The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-12-23

I'd N~Nf' Sai pCiol \ i q ~
hot letter written by Guy Fernaid t
his younger sister, Nan, who had bee
married to Samuel Burnett just tw
and one-half years. The letter wa
read aloud by Mrs. Burnett to her hus
band at the breakfast table, he sec
ond day after Christmas. From star
to finish 1t was upon one subject, an
1t read as follows:
Dear Nan-It's a COMPOUNDED, full
% shame that not a soul of u,
all got home for Christmas-excep
our truly, and he only for a coupl'
of hours. What have the blessed OLE
folks done to us that we treat then
like this! l was invited to the Sc
walls for the day, and went, of course
--you know why. We had a ripping
time, but along toward evening I began
to feel worried. | really thought Ralph
was hofne-he wrote me that he might
swing round that way by the holidays
-bu / knew the rest of you were all
wrapped up in your own Christmas
trees weren't going to get there.
well, / took the 1880 down and
walked in on them. Sitting all alone by
the fire, by George, just like the pic
lures you see of The Birds All Flown,
and that sort Of thing. l felt gulpish in
my throat, on my n / did, when /
looked at them. Mother just gave one
gasp and flew into my arms, M Dad
got UP more slow1y-he has that
darned rheumatism worse than ever
this winter-and came over and /
thought he'd shake my hand off. Well.
I sat down between them by the fire,
and pretty soon l got down in the old
way OF a cushion by mother, and let
the way she used to-and Nan, I'll be
indicted for perjury If her hand wasn't
trernbly. They were so glad to see me
1t made my throat ache.
Ralph had written he couldn't get
round. and Of course you'd all written
n sent them things---.jolly things,
n they appreciated them. But
blame it all-they We're Just dead lone
some--and the whole outfit of us with
in 300 miles, most within 30.
Man, next Christmas it's going to
be different. That's all l say. I've
got 1t all planned out. The idea popped
into my head when I came away last
night. Not that they had a word of
blame-not they. They understood all
about the children, and the cold snap,
and Eds being under the weather, and
divers wife's neuralgia, and Ralph's
girl In the west, and all that. But
that didn't make the thing any easier
for them. As / say, next year-but
you'll all hear from me then. Mean
while, run down and see them once or
twice this winter, will you, Nan?
Somehow, 1t struck me they aren't so
young as they used to be.
splendid winter weather. Margaret
Sewall's a peach, but ! don't, seem to
make much Roadway. My best to Sam.
"Your affectionate brother,
Gay Nan had felt a slight choking
In her w throat as she read this
letter. Eve really must make an eff
fort to be there Christmas next year,
Sam" she said to her husband, and
Ssupa apuanfnI ri 1Hoa,.f,,1lr II Iro .-1n.
wished there We're a father and mother
somewhere in the world for him to go
home to.
Guy wrote the same sort OF thing,
with more or less detail, to Edison
and Oliver. his married elder brothers;
70 Ralph, his unmarried brother. and
10 EaroIyn-Mrs. Charles Wetmore, his
other-and aeIder-married sister.
He received varied and more or less
sympathetic responses, to the effect
that with Sc many little children, and
such snowdrifts as always blocked the
roads leading toward North Estabrook,
IT really was not strange-and Of
course somebody would 20 next year.
they had all sent the incest gifts
they could find. Didn't Guy think
mother liked those beautiful Russian
stables Ralph sent her? And
wasn't father pleased with his
gold headed cane from Oliver? |
S1A1[ASs WALT kAL1a piSSEuIS pouring IN
from all the children, Father and Moth
er Fer1aaid couldn't feel so awfuliy me-
elected.
Gold headed cane be hanged!s Guy
exploded when he read this last sem |
teIacs froTa q letter of Marian, divers
wife. AIIl bet she put him up to it.
AZ anybody dares give me a gold head |
cane before I'm IS, I'll thrash him |
with II on the spot He wasn't using 1t |
either-biess him. He had his old hfck-
Org stick. and he wouldn't have that ffl
that abotaiflable rheumatism hadn't |
grlpped him SO hard. He isn't old !
enough to use a cane, by Jolly. and OIL
ought to know 1T IL Marian doesn't. |
Fan glad 4 sent him that typewriter. He
liked that I know he did, ana FIJI |
assl1se him, too-not make him think
he's ready to daetH
Guy was not the fellow TO forget |
anything That had taken hold OF him "A !
pathetic Christmas HOMECOMING
had done. When the year had nearly |
rolled rouId the 1st Of December saw
him at work getting his plans IN trim.
He BEGAN with his eldest brother, OH
xer. because he considered Mrs. Oliver
The hardest proposition he had to tac-
kae IN p carrying out Of his idea.
'1ou secsp ne expounded patiently. !
AZ they sat and stared ait him, at isn't
phaH sfley arent always awfully glad to
eee N5e whole outfit. children and aII.l
built just true me 1T would do en-
lot@ Of COED ko revive old times.
ff we could make Ii i,Isf III
aueh as possible like one Of the nld
Ihristls1ases before anybody g~otrnar-
UP the stockings and all
would give them d
Jolly surprise plan to have
ns al1 creep IN Id the night and % fol
bed IN Old rooms. And then IN tie
murnlng--Seey