The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-12-25

comfortably filled, and my mind was
easy. l lit mS pipe and was doing off
to the endless hum of Harry's eulogies
of Susie Belknap when l was rudely
recalled to railroad realities by the
voice of Davis shouting. The snow
plow with a gang of shovelers was
half way through the cut, and Davis,
chockful of business, was calling me.
"Where the deuce have you been all
summer l asked petulantly, for he
had been comfortably housed and fed;
was shaved, even.
cover here to the house." he an
swered cheerily. "Where was you"
"What house?'
'Why, my mother-in-law's; jest back
of them trees"
'Well, it's wonder you wouldn't
ask us over. How'd you s'pose we was
agoin' to stan itY'
81 expected you over every minute,
an when you didn't come l thought
mebbe you'd ruther stay by the engine.
Where'd you go?"
''Down to Belknap's."
''Belknap's? Gosh! Wha'd you go
way down there fur? Why, it's four
times as fur as it's up to mothers"
''Oh, it is? Well, Pm mighty glad
I've found that out anyway"
They dug us out, and slammed it to
old Is for dear life. knew passenger
train 10 was somewhere behind me,
and wanted to get by the only switch
there was between me and home with
out sidetracking for her. got by it all
right, and while bucking a little pile of
snow that had fallen on the track
since the plow passed she came up and
coupled to our caboose.
We went in the rest of the way fly
ing. 1t was thirty hours after Christ
mas dinner time when we stepped off
her at the ash track, but 1 told Harry
to come on up to the house and we'd
pick the bones anyway.
When we turned the corner, there
was the house all lit up, and as we
stamped the snow off our feet in the
entry the dining room door few open
and mother and Katie, who had be-
come as thick as thieves, and little Bob
shouted chorus of merry Christmases
at us.
The table, whose snowy linen con-
trasted sadly with our begrimed over
clothes, was pulled out full length in
the middle of the floor. In its center,
his drumsticks held defiantly aloft, lay
the great brown turkey, with not a
brack in his glossy skin. He was sup
ported on one side by massive dome
of mashed potatoes, whose generous
white eXpanse was mottled here and
there by little dabs of delicious golden
butter. Delicate, feathery fronds of
celery nodded jovially to the fat glass
dish of cranberry sauce, while delicious
-odors of coffee and plum pudding were
waited through the open door from the
kitchen.
What sight for tired and hungry
railroaders
I'VE waited for you, pa! Pa, we
waited for you" shouted boisterous
Bob, and so they had. Katie had worn
path through the snow to the switch
tower and had timed our arrival home
to the minute.
| noticed after that, during the win
ter, Harry had way of hanging out
of the gangway as we approached Bel
krap's so l made it my business to
blow crossing signal there, and as l
peered slyly from under the peak of
my cap would see girlish figure
wave a white cloth from the back
piazza. Harry was promoted the fol
lowing spring. and the next Christmas
Katie and and Bob stretched out our
toes under the hospitable mahogany OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Harry Mervin.
Yes; as look back mt it now think,
take it all in all. it was the very merri-
est Christmas I ever spent, and know
Sue and Harry do.