Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-12-19
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{ Spruceland'S First Christmas
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j. Merwin Hull in Springfield Republican.

| I'll OOua odlu AunI Odlly3 NNA
know about that. | wonder what Ell
der Manley will say to it."
| "An' it's a secret bout ev'ryth1ng,
gra ma ami" broke in little Solomon
Ward. Nobody mustn't tell one
word. An / know what I'm goin' to
give you, gra INA am. Esther, don't
you tell, will you, Esther? An OH!
it's somefin' big, an round, an red,
an it's good to eat, an know what II
| is, an shan't tell" And the little
fellow Rugged himself to hold his Sc
cret in.
/ When the afternoon meeting was
over, Polly Dodge went back to the
school-house for few minutes, and
when she started to go home she saw
Dea Simeon Leland waiting for her
under the great maple at the edge OF
the woods. His eyes blazed with a
flame repressed; his long, gray beard
swayed in the chilling wind which had
arisen. So Elijah might have looken
before he began to denounce the
| priests of Baal.
Polly Dodge" he began sternly, Il
want to ask you whittier or no it is
true what | have heered, that are
argoin' to have them heathenish
Christmas doin's in the meetin'house?"
Polly stood undaunted. I'VE are
going to have Christmas festival,
Dea Leland" said Polly, respectful ly,
but there will not be anything heath
enish about it,
Have you spoken to Elder Manley
in regard to this thing?"
| Eyes, sir
What did he say?'
I'll don't quite like to tell you
said Polly, hesitatingly.
What did he say?' Numbered the
old man, as he lowered IN wrath above
her.
'He said" answered Polly, with
| blazing cheeks, "that after what he
| had seen of my Sunday school for the
past year, he was perfectly willing to
trust me to have our Christmas fest1
val in the church"
The old man shrank backward as it
he had been struck by sudden blow.
"Woe unto u.s." he cried, 'for we are
| spoiled! Priest and people alike are
gone astray, and the heather are
! come into the inheritance of the house
of the Lord! Forty years ago toiled
with all my strength to help build that
house for the worship Of Jehovah, ana
now have lived to see it dishonored
by idolatrous feasts."
Polly looked up at the old man with
pity rather than resentment in her
heart, though she could not understand
how he felt Perhaps" she said,
! gently, 'if you should come to our
Christmas tree you would feel differ
emily about it,
But the deacon did not answer her.
| He left the road and started home
ward through the arkening woods.
| AS Polly went along the road and
| came out of the wodds, she saw Ran
som Ordway standing by the gateway
| of his field. He tried so hard to make
it appear that he just happened to be
!! there, that it was perfectly evident
that he had been waiting for Polly
ever since meeting was over. The
tall young farmer was very much in
| terested in Polly Dodge, and every
body was aware of it except Polly her.
self. That is, Polly did not appear to
notice it.
"Good afternoon, Polly" said Ran
some, with a very poor attempt to
| look surprised to see her. Amt you
rather late home? I heered the folks
talkin' about your Christmas time at
ter meetin' was out. There was some
i that opposed it, but most of 'em seem
ed to think that if Elder Manley favor
ed it, it must be all right. The chill
dren seemed to be all excited about q
Christmas tree. Was you goin' tC
have tree in the church, Polly?''
ooh, yes, Ransom, tree and some
evergreen, and everything we car
find to make the church look bright
and cheerful"
"Well now, Polly" began Ransom
eagerly, ''you must let me help you
I've got an OK team, you know, and .
stoneboat, and wagons of all kinds
and I can draw anything you want
And l will pick out the straightes
tree and cut it down, and draw it tt
the church and set it up for you. AND
I know where there is bears grass
and three kinds of runnin' evergreen
and l can get whole cart-load of it
and you and / can make it into rope:
and string it all over the meetin
house, and"
stop, stop, Ransom!" cried Polly
"You won't leave anything for any
body else to do
81 don't want 'em to, not when it il
for you, Polly. And I was thinkin"
he went on hastily that there aim
any lights in the meetin' house, but
can put some strips of wood acros
the windows, and hang candles on ZEN
by the hundred, and it will be light as
day in there. Well, for the Ian sakes
here is your gate! Goodnight, Polly;
don't forget you can depend upon mel
The next day winter set in in good
earnest. The snow fell deep, and the
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