Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-04-01
The LI6HT
IN THE RLEARIN6
A TALE OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
IN THE TINE OF SILAS WRIGHT
H
IRVINE HkEHEuER
fskN HOLDEN


were uOI last SuOuSu lOT ulIu. III Tie
midst of our skylarking the candle
tumbled to the floor and 1 had to go
back to the stove and rehght it.
How good it seemed to be back I'm
the old room under the shingles! The
heat of the stovepipe had warmed its
hospitality.
sits been kind o. lonesome here"
said Uncle Peabody as he opened the
| window. 81 always let the wind come
i'll to keep me company-it gifts so
warm"
aye can't look at yer stockin' yit,"
said Aunt Deel when l came down.
stairs ABOUT eight o'clock, having slept
through chore time. l remember it
was the delicious aroma of frying ham
and buckwheat cakes which awoke me !;
and who wouldn't rise and shake off
the cloak of slumber on q bright,
cold winter morning with such provo
cation?
"This amt no common Christmas
tell ye," Aunt Deel went on. Santa
Claus won't git here short o. noon
wouldn't wonder-ayes I"
About eleven o'clock Uncle Hiram
and Aunt Eliza and their five children
arrived with loud and merry greetings.
/ Then came other aunts ard uncles and
| cousins. With what noisy GOOD cheer
the men entered the house after they
! ad put up their horses l remember
how they laid their hard, heavy hands
OH my head and shook it a little as
they spoke of my "stretchin' up" or
gave me playful slap on the shoulder
an ancient token of good will-the
first form of the accolade, l fancy
| What joyful good humor there was in
| those simple men and women-enough
| to temper the woes of city if it could
have been applied to their relief. They
stood thick around the stove warming
| themselves and taking off it's griddles
and opening its doors and surveying it
inside and out with much curiosity.
snow for the Christmas tree" said
Uncle Peabody as he led the way into
our best room, where a fire was burn
ing in the old Franklin CRATE. "Come
on, boys an girls"
What a wonderful sight was the
Christmas tree-the first we had had
in our hOuse-a fine spreading balsam
loaded with presents! Uncle Hiram
jumped into the air and clapped his
feet together and shouted: "Hold me,
somebody, or I'll grab the hull tree
an run away with it,
| Uncle Jabez held one foot In both
hands before him and joyfully hoped
around the tree.
These relatives had brought their
| family gifts, Some days before, to be
hung on its branches. The thing that
caught my eye was big silver watch
hanging by long golden chain to one
of the boughs. Uncle Peabody took it
down and held it aloft by the chain,
so that none should miss the sight, say
! ing:
From Santa Claus for Barti"
A murmur of admiration ran through
the company which gathered around
me as held the treasure In my trem-
bling hands.
"Ihis is for Bart, too" Uncle Pea
body shouted as he took down a bolt
of soft blue cloth and laid it in my
arms. "Now there's somethin' that's
| jest about as slick as a Kittens ear.
Feel of 1t. It's for q suit o. clothes.
Come all the way from Burlington.
Now get-ap there. You've got your
| load"
] moved out of the way in a hurri-
cane of merriment. 1t was his one
great day of pride and vanity. He did
not try to conceal them.
The other presents floated for a mo-
ment in this Irresistible tide of laugh
ing good will and found their owners.
l have never forgotten how Uncle ia
bez chased Aunt Minerva around the
house with q wooden snake cunningly
carved and colOred. l observed there
were many things on the tree which
had not been taken down when we
younger ones gathered up our wealth
and repaired to Aunt Deel's room to
feast our eyes upon it and compare
our good fortune.
The women and the big girls rolled
up their sleeves and went to work with
Aunt Deel preparing the dinner. The
| great turkey and the chicken pie were
made ready and put In the oven and
| the potatoes and the onions and the
winter squash were soon boiling In
their pots on the stovetop. Mean
while the children were PLAYING in my
aunt's bedroom and Uncle Hiram and
Uncle Jabez were pulling sticks in q
corner while the other men sat tipped
against the wall watching and making
playful comments-all save my Uncle
Peabody, who was trying to touch his
head to the floor and then straighten
I'D with the aid of the broomstick.
In the midst of 1t Aunt Deel opened
the front door and old Kate, the Silent
Woman, entered. To my surprise, she
wore a decent-looking dress of gray
homespun cloth and a white cloud
looped over her head and ears and tied
around her neck and q good pair of
boots.
Merry Christmas I" we all shouted.
She smiled and nodded her head and
sat down in the chair which Uncle Pea
body had placed for her at the stove
side. Aunt Deel took the cloud off
her head while Kate drew her mittens
newly knitted of the best yarn. Then
my aunt brought some stockings and
shawl from the tree and laid them on
the lap of old Kate. What a silence
fell upon us as we saw tears coursing
down the cheeks of this lonely old
woman of the countryside-tears of
ioy. doubtless, for God knows how long
it had been since the poor, abandoned
soul had seen a merry Christmas and
shared its kindness. / did not fail to
observe how clean her face and hands
lookedl She was greatly changed.
She took my hand as / went TO her
side and tenderly caressed it. A gem
tier smile came to her face than ever
bad soon unon II. The old stern look