The San Francisco call., 1909-12-19

around to the other side of the bushes and sat down
and cried | pretty young
But right when l was feeling sorriest for myself
and thinking about home and how l wished | was
there began to see how selfish and short sighted
After all, there were three of us and it was
small friendship to comrades to hide myself and
NOPE. So after few minutes l strolled back Mat
sitting with his head in his hands, the picture of
desolation, thinking about the farmhouse in Yer
mont, suppose. Steve trying to assume cheer
full air and making failure of it while he fused
around the useless FIRE
"Look here, boys said, this is playing it pretty
low down each other. I'm ready to celebrate.
Merry. Christmas, Steve. Merry Christmas, Mat.
Here, you two kids, Santa Claus has come
They stared at me as if I'd lost my senses, but
hadn't took of my belt heavy little nuggets
I'd been saving send back to New York and gave
to each of them. 1t poor enough gift Gold
was common commodity with They'd have ap-
preciated hot biscuit lot more But it fetched
them. The downright absurdty of the idea struck
them right, I guess for I had them smiling.
Then of course, they had to get in the game with
pocketknife for me and silk handkerchief for Mat.
Mat had jasper watch charm for Steve and little
silver pencil for me. We spread out our gifts and
goated over them and laughed over them though /
guess there were tears back of the laughs
Youngsters don't eat any breakfast on
Christmas morning says Steve; and jumped at
the suggestion and wouldn't tighten up our
belts for fear we'd break the rules Perhaps we
added to ourselves that if youngsters forget break
hadn't much prospect for that But we started the
day right and stuck to it After chatting we
took up our march and followed the creek again
THE FICTION DIES
"We kept up the fiction that satisfied and
tickled death with presents for hours but
under the sun we began notice the lack of food,
and conversation died down. Along about noon we
were in the dodrums again, marching side by side
and saying nothing Wecam to wooded rise after
a while and we began to climb it slowly, resting often
and feeling pretty weak. We stopping for
breath about half way up when something happened.
Through that solitude in the untrodden wilder
100 miles, supposed, from any living soul,
there the musical chant of voices Sweet and
true the melody filtered through the trees
-Adeste, Fdees' the hymn of all hymns for Christ
mas We looked up, barring our heads mechanically.
don't think we would have been surprised after the
first strain to see troop of angels among the
branches / know | was quite convinced that some
supernatural manifestation had been vouchsafed to
us. We could sec nothil. It still the voices rose
and fell. l scarcely dared to move, but Steve who
more practical let out whoop and dashed on up
the hill We followed him to the top and in a little
open space found our angels.
There were four of them young men from Boston.
It appeared that they had belonged to church choir
and had travelled to California together. They
in the hills prospecting and making the of
their Christmas They were well supplied with pro-
visions, -four and sugar and bacon and they well
coined us joyfully. You may be sure we were CRATE
full
They stayed hunger but announced that the
big celebration would be in the evening We were
content and during the afternoon all seven of us sat
around and swapped yarns. In the evening we built
a gorgeous fire. and one of the singers, who had a
knack, cooked marvellous fapjacks in bacon grease.
Then we had bootleg coffee called from its color,
and the chef finally achieved his greatest triumph and
undying admiration by producing rough sort OF
johnny cake, baked on shovel
1T was a rare feast, unimpeded by dishes in the
absence of any, and digested by the aid of talk and
laughter. We had enough to tell each other Every
man had some tale of Christmas to add, and we ex-
changed all the stuff could remember or had read
that would contribute to the occasion Toward the
end some one produced modest flask and we had a
drink around to do fitting honor to happy gather
ing Perhaps newcomer blundering into our camp
might have thought rather questionable crowd,
and STA ed heav
and our general unshorn and unkempt appearance.
But If we lacked the polish there the new,
charted country, had the will and the sentiment
There never a more successful Christmas
dinner, and when sat back, replenished, warm,
filled with the glow of good food and kindly company,