Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-12-28
Foe ming Story
HER HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Copyright 1915, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)
BY CLARISSA MACKIE.

Copyright 1915, by Mcclure Ne"spspei
Syndicate.)
The schooIteacher at Rock Gulch dis
missed her pupils with smiling race.
4 Behind the smiles lurked unshed tears.
When the last youngster had yan1shed
down the snow-covered trail, Bern1ce
leaned her head against the WINDOW
frame and the hot, rebellious tears
flooded her soft gray eyes:
How she hated this far western
country, with it's crude ways. its dowd-
lily dressed women, its unpublished men,
and, above all. it's loneliness! 1t was all
so different from New England-and
vet she fled from Massachusetts, to hide
a hearts ache.
There is something wrong with me-"
she sighed at last 1T can't be the
country or the people-they are kind
and generous-it's the way,1 feel! HOW
can 7 cure the ache and the homesick-
ness for things that may never be
| No answer came to her out OF the
swiftly falling winter twilight.
Perhaps the knowledge that we'd
ding was taking place in Boston at that
| very hour confused her reasoning pow
ers. The man had ceased to love her
and she had offered him his freedom
and he had accepted 1t, and 80. being
without near relatives, Bernice had
! found a position out here In Montana.
I This was he first Christmas in Rocky
Gulch.
After awhile she locked the SCHOOL
house dor and with the children's
Christmas offerings in her lunch basket
! the lonely little schoolma'am set or
down the trail toward the Tucker place
where she boarded.
It was showing hart now and the
trail was rapidly disappearing under
| the white blanket. In the deepening
gloom dark shapes appeared, approach
be the pine trees fringing the steep
| slopes.
Far below. the lights Of the town
| cleaned through the darkness and
then vanished, and Bernice, plunging
out Of the path to avoid deep drift,
took wrong turning and soon ac-
knowledged to herself with frighten-
ed sob that she was lost on the noun
tain in raging blizzard.
Hours afterward, she sang exhausted
at the foot Of a pine tree and dropped
her head on her outstretched arms.
Il will rest for a few minutes" she
murmured drowsily.
| Down in the town. Mrs. Tucker wait
ed supper that Christmas eve until 8
o'clock. Then little Willie Tucker Sleep
lily announced that Mrs. Halliday had
invited teacher to spend the night and
eat Christmas dinner at the Halliday
ranch Gliding Willie for his tardy in
! formation, Mrs Tucker fastened to the
telephone and called the Halliday
ranch; but the wires were all down,
and so the anxious little woman decid-
| ed that the teacher had been unable to
send word about her change Of Christ
mas plans, and went about the trim
ming Of the Tucker Christmas tree
with renewed activity.
| Berntce opened her eyes in the liv-
ing room Of warm log cabin. Gay
| Navajo blankets hung from the walls
and covered the broad couch on which
she reclined before blazing fire Of
hickory logs.
! Two men were bending over the fire;
one was stirring something in a bright
tin saucepan, something hot and
[steaming which he poured into tum-
bier and brought to her bedside.
| "Hello!' he smiled. Awake, are
you? Drink this mess and tell us how
lit all happened"
| Bernice smiled back into a bronzed
face that inspired instant confidence.
He was young, with very blue eyes
and very brown hair
| Bernice obedientfy drank the steam
ing mixture and snuggled down In the
blankets and went to sleep
II wonder who she is, Jim said the
| last conner.
"She came to us out Of the storm
a little snowbird." murmured Jim
Butler.
! Billy Smith smiled shrewdly.
Little Snowbird will be missed on
! Christmas eve" he said. Some one
is probably looking for her now, 80
don't set your heart on her Jim"
| Jim laughed softly
ooh, get out, you old idiot" he grim
ned. Cant chap sentimentalize a bit
| on Christmas eve without your getting
/ silly? was thinking 1t will be sorry
Christmas for this little girl, and this
blizzard looks good for all day tomor-
row!"
Sure thing-so I'm going out to cut
a Christmas tree for her" said Billy,
struggling into his heavy coat
| You're an angel" laughed Jim, get
iting out an ak.
"Aw-shut up-Tm doing 1t for ex-
ercise!" blushed Billy, tiptoeing into
! the night.
| Left alone, Jim Butler sat down and
| stared into the fires heart. Who can
tell what pictures he saw there on this
Christmas eve? Perhaps he saw there
another Christmas in this same noun