The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-12-17

49, AAAS u SNSS ~ - " SAAA9
watched the maid pour out the fra
grant drink.
How many different cookies have
you brought me today, Hannah" she
asked in her broken Swedish.
There are ten sorts this morning
1T is Christmas morning, you know
was he smiling answer.
Yes, you make much of Christmas
here in Sweden. How beautiful the
two trees were last night, and how
many handsome gifts we all had. In my
country we light our trees on Christ
mas morning, but not SO early as this.
Oh. Hannah, I am SO sleepyI 1t was
past midnight when I came to bed,
and now-it cannot be more than 5
o'clock"
Yes, the hall clock Just struck s.
The young baron begged me to tell you
to be ready in half ar hour, Miss, as
1t is almost impossible to keep the
horses waiting on such a cold morn
ing"
To hide the telltale color that she
felt flushing her face, Louise buried her
head in the great feathery pillows and
said, with a yawn:
Il do not think, Hannah, that I will
got is so cold -"
What. miss! not go?" Hannah al
most dropped the shoes she had picked
1t is the most beautiful sight You ever
saw!'
Are you and the other maids going?"
Louise asked c%uriously.
"Of course" Hannah answered
promptly; "all in the house are going
They stay at home to watch all the
lamps and candles"
What lamps and candles?'
Every window in the house, from the
cellar to the attic will be lighted, miss.
The Baroness stays at home. for she is
n f-ofl 80 - g. M ~ I A . -
They will ali soon be waiting for you
in the hall. And the young baron's
horse is SO wild that he viii not stand a
moment"
Very well, Hannah, tell them I will
be down."
scended the broad staircase. she found
Baron Knagenhjelm's entire family,
with their many guests already to
start. Many Of them were so muffied In
fur coats and shawls that it was diff
cult to tell who was who. With much
laughter and joking. six large sleighs.
each with prancing horses, changing
bells and cleaning torches, were
loaded and glided away. The young
baron. in a small sleigh. was endeavor-
ing to hold in the blooded black horse
which chewed inc stamped fretfully
against his masters restraining hand.
With a kiss to the stately baroness,
who wished her "~godspeed," Louise
hurried out. Soon she was seated be-
side the young man, well wrapped in
fur robes, and off they flew.
This otherwise Independent girl, who
had spent two years alone and in
safety in Paris, and now a half year
in Sweden where she was visiting
her friend, Elm. the youngest daughter,
OF the Baroness knagenhjelm, felt on
this bitter cold Christmas morning that
all her American self-assErance had
LEFT her. She glanced shyly at the
young man at her side. He was GER
tainly well worth looking at-with a
clever, open face, twinkling blue eyes
and sunny smile; while intelligence and
the highest breeding were STAMPED
upon every feature of his counte-
nance.
At first he seemed to have his hands
full managing the horse, u as the
restless creature gradually Gained
he turned to the girl and, with a
smile, said:
When we get to the top of this hill.
I want you to turn, and then Won viii
see what a Swedish Christmas morn
ing is really like"
Reaching the top of the hill. he STONED
the horse. and both he and Louise turned
and looked back over the valley below,
Louise sat as If spellbound while she
morning was still dark, and the stars
twinkled in the lofty sky, and the white
lay as a soft cover over the whole
landscape. All was perfectly still, not a
breath of wind stirred the cold. fresh air.
from every house and cottage, as far as
the eye could reach, shone lights which
fell out over the frosty, glitterine ground
Fagerv,k. the stately home OF the baron
seemed to be one mass of light. The two
immense Christmas trees had been nlaced
in the largest window, and cleaned bril-
liantly, with tt, many small candles all
alight. From all the roads came sIefyhs
each bearing lighted torches tina in the
distance, resembled huge ~fref1es, Thev
glared and smoked as the sleighs passed
quickly over the smooth roads. and the
happy Christmas greetings that were ex-
changed by the people as they passed each
other were waited upward on the cold air
IT was all a wonderful sight, entirely un-
IKE anything Louise had ever before seen.
Lost In admiration, the two young neonle
might have fingered longer, had not FrIt-
jof shaken his head and trotted on.
HOW merrily his bells rang in the still
morning air, and how his sharp shod hoofs
threw up the snow which fell back under
the white net spread between the horse
the sleigh!
What rich comforts these peo:le have
Louise thought, as she snuggled closer un-
der the warm fur robes; land 1t is GER
talnly a very beautiful country"
she tried to talk lightly of ordinary
hings; but a strange solemnity had fallen
upon her, and the question which the
oaron had asked her the previous evening
keps constantly coming back to her be-
brain. She knew that she loved
him, yet 1T seemed very hard % make up
her MIND to give up forever her home in
sunny California, and live in this cold,
serious country. She knew tina the baron
was a man of integrity and of capable
m1nd, and that his family was above her
IN education and in birth. His title
was not an allurement to her. for she had
peen brought up to consider more a mans
character than his titles and riches: but
sne was impressed by his manly strength
and Unborn courtesy. All had been very
KIND to her In this strange land, and she
hao mad a happy time: still, it would be
nara to give up her free and careless ex-
1stence and marry a man who she knew
had all the European ideas concerning the
IDEAL marriage.