River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-12-17

men had been that reckless In sendin'
to Crystal City for things.
Then / visit you could have seen
those children when Big Dan come in all
rugged up as Sanity Claus, That was the
capsheaf O. the hull proceedings! First,
we heard his bells outside, an him call
in out, Whoa, therei' like as if he was
talkin' to his RENDERS. Then he elm up
the ladder the boys had set outside, an
presently down he came through the hole
in the roof. | jest thought little Fred's
eyes would pop clean out o. his head when
that part O. the show come off! An what
fun there was when old Sanity went
around givin' the boys all kinds of re-
diculous presents! He give old Tim
Thorpe tiny chiny doll, an big Jack
Ross jumpin' jack, an Ben Anderson
set O. little pewter dishes; an he
fetched me great big old pipe, when
they knowed / hated the very sight o.
one. / tell you, it was real fun?
well, the things had all been dis
tributed, an the children were loaded
down with presents, an me an the other
two women were about to go downstairs
to take up the supper, when the door Of
the hall opened, and a strange man
stepped in. When he saw the children
he give a kind of little outcry, an the
next minute he was down on his knees
before 'em, with an arm around each
child, an he was kissin' first one an then
the other. We all jest stared at each
other when little Elsie clapped her hands
together and said:
Why, papa!'
can that's jest who it wasi The man
named Miller who had died few days
before, was cousin o. the children's pa.
1t seemed that this cousin O. the name Of
Miller had been sent to meet the children
because their pa had been sick an wasn't,
hardly strong enough to come away over
to Singin' River for them. He lived in
little camp only about 20 miles away, but
it was a hard road to travel for a well
man, even. So this cousin he come, an,
from all we could make out, he had lost
his way in storm, an had laid out
night an got SO chilled it had brought
on pneumonia. When he didn't come
back with the children after two or three
days, their pa got Uneasy, an he set out
wasn't hardly fit to travel, but he come
anyhow, an he was all tuckered out when
he got to Singin' River. Then he was so
nervous an kind O. wrought up that no
one thought it to his shame that he jest
broke clean down an laughed an cried
by turns, kind O. hystericky like, over the
children.
Eve did have the best time at the sup
per! A storm had come up, an the wind
was roarin' and howlin' in the caynon
an up an down the Singin' River, an
the sleet was dashin' ag'in the winder
lights; but that jest made it seem more
CHEEKY an comfortable in the cabin, with
a roarin' fire O. pine knots in the big fire
place at one end O. the cabin, an the tea
kettle singin' on my big shinin' stove at
the other end. Mr.. Miller he set between
the two children, an he'd hug and kiss
'em between times. We made him stay
two whole weeks in Singin' River to rest
up an get real well, an then hull passel
o. the boys went with him to get the chill
dren home. The boys rugged up sled,
an TUX turns drawin' Elsie an Freddy
over the trails an away up over Red
Bird mountain. ! reckon it was ride
they won't ever forgit; an none of us
that were there will ever in this world
forgit that Christmas on the Singin'
River"