The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-12-15
CHRISTMAS STORY.


She was a very young mother, In
deed the childish expression was still
, on her round brown face and in her
mild brown eyes. At times she could
hardly realize that she was the proud
possessor of the little home, the
strong, brave man, who was her hus-
band, and the two little brown
cherubs, who gave her so much trou-
BILE and at the same time so much
pleasure; yet, when remarks were
made about her extreme youthfulness,
and the cares she must have with the
farm and the two babies, she would
unconsciously clasp them closer to
her, as if she thought she might clinch
your argument by taking them from
her.
This morning she arose as usual,
but she could not get her work in
proper shape. There was a wrinkle
in her forehead and the eyes that al
ways sparkled with cheer, were trou-
bled. For more than an hour she
had been trying to wash the break
fast dishes, but her hands seemed
heavy, and several times she had
come near letting one Of the precious
pieces fall to the floor, while she
gazed abstractedly out of the window.
Finally, she gave it up and sank a.
sobbing heap into chair. Leaning
on the table, with her head buried
in her arms, she repeated to herself,
1.-TWO days more till Christmas and
no Santa Claus for the little darl-
ings."
There was a step in the hall. Had
she been in her usual mood, she would
have heard 1t. but this morning every
thing was black and her mind was
| far away, so she did not know when
a tall, strong man stopped in the door
way.
For minute he looked puzzled,
not seeing her in her usual place,
then as his eyes became accustomed
to the dimness of the room, after the
bright sunshine, he discerned the bum
die in the chair, and was on the eve
Of rushing to her assistance, when
the words 1.-TWO days more till Christ
mas and no Santa Claus for the lit
tie darlings," came to his ears
He stood as if rooted to the spot,
then turned and tipped silently out
Of the house. Once out Of the house
he made his way to the barn where
Mike, the mule and his old friend,
had his stall. He had been in the
habit Of telling Mike" all his
troubles, since he could not often
bring himself to dispell the halo
made by his wife's smile, but
to-day he thought mike" turned a
reproachful eye on him. This was
more than he could standS so he put
his hand on his friends neck, ct
isn't my fault, you know mike" I've
done all l could. The debt had to be
paid and it took all the money. You
understand, mike" mike" seemed
to bow his head in grave solemnity
while he ate his fodder The
whole thing came about in this way
They bought their farm from old man
Jones, white man, who, with his
wife and Sam, the old servant, lived in
the log house on the hill. Rumor
had it that old man Jones was rich
and a miser, and most folks said,
he would drive his wife and old Sam
away, we're it not for the fact that
his wife worked cheaper than he
could hire woman, and Sam kept
him in practice when it came to
"cussing," so both were essential to
his welfare.
For a long while John and his wife
did very we'll, paving the old man
the notes when they were dne, but
eventually sickness and other things
upon which they had not counted
caused them to get behind, and the
old man, who would not stand for any
laxity in business, demanded that the
notes be paid on certain day. When
the last note was paid, John had only
one dollar and fifty cents left, but
he solaced Mike as best he could
"Well, old man, it will be a tight
squeeze, but we will pull through
AS for old man Jones, the paying Of
/ the notes removed one of his grieV
ances; and though he was glad to gel
\ the money, it made him angry t.
\ think that he had nothing to grow
about and bent on having something
/ to vent his spleen on, he set out tc
look over his garden and soon came
upon Johns calf daintily nibbling the
collard sprouts he had bedded in the
lower part of the garden. So glad
was he to have a cause for anger
that he forgot to drive the calf be
fore him, but leaving him to finish
his breakfast, plodded down the road
to Johns house. He entered the YARD
and knowing that Clara would be II
the kitchen made his way there. Al
first he thought no one was in the
room, but soon he discovered her just
as John found her an hour before
and thinking she might be Ill, he
was about to call her name, when hel
mumbled words came to him and slow