The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-12-23


North American Lumber and Sup
ply Co., offered cash prizes for til
best shot story written especial,
for the Christmas issue of tn
Chieftain. "That One Christmas
written by Ira Richard johnson
brother of Mrs VIM. Gillette O
Sank Centre, won first prize ant
was given the position of honor il
the publication. The story is vel
worth while literature and the Her
aid gladly publishes it in full here
with:
''The telling of stories is an ar
that never was able ito master, al
though, in the thirty years of m!
life / have taken part IN, and have
heard of many Christmas adven
lures that to the average mar
would mean a good story, when te
me, it simply meant, John Smiths
house was burned down and the
neighbors built him another fol
Christmas; or, Mr.. and Mrs
Much-Money gave Christmas din.
ner to the Barelegs family. When
we gather around the fire in QUIZ
little Chieftain prairie home, ]
sit and listen to the others tell
their many Christmas adventures.
Often my thoughts drift back to
that Christmas eve, some ten years
ago, when with a number of drum
mer friends, I sat in the smoking
compartment of a 500 east bound
passenger train that ran between
Portal, on the Canadian line, and
tie Twin Cities.
sit was a bleak December night
and great gusts of wind seemed to
ok the train from size to side,
while little pelle.s Of ice kept up
a constant tattoo on the window
"The spirit of Christmas had
settled upon them all. Old and
young, rich and poor, sang, talked
and laughed together and the smil-
ing newsy dashed here and there
hawking his ware.
GAS we passed through Caring
ton, North Dakota, and the train
was gathering speed again, large,
freshfaced, breezy looking man of
middle age elbowed his way down
the aisle and dropped in the seat
beside me. After much squirming
and blowing, which cast an avail
anche of snow over all seat mates,
he produced a somewhat gaudy
card, which proclaimed him as
Charles B. Monk, of Chicago,
agent for Tobacco Co., at Dane
vile, Virginia. After reading it, l
tossed it to W.. E.. Cook, of Har-
vey, N. D., who sat opposite and
began at once to talk shop with
him. He was "a good talker, and
before long was the center around
which all our talk seemed to re-
volve. He met every story with
one just trifle better, while his
every ready tongue had us al on
gooi terms before the State Line
was reached.
"After a while our talk drifted
around to the usual topic of
Christmastide. Never, do / think,
have / heard quite as many good
stories told as on that night.
cat Valley City, N. D., an ag-
ed man in minister's garb entered
the train, and, not finding a seat
elsewhere, entered the smoking
compartment. In a second, Monk
was out Of his seat, and perching
up on our pile of grips and coats
in the corner, he motioned the new
conner to his seat by my side. To
me it was somewhat of relief, as
my new seat mate took up about
onehalf the room that Monk had
done, yet could not help but
think of the contents of my poor
grip which acted as a prop for that
three hundred pounds of fat and
good humor in the corner.
"After few remarks about the
weather, the old gentleman at my
side remained silent until at last
our stock of stories had run low,
then he spoke. / seem to hear
his voice, even to this day, so clear,
and vibrant, with a youthful
strength that blended so oddly
with his aged face and dropping
form.
"In the forty years that I have !
preached the gospel" he began,
81 have looked forward always
with joy to Christmas Sunday, and
have more than once surprised my
audience with text so Unchrist-
mas-like, that they have sat with
mouths agape until j have told the
story that / am about to relate to
you.
'My text always has been and
always will be the same: 4 was a
stranger and he took me in, in
sickness tended me-
"It is a text that seems strange
to you who have sat year after
year in your old home church and
listened to that old, old story of
how Christ was born in Bethle- |
hem, but when l have finished, /
am sure that there is not a man
here but will agree that for me
there can be but one theme on this
day of all days.
envy name is James Fletcher
Smith, and / was born in Madison
County, Wis, in 1914. Later, my
parents moved to Washington
County where the greater part of
my boyhood was spent. When I
was sixteen years old, the Civil
War broke out, and l enlisted.
Shortly after / joined the army,
my regiment was sent to Johnson
County, Missouri. About this time,