The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1908-12-18

what we want, story about Christ
mas in the army
The motion prevails, and you shall
nave what you vote fora story Of an
army Christmas" said the veteran Of
three wars-the civil, Spanish-Amer-
scan and the Philippine instruction.
There were many troops in and
about Manila in December, 1900. NJ
temporary home was with an Amer
lean family that had rented the large,
| beautiful mansion on San Sebastian
street occupied by Spanish admiral
before Commodore Dewey sailed up
| Manila bay and said: You may fire,
Gridley, when ready
| This patriotic man and his wife. .
former Wisconsin teacher planned 4
Christmas dinner and party They in
! vlted dozen or more officers and
their ladies. The dinner did not differ
| materially from most Christmas din
/ ners, yet it reminded the diners OF
| holiday events in far OF America, and
! the conversation soon turned in that
! direction.
One little army lady began to tell
| about a home Christmas, it's tree and
| the good cheer, when she was a small
| girl. No other Christmas had seemed
quite so heavenly. / can see how love-
| ly that tree looked I can hear
daddy's voice as he called off the pres
| ents; can see mammals smile as we
| children danced and chartered, / can
see the happy gathering about the
table Christmas-laden; | can hear
daddy's request for a blessing and
| and, well it was all so sweet and beau
tiful. Before another Christmas came
/ hadn't any daddy
THE little lady's handkerchief
| was not the only one that brushed
away tear.
Captain, this dinner reminds me
of one our fathers have told us
about
The captain was the son of a Wis
consin soldier Of the civil war, and the
speaker lieutenant, the son of an
other civil war veteran
Tell us about 1t, said the wife OF
another captain.
Yes, we want that story, said an
old major Of regulars, who had come
down from the civil war
1T was after the battle of Fred
ericksburg, Va, in 1862 -Four tent
mates, one of whom was my father,
and another the father OF the lieu
tenant here, were remembered by
their sweethearts. The four sweet
hearts got up the incest kind OF
q Christmas dinner-did all OF the
cooking themselves and sent it to
their soldier boys. Accompanying 1t
was good, fat letter from each Of
the girls to her particular soldier boy.
They told us of the table they set In
their small tent, of the coffee they
made, the comments as they ate the
good things, of the four sweet girls,
and how it was all enjoyed. Before
the war was over all OF the boys won
commissions and were wounded, two
Of them twice, yet all returned home
and married the four girls One OF
those girls was the best woman ever
born, and the lieutenant here will say
the same about another of the four
And will bear the same testi-
mony as to another of those blessed
sweethearts of 1852 said the wife Of
the other captain She was my
mother
1t is my turn to speak, said the
old major i was one of the four
to enjoy that Christmas dinner back
Of Stafford Heights, in 1862 The
mother of nv harms was second tn
none of the four sweethearts
Then the four the captain, the
lieutenant, the other captains wife,
and the old major-left the table,
formed tours, shook hands, laughed.
congratulated, and had such a reunion
as seldom occurs.
Well well, well, what little bit
of a world it is. anyway, said the
astonished hostess