The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-18

happy fed-eheeked- young folks who
joked and laughed and told stores
while they warmed their fingers and
toes. Some of them brought apples
which they roasted in the fire and ate
with much gusto.
With all this the boy was pleased
hugely, though mostly as an onlooker
for his copper-toed boots had way
OF slipping out from under him when
he tried to slide, and he had no skates.
He rode down hill on the sled a few
times with the biggest Nelson boy, and
that was lots of fun and highly excit-
ing On the last trip the sled was over
turned, and the boy had to be hurried
10 the fire to be dried and warmed.
When the biggest Nelson boy was
ready TO take the youngster on an
other trip he shivered and said in his
politest way: mo. 1 thank YOU to
the invitation.
The great event of the day was the
dinner. Brother Nelson and his wife
were hospitable souls, and had invited
half the settlement TO sit round the
board with them. So many accepted
the Invite" that there were four or
nve tableful, and the serving of the
AANCaAs Will DGEdA III the Dig ktlGncn
with the first tableful at sharp twelve.
was not completed for the last table
ful till nearly three in the afternoon.
The minister and his wife ate at the
first tableful and the minister asked
the blessing" at each. The children
ate last, and would have been PR tty
hungry by the time their turn came if
Sister Nelson had not stayed their
stomachs meanwhile with liberal
'heces" tmostly bread and butter and
sugar. between meals"
All the tables but one were waited
on by Mrs. Nelson's hired girls" but
at one table they sat down the same
as guests. These girls were the daugh-
tiers of well-to-do neighboring farm
ers, were quite as good socially as Mrs
Nelson, and helped" in her kitchen
chiefly as an accommodation. Mrs
Nelson herself and the ministers wife
waited on that table.
The sun was low when the last ia
bic was swept clear of its holiday
feast. and then Brother Nelson called
in as many as could get into the
spare parlor and asked them to listen
while he made a little speech. He
stood up and hemmed and hawed a
moment, after which he said he
thought, having found out that Christ
mas day was the minister's birthday.
that he was deserving of a special
Christmas present, and ended by pre-
senting the astonished young preacher
with purse containing gold dollar
for each of his years.
The minister then made a little talk
which he followed by short and rev.
erent prayer, and the district school
ma'am who boarded at Brother Mel
sons was asked to sit down at the
melodeon-the only musical "instru-
ment in the settlement-and play
hymns While all present sang.
There was Coronation" and Green
lands Icy Mountains" and Rock of
Ages"-and then-then the boy Slip
ped away in dreamless Sleep which
was not broken till he and his father
and mother were half way home He
awoke in the bright moonlight of a
clear cold winter night and listened
without speaking for long time to the
rhythmic beat of the horses hoofs on
the snowpath to which the sleigh bells
Jingled in perfect time, while the min
lister sang softly one of the hymns in
which all had joined at Brother Mel
sons.
Then he snuggled up comfortably UNI
der the warm buffalo robe.
It's been a pretty good Christmas"
he told his father before dropping off
10 sleep again. Paul Dandy.