The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-12-18

in the sunbright valley
RCTWIK mother and little Nina
sA2ESsSxJE gazed up at the shining
- peaks and were home
sick They would gladly have forgot
ten snow, but father was in noun
tain cabin al alone
"WiIl he hang his stockings by the
stone hrepIace?' asked Nina and
don't you s'pose he'll be 'vited some
where TO dinner"
II wish we had stayed with him"
said mother. IF he can live through
the winter in the mountains. so could
We
''I'ut he told us no don't you re-
member? He said he brought us to
southern California on purpose so we
could live always in a summer land"
Mother sighed. The little family
had been west only a few weeks when
father was offered a position as book
keeper for a lumber company away up
I'm he Sierras Living in the noun
tains had been delightful through the
summer, but at the first hint Of cold
weather The tent home was packed. IA
ther bought cabin and sent mother
and the little daughter to the valley.
Father was an artist and he de-
clared that he should like nothing
better than to paint pictures of snowy
peaks with no one to interrupt him
and nothing else to do but to guard
the company's property.
ut is a wonderful chance" he had
insisted.
Mother and Nina had tried to be
lieve he was right; but the little
bungalow which they rented already
furnished. seemed but poor excuse
for house
7 wish 7 could see him hang up his
stocking, continued Nina. oh I wish
could put this penwiper I'm making
in he very toe Of it,"
Mother made no reply. She wished
so much that she too, might help fill
that lonely stocking in the mountain
cabin.
Oh mother mother" exclaimed
Nina. dropping her spool and scissors
and springing TO her feet. Il have
beautiful idea, You always have to
keep your Christmas presents, don't
You? You never can send them back,
car your"
CNitiA NOT was lHt answer
But. mother. s'pose you wish your
Christmas present hadn't come Would
# ne very polite to tell the ones that
gave IL to you that you were getting
along nicely without their Christmas
present and that you really didn't want
it?''
Why. of course not. Nina We
must think Of the loving thought be-
hind the gift, even if Uncle John
should send no skates this very win
er!"
Two arms flew swiftly around moth
er's neck.
oh. | have such a beautiful idea. ;"
repeated Nina. Wen ride on the
stage with the Christmas box and give
ourselves to father for a Christmas
present. He wouldn't return his
Christmas present now, would he?"
Would YOU be contented Nina, to
live up there all winter" asked
mother You must remember that we
viii be four miles from Fredalba You
viii have no little girls to play with,
no school, no Sunday school. no"
But, mother. can't we have a school
with you for the teacher. and a Sun
day school? Can't have whole row
of snow men TO play with? And.
mother! wen have a real Christmas!'
Thus it happened that two passen-
gers went up the trail on the last
stage of the old year
Anybody going to meet you in
Fredalba ?' asked the stage driver
The weather is pretty severe up
here p few thousand feet higher Had
lots OF rain in the valley and that
means snow storms in the mountains"
No one will meet us" said mother
"but we know the trail from Fredalba
and our burros are there. although we
didn't expect TO see them again until
next summer
You can telephone from Fredalba,
suggested the stage driver. They
tell me your husband has a telephone
out at camp
But were Christmas presents. ex-
planned Nina; so We must surprise
him. Don't you know that tonight
viii be Christmas eve?"
IF the wind dosen't come up.
you'll be all right" the man replied,
but unless I'm mistaken, there's
heavy snow falling in the mountains
this minute,
At FredaIba every one advised
mother and Nina not to attempt the
trail until morning This time it was
mother who would push on We
know the trail so we'll. said she. and
the burros know il better. In two
hours we can reach camp"
1t seems to me. said the stage
driver as he watched the two disap-
pear around the curve. lit seems TO me
that some folks haven't any sense"
and shutting his lips In a determined
ia shion he went to the telephone and
called for Nina's father. .Ill tell him
his folks are coming and to go out to
meet them" he explained &c the men
standing near. Otherwise the poor
fellow may have surprise he won't
Ike on Christmas day
To the stage drivers dismay there
was no answer to his call Fathers
cabin in the Sierras was evidently de-
serted.
See here, said he to a friend you
call Brown up in half an hour and tell
him that his wife and daughter are
on the trail"
The wires are down" declared
big man who came in at that moment
from outside No use trying to tele-
phone.
No Cause for Joy.
F,...s4-- .------s /