Monroe City Democrat., 1908-12-24

: IN\ NM the army, and l sup
: Ia q \ w pose you do not want
I IV\sNU N anything that reminds
! ESsvY,-ulX'NI of war in a Christmas
| ~ Nf#EM talk"
From q number OF
Ifs voices, childish an
others, came: Yes, yes; that is lust
! what we want, a story about Christ
, mas in the army"
The motion prevails, and you shall
have what you vote fora story of an
army Christmas" said the veteran of
three wars-the civil, Spanish-Amer-
lean and the Philippine insurrection.
There were many troops in and
about Manila in December, 1900 My
temporary home was with an Amer
ican family that had rented the large,
street occupied by a Spanish admiral
before Commodore Dewey sailed up
Manila bay and said: You may fire,
Gridley, when ready
This patriotic man and his wife, a
former Wisconsin teacher, planned a
Christmas dinner and party. They in
Vited a 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 off America, and
the conversation soon turned in that
direction.
"One little army lady began to tell
about home Christmas, it's tree and
the good cheer, when she was a small
girl. No other Christmas had seemed
quite so heavenly. l can see how love-
ly that tree looked; l can hear
daddy's voice as he called off the pres
ents; can see mammals smile as we
children danced and chattered; | 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 Wis
consin soldier of the civil war, and the
speaker lieutenant, the son of an
other civil war veteran.
"'Tell us about it, 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
Christmas dinner-did all of the
cooking themselves-snd sent it to
their soldier boys. Accompanying it
was a 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 1t 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 l 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. L was one of the four
to enjoy that Christmas dinner back
of Stafford Heights, in 1862. The
mother of my BARNS was second to
none of the four sweethearts.'
Then the four-the captain, the
lieutenant, the other captains wife,
and the old major-left the table,
formed fours, shook hands, laughed,
congratulated, and had such a reunion
Rs seldom occurs.
well, well, well, what a little bit
OF world 1t is, anyway said the
astonished hostess"
Dear santa.