Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-04-29
Harry eoas bidding Susie gooably.

comfortably filled, and my mind was
easy. lit my pipe and was doing off
to the endless hum of Harry's eulogles
of Susie Belknap when / was rudely
recalled to railroad realities by the
voice of Davis shouting. The snow
pillow with 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" 1 asked petulantly, for he
had been comfortably housed and fed;
was shaved, even.
"Oyer 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 Il wonder you wouldn't
ask us over. How'd you s'pose we was
agoin' to stan it?'
81 expected you over every minute,
an when you didn't come / thought
mebbe you'd ruther stay by the engine.
Where'd you go?"
Down to Bellsnaps."
"Belknap's? Gosh! Wha'd you 60
way down there fur? Why, it's four
times as fur as tits up to mothers"
"Oh, it ISL Well, Pm mighty glad
I've found that out anywayw
They dug us out, and / slammed 1t to
old 1S for dear life. 1 knew passenger
train 10 was somewhere behind me,
and l wanted to get by the only switch
there was between me and home with
out sidetracking for her. 1 got by 1t all
right. and while bucking little pile of
snow that had fallen on the track
since the pillow 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 l 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 flew open
and mother and Katie, who had be-
come as thick as thieves, and little Bob
shouted chorus of merry Christmases
mt 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
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
What sight for tired and hungry
I'VE waited for you, pa! Pa, WE
waited for you" shouted boisterous
Bob, and so they had. Katie had worn
n 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 n way Of hanging out
Of the gangway as we approached Bel.
ipap's, SO made it my business to
blow crossing signal there, and as I |
1eered siyly from under the peak of
NY cap would see a glrlish figure
wave a white cloth from the back |
piazza. Harry was promoted the fol- |
owing spring, and the next Christmas
Katie and Iand Bob stretched out our
oes under the hospitable mahogany of
dr. and Mrs. harry Mervin.