Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-12-28
Our New Years
EHn. By Ralph Brookes. 5


1t was New Years, and all my aunts
and uncles had CONF from town to
spend the day. They always said 1t
was such a treat to get in the country,
and they liked to come and always did
On New Years. on Christmas we went
to their house.
This was n cold, snowy morning, and
US boys was all sittin' round the fire,
wonderin' what to do, when Aunt Mil
lie said: Boys, how would you like to
skate up the river TO the pine woods
and get some green boughs for the
house? 1t will seem so much more like
New Years with decorations"
Now there was Fred and George and
Ned and me, m we just looked n,
each other and jumped for our skates.
That was what we had been aching to
10.
In n few minutes away we went up
the river. The ice was good, and we all
'elt pretty happy about the turkey and
he mince pies we was a a-goin' to have
for dinner.
We skated about IL miles. and then
went into the woods. Ned climbed the
Tree and cut off the branches, and we
led them all up with a rope we had
brought, so as to carry them easy, and
hen we went farther into the woods to
explore. Ned, my cousin, who was
ahead. stopped all Of a sudden and
said: whats that?"
Looks like smoke" said I.
"P'r'haps it's Indians said Fred, my
cousin from town; lets go home"
Pooh! Indians" said my brother
5eorGe; I'VE don't have Indians here
We walked on a little, and soon saw
through the pine trees n little log hut,
With the smoke ~a-pouring out Of the
chimney.
Lets go and peek in said George.
"All right" said /.
! knew ii was real mean, but we crept
IT, real quiet-like, and peeped through
he cracks. There wasn't any windows.
And what do you s'pose we saw? A
man, a woman and a. little Teller, n
?aby, just big 'nough to walk, all sit
lin by an old stove, a-tryin' to keep
warm.
And what do you s'pose they had for
4 New Years dinner? Just guess! Some
Try bread, without any butter, and
three potatoes-one apiece for 'em.
Then the table had a red cloth, all
holes, and tin plates and cups.
When the little Teller saw what was
IN his plate he just cried and looked
81 IullSly' lItl lhO "Ollldii loOhtu az
The mar and begun to cry. We stopped
a-lookin' then, and all seemed to think
The same thing at once, for we all said:
Lets fetch 'em a New Years dinner"
Yes, let's" said Fred, who had kept
pretty still, bein' afraid they was In
lians.
Well, now, you just ought to have
seen us run. We took up the boughs,
and away we went home, like the wind.
Wa trao oil ont nP hrnofh whom we
got there, and all tried to talk at once.
and they couldn't make a word out of
what we said. So, finally, / said: Nov,
see here, boys, I'm the biggest, and let
me tell It," SO they kept pretty still
till / come to the part about the little
chap, and then they all chimed in
again.
Then my mother says: We'll, boys,
what is It you want to do?"
Take 'em a New Years dinner" we
said all at once.
Then mother sat and didn't say any
thing for a minute, and then all at once
she s'prised us by sayin': Boys I'm
afraid there isn't enough for so many"
Then George began to cry-that was
Just like George-and said: "Oh, motn-
er, If you'd a-seen how that little feller
looked"
Then mother said, kind n quiet-like,
lookin' at us boys: "Woald you be will
ing to give them your share Of the din
ner?"
That was terrible!
We looked at each other, and kind
a-swallowed down the Jumps in our
threats. We'd been a-thinkin' about
that dinner all morning, and could
smcll the turkey and all the good
things.
At last I spoke up and spoke real
loud:
Il will"
Then Ned said: ME, too"
And Fred and George said: Yes;
let's do"
Then mother smiled and went out
into the kitchen, and in a minute poked
her head in the door and said: Shall
| put in your share of the pudding,
too" Now, hat was worse than all,
but we said real loud and strong: Yes,
ma'am."
In a few minutes the basket was all
ready, and we put on our skates again,
and away we went.
We raped at the door, and the wom-
an looked so glad when she saw the
basket, and when we said: It's a New
Years dinner she just threw her
apron ove her head and cried.
Then the man came TO the door and
said: Come in" and so we did.
They opened the basket and put the
things on the table, n o ought just
to have seen them smile and the little
chap dance up and down.
|, oh, it was worth all the dinners in
the world to see how happy he
Then we took the basket and the
woman thanked us all and said we was
mice boys and then we skated home
| again and told 'em all about 1t.
Dinner was all over when we got
back, and mother said: Boys, there is
some mush and milk on the kitchen
table and some oranges" Well, now,
you ought to have seen us pitch in. We
was awful hungry. You just skate up
the river on New Years day, and see IL
you don't get hungry!
Then when w was all through
mother came out and told us how glad
she vas hat we'd been good, unselfsh
boys, and kissed us all and said 1t made
us all the better and us happier to give
up something Of our own for some one
else.
And that was how we had fun on
New Years.