The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1904-12-24
Fa55N@%<e&kT SDN
! FATE OF TWO Presents. 4

II HERE, now, we are all ready for /
! Christmas" said Mrs. Slickerby, as
she climbed stiffly down from the
chair on which she had been standing to
deck the chandelier with holly. How
surprised Josiah will be when he comes
in. cold and tired, to find the place look
ing SO like holiday times. | declare, |
have a good mind to make a fire In the
stove just to please him; he kept asking
for it so long-though, come to think OF
il, he hasn't mentioned it lately, though
| always told him it only made dirt
for me to clean up and the furnace heat
ed the whole place anyhow. He said his
mother used to have a nice FIRE in the
stove when they came in evenings. OF
course. she did; his mother never saw
furnace in her life, and wouldn't have
known it from a telephone if she had"
She paused, with her hands on her hips,
to admire the result of her labors. Eyes,
l guess l will light a fire in that stove,
anyhow, it will serve as a text for more
remarks about the cold and few more
hints as to how l do need new set Of
furs this Christmas. Josiah is a good
man, but he is as close when it comes to
question of money as a potato is to its
skin"
She was bustling about as she talked,
making her preparations to light a fire
in the brilliantly polished stove. There.
l declare" she cried. as she opened the
door. IF Josiah hasn't got this stove
ali filed up with papers and trash, after
all my talking; it does seem as if you
can't teach a man to be careful about a
house any more than you can teach a hen
] 20 Mo oh mir or
lay my kindlings on top of the trash and
not scold-Christma Is not the time for
scoldinR. anyhow-though when you've
got to live with man it's best to take
every opportunity to teach him what's
right"
AS the fire began 10 crackle cheerfully,
she left it and went over to the old
fashioned cupboard in the corner, reached
carefully to the top shelf and took down
a bundle.
"I'll just take a last peep at Josiah's
present" she said Il tell you, there
was lot Of work In the knitting of that
afghan, and if he doesn't give me those
furs he'll feel good deal ashamed every
time he puts it over his knees in the
buggy this winter-and the furs are moi
in the house, l know that, for I've beer
. I'd find he'd hidden 'em somewhere
. She had unfolded a wonderful combina
ton Of colors in wool which would have
made Joseph's coat somber garment by
comparison, and looked at 1t with grea
admiration. Then she carefully replaced
It. II don't know as it's just necessar,
to keep it away up there-he wouldn'
: see it if it was right under his nose
Il fp1u or n
. burning. l wonder if it can be my cak
in the oven, 1 had almost forgotten it
with all these other things on my mind.
There comes Josiah nowv' she crie'
d ten minutes later, as she heard the doc
? of the sitting room open. In stay on
! here and see what he does. Well, surel
a he must be pleased with the decoration
, and the fire in the stove. 1t sounds a
il he was doing jig all over the room
and him a protesting Christian. toog
Five minutes later she opened the SIT
ting room door and stood transixed o.
: the threshold. why, Josiah Slickerby
what on earth is the matterT" she shrie-
ed. you are as black as a sweep an
your beard is all singed, and what is tina
awful smell in here, and w-what is tina
you have in your handf'
Its your new set of furs, that's wha
II il is" retorted Josiah, grimly, "a goo
l. set of furs that cost lot of money, TO-
and looking like a cat that had bee
sitting on a can of frecrackers whe
: they went off,
"But how on earth could"
II had hid 'em In the stove, that
howl you said you'd never make anoth'
FIRE in It now we've got furnace. and
hid 'em in it, SOS l could surprise 70
for Christmasw
"Wen, goodness knows you have su
prised mel
Yes. and when I came into this roo
II was all full of smoke. and flames wei
bursting out Of the stove door, 1t was 1
s. full. and if l hadn't kept my presen'
q of mind and hunted out that old thin
y to smother the flames with, the who
- place might have been burned!' Al
s. he held up the afghan. which was scare
3 IL in better condition than the furs!