The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-30

meat and Clothes
That was the last the Van Schoonho-
vens ever saw or heard directly of the
Mohican. Several years passed, and
the saving of the fathers life and the
family's sojourn with the man who
had paid for it with his pelts had be-
come one of the many half forgotten
episodes of frontier life. The next an
niversary Of Christmas came round
and brought great change in the af-
fairs Of Van Schoonhoven. He had
been ill for two seasons and unable to
60 out trapping. During the autumn,
when he had been used to getting in
his winter supply of venison and other
wild meats, he had been confined to his
bed, and the larder was untitled. The
savages were very hostile at that time,
and the hunters We're all loath to go far
from the settlement, so that there was
very little provision on hand. This
prevented the others from helping out
the Van Schoonhovens.
And so it was that when Christmas
came round there was nothing for |
gifts in the Van Schoonhoven cabin |
and, worse than that, nothing to eat. |
The principal meat was venison, but |
there were many birds III the forests,
such as grouse, plover and wild geese |
and turkeys. 1t was very hard for the |
Van Schoonhovens to hear the distant |
calls Of these succulent birds while
Christmas was approaching and yet
not dare to go into the woods to shoot
them. Yet this made no difference to
the Van Schoonhovens, for the father
was confined to his bed, and none Of
the boys were old enough for hunts
men.
Christmas eve was a sad one to the
trappers family. For some time they
| had been living from hand to mouth.
| and there was nothing to eat in the
| cabin but some sailed meat that had
been sent up from Fort Orange-Al-
bany-to relieve the distress at Sche-
nectady. Mrs. Van Schoonhoven had
picked the currant bushes during the
autumn and made currant jelly, but
what use was it with no venison on
hand and no maize with which to make
bread to eat with the Jelly?
Christmas eve the Van Schoonho-
vens went to bed hungry and with the
prospect Of remaining hungry the next
day. The mother tried to persuade her
little ones not to hang up their stock
ings, well knowing that there was moth
ing to put In them. But, having an
abiding faith in st. Nicholas, they in.
sisted on doing SO, and there was
long line Of hosiery dangling from the
chimney piece. The poor woman cried
herself to sleep thinking of her chill
dren's disappointment on the morrow.
During the night she was awakened
by cracking Of twigs outside the
cabin. Thinking that some wild animal
, was prowling about which might pro-
I vide a dinner for the next day, she
thought Of getting up to have shot
at it. But the children were sound
asleep, and she did not wish to awaken
, them. Besides, she fancied, when she
, heard a soft tread on the roof, that II
, was neighbours cat. So she went ia
sleep without thinking any more about
. It. In the morning she was awakened
by her little son, Peter, crying:
"Oh, mamma, see what st. Nicholas
,, has brought usr'
. CHANGING at the chimney piece, she
saw the stockings were rounded out.
, But this was only small part Of st.
Nicholas bounty. The immense fire.
place was piled with pelts, and on the
pelts rested an enormous quantity of
game. There were venison in abun-
dance, wild turkeys and many other
kinds of beasts and birds.
The children were most interested
,, in their stockings and, taking them
down, began to pull out many trinkets,
ornaments and apparel, such as head
and foot covering. Every child re-
. ceived pair of beautiful beaded moe
casins
But the father was more interested
In the bottom pile on the hearth. The
|. sight gave him strength, and springing
out of bed he began to pick over the
pelts. They proved to be the most
valuable kind.
II know who st. Nicholas is this
year" exclaimed Katrina, clapping
her hands joyfully.
"Who" asked her mother.
"The Mohican."
~ am sure you are right" said the
mother. Last night heard what I
thought to be a cat on the roof Now
I think Of it, 1t was more like the
tread of a moccasin."
When they went outside they saw
how easy it would be for the Indian
st. Nicholas to get on to the chimney
top even with his heavy load of gifts.
But they most admired his stealth In
letting himself down the chimney and
filling the stockings without awaken
ing them.
Van Schoonhoven was a well man
from that moment. His wife supplied
several neighbors from her larder, and
not only the Van Schoonhoven family
had good Christmas dinner that day,
but many of their friends who had
been prevented from gathering sup
plies.
That was one Of the happiest Christ
! mas DAYS fha Van Schoonhovapc ayar