Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1901-12-13
POLLY MARTINS
CHRISTMAS EVE
a Story Of Country Life at Yuletide by
Eliza Archard Conner.

She was only sixteen, pretty Polly
Martin, with round, soft cheeks the color
Of apple blossom buds and eyes as blue us
the skies Of her own native Canada She
had six brothers and sisters, all like her
self born in the beautiful country.
Her father was a tenant farmer in a
new settlement in western Canada. Pref
ty Polly MIXED the cows, fed the pigs
and chickens and helped her mother with
the children. When she could get en-
ployment away from home. shs went out
to service. Being brought up with 80
many children had made her very useful
about house; patient, too, and she was
naturally sweet tempered, % people were
glad to have her with them. And then
they liked to see her in their houses b.
cause she was % pretty.
The MartfnB' nearest nei9hbor VA
three miles away. This was not because
neighbors were % few, but because Mr..
Martins employer, Thomas Valentine,
owned all the land between his own
house and the log cottage where the Mar
tins lived. But Polly was not lonely. She
never thought Of being 50. On the contra
~, she was very happy. Polly loved ma
ture. If she raised her eyes a moment
from her work and looked toward the
west, she saw the grand green forest
flashing and ringing with the bright
winged, sweet voiced birds that civiliza-
ton had not yet killed out.
II she glanced toward the northern ho-
rizon, there was the undimmed sky, ra-
diant blue, with a marvellous gleam Of
stlvery brightness in it that stretched
away-away to the north pole itself.
Eastward there was the crystal pure
brook dancing to the music Of it's own
everlasting little tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
which not even the ice Of winter was able
quite to subdue. Polly thought it was
the sweetest music that is or ever was,
and I am not sure she was wrong. To
the south there were the sleek heifers
wading and feeding in the clover, the
white coats Of the sheep shining out
against the emerald pasture, and beyond,
mile on mile, stretching far as eye could
see, the great grainfelds already chang
ing from green to gold. Polly's heart
leaped with gladness when she looked.
At Christmas time, the year Polly was
sixteen, Mr.. Valentines family sent for
her to come and help them for a week.
Mr.. Valentine lived in handsome house
surrounded by vineyards and orchards of
apples, peaches, plums and pears. Near
the mansion was the shining white dairy
house, with the big power churn that
they made the Jersey bull work by walk
Ing on treadmill. to his intense disgust,
which he showed by paving Tho ground
and Believing with his tail IN the air, Is
soon a. he was released from the humili-
ating tresdmill.: :, -. /
Farmer Valsatina reared grand draft
FA0R1ek lafoe4aaf small elephants I'D shtn-
Ing CHRISTMAS bSeves every yeas ~ =
uiasket Two daysI befosS Christmas that
year h. made III {annual al, az hssxen
and got unusually good psioes for tham.
Il VA TOO. lebes Il pot H. 0eaa1 - r.
'eolvsd into IL hank fkoE day, Is M.
V13ea6ne teoeeht It ho0s With him. $500
h GoA 'a1d dav<r; a1d- 6ekelsk In Z -
Reau drawer. Polly td MT ~k10w It va
:thata - Z E-:s>tes.sr ;tr%t1t . ia % ono
On H. >vendng az IT, 11tA az Dsesm-
}bsr >tt4 =the county 0QsVtAefy
annual QhrastmaS ban. II va = xseaf
event. Mfnging =toeethee socially fyIl1d1
widely separated who did not zee one an
Qthse*efte9.d4 1tRg thes reet OF the yea1.
Polly was wanted to keep 6e VSlG6e16e
house while the family should be away q
tkesban. They vent early, for there wa
a tin 1aile sslefgh ride between them and
<theAtown where the ball Vass Tie great
sleigh, With it, Zig, handsome horses
paving the snow and shaking their mas
sive necks TO make the,sbeHs Jingle, was
<drawneup before theecafriase door Of the
farmhouse, and one after another the
family took their places in it. Those fine,
Intelligent horses looked as if they en-
joyed the prospect of the sleigh ride a.
much as any one.
After they had gone Polly went around
the house to see that all was in order for
the night. She peeped into the fruit
house first just to glad her eye with the
sight Of the long shelves loaded with red
checked apples and with shining green
and yellow pears wrapped in tissue paper
to make them keep till Christmas. She