The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1917-12-15
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81 WILLIS BROOKS

fCODyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union.
HUR village piper had issued very
~ credltable Christmas edition.
was looking over the news sec
tion by the front window. My wife
sat near. absorbed IN the story part.
whats that?" she asked. listening.
She was always on the lookout for
more eggs. What she heard certainly
did sound Ikea hen announcing the
arrival OF one-twelfth of a dozen.
THAT" answered. SIS Ezra Barn
stable in state Of amusement"
We looked through the window. and,
sure enough, here he came down the
street. an expansive smile illumlnat-
Tug his m0Onlke face.
"What on earth can the man be
laughing so about all aloneT my wife
wanted to know. She was that way
ncyer content to let II man BE- happy
aBless she knew the reason why.
so I went to the door and sang out
20 Ezrn. "Isn't Il kind OF stingy to en-
JOY II all by yourself?"
When he had unwound the wool tip
pet from his neck and taken the rock
ing chair which the missis had set be-
fore the fireplace for him he leaned
back and cut gashes In the atmOs-
phcre with another flourish Of his
sharp ordinations. "I've heard o
Santa Claus playin' tricks before now"
said he, "but ! don't guess he Amt
0eyer played none no funnier than
this.
"It was like this: Three, four days
ago my boy Chef come home with n
rabbit--one o them big white critters
with the pink eyes--thar he'd snapped
on one o. his mittens 70 eh. oue armed
Mayhem hoy fer. When ne COME In
iaggin' the thing In his/arms. his uia
st him whose IL waa, an he said r.
was hi9'h an irs name vls Jimmy an
Eddie Maynew rv" Il ~ atm.
-'Them Mayhaw hoys amt irwin
nothin away Ter no,hiu' SaYs abe.
'Whrt'd you tive him FER Up
-Caer nnwad hn w1a rnrnerpd 40
he owned no rnnr he't give Eddie one
~ his Weal mi-rars. r sau'r never
wear bat 9re mTIra anyhow sags he
an. t,--fG@.. E,.Css's ps.9r. Sue armed
Roy. on hi- hsrsd WAS cold, an IL pas
comm Chris'm1s.'
4, II seen the look IN HIS mas eye. an
I felt sorry fer Chef. 50 says. 'Chet-'
says l. severe-like. you come to the
barn along OF me-. like I was goin' to
lick him.
f.. "Thnt satisfied his ma. SO Chef an
me went to the barn an made O box
to keep the rabbit In. I knowed the
thing d freeze to death II he KEEP II
anywheres but in the house, an I
,knowed his ma wouldn't listen to his
dom that, so ! puts him up to gittln'
rid of 1t by invltin' his Cousin ArtIe
lover fer Chrls'mus an givin' 1t to him
Ter a Chris'mus present.
"Artle. you know" Ezra explained,
els my wIfe's brothers boy. You re-
member my wife's brother, Dan Baker,
over In Center township. the one that
died an left q wilder with eight chill
dern7
, "WaaI. when Chef told his ma what
he was goin' to do she said he could
keep the rabbit In the attic till Chris
mus an not minute longer. SO he
writ to Artie. an this mornin' bright
an early here comes the hull family
Mis- Baker an the hull eight Children.
''Chet. he hadn't even got up yet, but
I rousted him out, nm when he come
down he tolt Artie about the Jimmy
rabbit he was goln' to give him. Then
Mis- Baker chips In an says she never
lows one o. her children to accept
presents unless all the others gifts the
same thing. 1T makes the others jeal-
ous,' says she, AN creates dlssensions.'
IL seen trouble comm to Chef In
fiocks an herds an says to myself
they's Jest one way to settle this thing.
You know, II you give rabbit little
cuff on the back of his neck he never
knows what hit him. SO sneaks up
to the attic, but ole Santa Claus had
got there ahead o. me-"
Ezra rocked back and let out a few
more stnccato notes of merrlment.
: "What had hsppenedT my wife
asked.
"wait till I tell you" said Ezra. 81
called Chef to come up quick. an he
come a-runnIn'. Look here says / to
him. you give the eight little ones to
the children an the old one to Mis-
Baker. II you do II nice she can't
refuse 'em. specially when the little
rubblts needs the services Of Jimmy
fer awhile yit.' SO Chef he iugged the
hull box o. rabbits downstairs an made
sech elokent presentin' speech that
the wIdder couldn't do nothln' but
thank him an take the hull mess home
with her."