The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1905-12-23

long been possessed of "the boon OF
| freedom This was for the best, no
doubt, and yet many time in my
visits to Washington, where so many
of the newly enfranchised gathered,
| my heart was wrung at the desperate
poverty of these poor children Of the
sun, who knew not how to struggle
with the world and were bereft of the
protection to which they had been &C.
customed. My eyes were full of tears
often, as 1 looked in the dusky face
of some poor old man, and l had my
trunk taken to the hotel in wheel
barrow by some ragged ex-slave, long
| after an efficient express service
made it absurd.
Holidays in New England.
After we dwelt in New Haven our
Christmas days were spent at the
home of my grandfather Judge john
son, at Stratford, where were held de-
lightful feasts of reunion of the fam
| lily, when around the great table were
| gathered nearly all of the sons and
! daughters of the house, with their
| children. Cold! All, those winter
| days were cold, indeed. | remember
we'll when we children went off one
morning for sleigh ride. Away over
the snow, the boys" driving, the
crowd of youngsters packed closely
with bearskins tucked about us to keep
out the bitter chill. 1t had rained dur
ing the night and all the trees and
bushes were coated with ice that
sparkled like diamonds in the pale sun
light. What fairy land it was! That
wood where the evergreens were deck
ed like brides with white masses Of
snow and gay chains of pearls. How
the bells jingled as we slid over the
smooth ground!
Memories of the Dinner.
Home after a while to the great
feast of the day, the Christmas dinner
In the diningroom the long table was
set with old china and silver At
one end sat my dear grandfather, his
noble face glowing with kindness,
while my stately grandmother, with
her keen dark eyes, presided opposite.
The dinner was not served as it would
be to-day, but was in the finest fash
ion of that time. After the soup there
came great turkey at one end of the
table, a pair of ducks at the other, a
chicken pie on one side, and ham
on the other, 1anked by a variety OF
vegetables. But the dessert was the
portion that interested me most deep
ly. Plum pudding and mince pie were
the substantials, but the glory OF the
day was the great glass bowl OF Syl~
labub that stood high in the center OF
the table, fianked by dishes of pre-
serves and candied fruit. Since that
happy time have sat at many teasts,
but never where there was anything
so delicious as grandma's syllabub
with peaches.
A Festival of Other Days.
After dinner the "grown-ups" sat in
the great drawing-roOm with the oc-
tagonal end and the peacock paper on
the walls that was brought from
France by a great-uncle. A mighty
wood fire blaZed on the hearth, light
ing up the old pictures and the stately
furniture. There our elders held sol
emn conclave. as it seemed to us.
though I doubt not they had a good
deal of fun among themselves. We
young folks went to a big room that
was called ''the nursery" though it
was long years since there had been
any babies there. We played all sorts
of games, making as much noise as we
could without a word of remon-
STRANGE; until, tired of pleasure, we
sank to sleep in the deep feather beds.
How far away is all this now! How
many long years since those vanished
days! Yet as I write they seem to
live once more, and
Like the echoes faint and far
Of music's fading chime,
l hear the laughter and the songs
OF that light-hearted time.