The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-25
LAST CHRISTMAS M CONFEDERACY.
By MRS BURTON HARRISON in New York Herald

Cellke, with us masses OF DIack DTdlQS
too heavy for the 1ower-like head.
was shining with divine pity. and no
sense of shame oppressed him for
this revelation of his helplessneSs. =
little later he was again sitting up.
haioed with such a sense of comfort
and con1panionship as he had not
known in years. His room, somehow.
was transformed. 1t fairly glowed
with light and cheerfulness Marco
lite owned to him that beside their
own subterranean apartment his
quarters seemed palatial. Soon, after
the candid fashion of the day, when
poverty was no shame and all Con-
federate hardships were common
prc~ert-- in talk, the two young peo-
pie were chatting merrily of their
difficulties in getting food. the price
of eggs and butter. the weeks since
they had tasted coffee and the like.
st. Quentin, guilty. conscious of u
denuded ham bone in his or board
and some corn bread to be toast4%
over, longed to ask them to sup with
him, yet dared not.
When they rose to CO. on seeing
him restored TO his usual strength,
the host rose with them. AS he
turned toward the door he stumbled
over the forgotten basket. the source
of their blessed invasion of his baili-
wick Narcotics hand was stretch
ed out to steady him from falling
her sweet voice with its birdlike trill
exclaining anXiousy:-
"'rhat tiresome basket! But per-
haps it is something you need? Some
thing you were eXDecting?'
mo such good luck. There is abso-
kutely no one to send me anything +
need he said ut has. however. a
wholesome country look. Here's my
name on ii, all right Miss Lacretelle
Il inl / 10Th cly 70 hnI
me cut the cords?''
Narcotics eyes shone as she knelt
beside him. She was girl enough TO
be excited by the mystery and hungry
enough to feel her appetite agreeably
titillated by the hampers contents.
For there. under a clean, coarse cloth.
lay a roast turkey Of portly size, nest
ling to a baked ham strewn with
cloves; there were sweet potatoes and
apples ana beaten biscuit; jars of iel-
ly and loaVes of cake; a pat of butter,
and dear knows what other forgotten
ecstasies of good fare! And IN one
corner to itself little bag made of
blue domestic, containing chinquapins.
Il know now" Stammered poor
Roz, who had clutched the homely old
fashioned trifie and gazed at it With
Softened eyes. 1T is my old nurse
who has sent me these. The good
soul has wandered away from Caro-
lima to live on a "entleman's planta-
ton in Henrico county. How she
must have saved to procure all this
for me! And how did she ever con-
trive TO get the hamper into town
without its being sacked Ell route?
The dear soul! Her bag of chinqua-
pins revealed her. Never did she let
me visit her of late years without
carrying off one of these. But 1 can't
imagine why it all comes to-day"
Il
morrow is Christmas Day." asked
Mrs. Lacretelle.
Il tried to forget with all my might.
1 try not to think of family festivals.
And now that l am SO richly en-
dowed, what can | do with all this
stuff? I could not consume it in an
age. Unless. indeed, you ladies would
be good enough''-he went on. hest
tating. as he looked from mother to
daughter-"to come and share it with
me?"
1--WE three couId make positively
no impression on that monster tur-
key" said Narcotic, judicially Il
know. since l am our housekeeper.
Besides. if we for once ate all we
could, it would be SO dreadful getting
back aoain to where we are now.
But in spite of herself her eyes
cleaned lovingly upon the royal fare.
In a moment. with one consent. the
three were sampling biscuits and ap-
piles and little cakes. There had
never been anything like it before.
When the two ladies' who had been
going to bed suDperess, for obvious
reasons. finally crept down stairs,
plan had been proposed by them and
accepted by St Quentin that he
should, on the morrow. give a feast
to his fellow dodgers in the house.
That he knew none of them was to
his discredit. Narcotic told HIM
laughingly. The ladies Lacretelle were
on terms with everybody. Old Major
Clymer. his next door neighbour, was
their very good friend. He had come
to dine with them last Sunday fetch
ing his own round of spiced beef and
carrying it away again. He would be
perfectly delighted to lend his room
for the overflow of ST Quentin'S be-
longings. The LacretelIes would
lend an extension table they owned
(kept in the entry outside their room
because there was no place for IT'D and
silver and linen, too. Poor creatures!
these furnishings were an empty show
when food was not. And, by GOOD
luck a friend in Prince Georges had
sent them for Christmas a box OF
evergreens, princes pine, holly and
crows foot laurel and arbor vitae.
They would spend all tomorrow IN
decorating st. Quentin S room. except
ing the time they were at church
1t came 10 pass as Narcotic had
planned. Roz lent himself to the
scheme at first reluctantly. then with
the growing fervor of youth on holi-
day thoughts intent. His objection
to closer acquaintance with Major
Clymer had been based upon the fact
that the good little Major-persona
grata in the drawing rooms of Rich
mond--was in the habit of often sit
ting and goSsiping with the Lindens,
who STYLED him IAN old dear" But
even that disability was overcome by
the Majors whole souled acquiescence
in the plan proposed. He himself
was hidden TO dinner with a friend to
eat Confederate duff stuffed with
dried apples under the EuiSc Of a
Christmas pudding. But his friend
was good for a bottle of marvellous
old Madeira, and. in any case, the Ma
ior couldn't throw him over for the
flesh pots of Egypt offered by Mr. ST.
Quentin. Roz should have the room
the Majors six forks and eight glasses
and the Majors blessing.
All day the Lacretelles, the house
boy Scip, impounded with promise of
a reVersion Of the feast. and one arm
ed but now light hearted Roz labored