistl,
II .oe. We spent most OF the day on ste
n ad6ers or tables, hammering and tacl
"a ng the Christmas decorations in plac
:, And in the evening my uncle had b
pine tree brought in and set up in Il
" parlor we had each brought scor
If little packages from town to prese
y IN Christmas morning, and the
we're susp nded from the branches
"a he tree. Mistletoe was everywher
ct and SO were the girls. The tons
auence will b. readils understood--t