The Detroit times., 1910-12-24

| people of these mountains have. They
have forgotten .farming-the best of
it-and so there is famine much OF
the time. They have forgotten all
but the poorest kind OF cooking. Their
preachers are primitive or there are
no preachers at all, and so IL is not
surprising that the children have Tor
| gotten Christmas-that they never
heard of Christmas or Santa Claus
at all
So when late that fall the Sunday
| Lady proposed a Christmas tree for
the great holiday, there were ex'
I, CARNATIONS OF wonder.
Il never heern before o no man
kind putin no tootin horns an
things on a tree" said Grandpap Dye
when he heard about IL. Grandpap
can remember the living faces OF
revolutionary war soldiers, but he
knows nothing OF the telephone or
the wagon that moves without mules.
1t was the purpose OF the Sunday
Lady TO give all the presents on the
tree But the children wormed out
the fact that the Christmas spirit
means the exchange OF gifts.
Pears like | hain't got nary moth.
in ter give you-uns' Christmas tree.
lessen hit mought be NAH bull-head-
ed dawg," said Fighting Bill.
Bill was sixteen and the terror of
the children. He could throw a stone
as accurately as his pap could shoot.
He was the hardest for the Sunday
Lady TO train, but once won he was
her most loyal champion. The bull
headed dog was the one thing he had
ever owned, the one thing that ever
loved him Yet he resigned this
treasure willingly because the Sun
day Lady said one must give as we'll
as receive at Christmas.
Bill led the forces that garnered
the tree and he bossed the gang that
set IL up in the schoolhouse. And
he was made chairman OF the small
committee which should assist the
Sunday Lady on the great day.
The celebration was to take place
at dark Christmas day, but the Sun
day Lady reached the Postum Trot
school house at noon so as TO have
plenty OF time to trim the tree. AT
the sight OF the clearing she stopped,
amazed. The open space and as far
back in the forest as she could see
was filed with mules. oxen, RAM
shackle wagons and people The
''mountings" had come down to see
the celebration, and they had come
early
Where do you all come from"
she gasped
The Sunday Lady was dismayed
She had not expected so many. But
not one OF these people was to 20
back into the mountings' giftless
She started her decoration commit
tee working. then drove back 20 town
She emptied her own treasures from
trunk and drawer ransacked her alb
sent brothers room for pins. ties.
socks and handkerchiefs She tele-
phoned TO her friends for help And
when old ROME returned to the
schoolhouse ne dragged a buggy
loaded with gifts
Outside the building uDkempt men
chung 20 their Childrens hands and
waited The sun bonneted calico.
clad women held their babies snug
and shivered, for the upland dusk
was growing chill At last the door
was thrown open. A food OF ruddy
hght from the roaring fire of fat
/ pine streamed out and simultaneous.
/ ~ the children literally tumbled H.
This wasn't according 10 scheda,r.
i For weeks the children had been
! practicing carol. and they were To
march in singing II, The wheezy
melodeon began bravely on the tune.
but in VAN. The children were dumb.
The Sunday Lady turned from the
( instrument 10 see The wonderful
! tree reached from floor to rafters,
blazing with tapers, glittering with
toys. bright with popcorn strings,
/ boughs bending under their leads, Of
gifts Before il the children stood
open-mOuthod. unable even to speak.
! One ragged urchin lay sobbing for
I 10y on the floor where he had thrown
! himself The carol wasn't sung.
! So the gift distributing began and
! then the children's spell was broken.