New-York tribune., 1901-12-22
GENERAL.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
BY MARY Z. WILKINS.


on ms nothers side, but everybody called him
General" First it had been Genie" but as
ms mastery character developed it became
General" When the neighbors saw him com
lnS, usually at the head of a small troop of his
nTolhers and sisters and friends, they said:
1heres General Newman As a rule. they
finished with indulgent chucke for Cen
era was a faVorite. Every body agreed that he
was good boy and very smart He did an er-
rand as if he Were peer of the realm and. with
infinite condoSCeflsiOn. he noc1eIed his penny in
payment. as if ii were a gratltv But he did
eFrands willingly and well and while he made
Others obey he never disobeyed himself Fer
an he's so UP and comm he minds me better
Than any Of them," his mother often remarked.
General was the eldest of five children, three
girls and two boys His father was dead; his
Tn"ther Mrs Abby Newman. supported the fam
liN ny working a small farm. She kept one
hired man. and worked herself like a slave.
With great economy and toil she managed 20
keep her family in comfort. and she deter
mined that the children should have good edu-
cations General was large and strong for his
age. and many of the neighbors thought that
she she Was foolish not to put him 10 work, but she
Was resolute. He's gon' TO know something
school"
General. ever since he was ten, had risen in
the mornings at . o'clock, assisted the hired
man with the barn chores. drawn the water
and made the kitchen fire. All the Newman
children were trained 70 work and they accom-
pIished good deal before they set off for
school-washed. brushed and tidy.
The teacher came in the fall when Eu-
gene was nearly fourteen She was a pretty
gin, her name Aureila May, and she had many
new ideas. Among others vas the Christmas
tree There had never been a Christmas tree
IL No. > school which was located on the
outskirts OF the village. among The scattered
farming part OF the population. There had been
Christmas tree IN the Sunday school, but never
in the day school.
When Miss Aurelia May announced that this
year there would be tree on Christmas night
tJhe Sunday school tree TO be on Christmas
evel. there much excitement, not only
arncng the students. but their parents The
mothers met in each others sitting rooms and
Kitchens and talked a good deal Some OF them
declared that = in the Sunday school was
enough. and ali they could manage 1t took ali
he /
Christmas, declared one woman, and the others
echoed her
FINALLY however. the pretty school teacher
carried the day ! declare hated to say any
rsen{. The teec6er boarded at Mrs. John
Sa~Eent's, and little Lottie Sargent adored her
SUI there was one woman who never abau-
GODed her position. and she WAS Generals
mother. Mrs Newman had said at first, she
she had told her children that she could and .
would do nothing about the Christmas tree. If
IL mad been ar apple year / might have man
aged il. but il amt apple year and haven't
got enough money for another Christmas tree
unless run in debt mortgage the place she
said 4 manage tC give you children some
useful things, that you really need. and I'd have
10 get anyway, on the sunday school tree, but
for doing anything about the day school.
can't do il, and / dcrt want 10 hear another /
word about it ! have enough TO contend with /
without being teased L. DO something can't do
The younger children pouted, and little Sallie
and Henry openly sobbed, but General only |
May l use my bank money!" he asked,
finally.
opened yOur bank last Fourth OF July" the |
Is3other answered
can I have what is in it?'
Yes if you want to-" she replied grudgngly- /
You ought TO the money however, 10 buy |!
shoes, but you can have il
Generals face cleared. ''An right" he said, |
guess I do something
His second sister, Addie, pulled his sleeve,
when his mothers back was turned What be
yol goin' to do?' she whispered.
You jest wait an see replied her brother
T1ysteriously-
You goin to get presents for all Of u.s.
Il reckon So
For Tommy Jones. and Lottie. and Maria
Dodd, and Willie Lapham, and -
Guess So
What"
You Jest wait
General was as important and secretive dur
ing the three weeks before Christmas as any
commander before strategic move upon the
enemy His brothers and sisters watched, but
they could discover nothing. General was known
10 make several visits to the store, but they
coUjd find out nothing that he purchased eX-
cerpr paTer and string. They found rolls of nice
white paper and brown paper and various col
ord balls of cord in his little hair trunk, which
ha5 belonged TO his grandfather and in which
ne kent his treasures. Its to tie up the pres
ems they said another, and their ex-
pcctations grew
Gradually il became noised about the school
-i7a- General Newman going 20 give Splen-
5is r,resents TO a lot of children, and his popu- !
1arI+v was on the increase He had so much
derarence that his head might have been turned