Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-12-24

kN gazed up at the shining
peaks and we're home
sick They would gladly have forgot
ten snow. but father was In noun
tain cabin all alone.
"Will he hang his stockings by the
stone fireplace?" asked Nina. "and
don't you s'pose he'll be 'yited some
where to dinner?'
Il wish we had stayed with him."
said mother. IF he can live through
the winter In the mountains, so could
We
But 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 summer land"
Mother sighed The little family
had been west only few weeks when
father was offered position as book
keeper for lumber company away up
In the Sierras. Living in the noun
Iains had been delightful through the
summer. but at the FIRST hint of cold
weather the tent home was packed. ia
Their 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 companys property
ut is wonderful chance" he had
insisted
Mother and Nina had tried to be-
lleve be was right; but the little
bungalow which they rented already
furnished, seemed but a poor excuse
for a house.
81 wish could see him hang up his
stocking" continued Nina. "Oh, wish
! could put this penwiper I'm making
In the very toe of III"
Mother made no reply. She wished
so much that she, too, might help fill
that lonely stocking In the mountain
cabin
"oh, mother. motherl" sexclaimed
Nina, dropping her spool and scissors
and springing to her feet II have
beautiful ideal You always have to
keep your Christmas presents, don't
you? You never can send them back,
can your"
Surely not" was the answer.
"But, mother s'pose you wish your
Christmas present hadn't come. Would
1t be very polite to tell the ones that
gave 1t to you that you we're 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 il Uncle John
should send no skates this very win
teri"
Two arms few swiftly around moth
er's neck.
"Oh, have such a beautiful idea"
repeated Nina. We'll 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 her
Would you be contented. Nina, to
live up there all winter?" asked
mother you must remember that we
will be four miles from Fredalba. You
will have no little girls to play with
no school, no Sunday school, no."
But. mother. can't we have school
with you for the teacher. ami Sun
day school? Can't have a whole row
of snow men to play with? And
motherl wen have real Christmasl'
Thus it happened that two passen
gers went up the trail on the las
stage OF the old year.
Anybody going to meet you II
Fredalba2" asked the stage driver
1.-THE weather is pretty severe vi
here few thousand feet higher. Hat
lots of rain in the valley and tina
means snow storms in the mountains
mo one will meet us" said mother
but we know the trail from Fredalb,
and our burros are there. although W
didn't expect to see them again unit
next summer"
"You can telephone from Fredalba.
suggested the stage driver. The
tell me your husband has a telephon
out at camp"
but we're Christmas presents" e,
pldlfiCQ NINA bO VIC must oUi " 10
him. Don't you know that to-nigh
will be Christmas ever"
'Tf the wind dosen't come NJ
you'll be all right" the man replied
but unless I'm mistaken, there's .
heavy snow falling in the mountain
this minute"
At Fredalba every one advise
mother and Nina not to attempt tn
trail until morning This time 1t wa
mother who would push on. "W
know the trail so WELL" said she, IAN
the burros know it better. In tw
hours we can reach camp"
1T seems to me- said the stas
driver as he watched the two disa
pear around the curve. sit seems to n
that some folks haven't any sense
and shutting his lips In . determine
fashion he went to the telephone ar