Year: 1879

THE week before Christmas was
dreadful dreary. In the first place. IA
ther was away. He had been gone al
most q month, in search of work, and
we were expecting him home every day.
In the next place, the wood was most
gone, and we didn't dare to keep avery
good fire. And it always seems dreary
in cold, snowy weather, unless you have
q good, roaring fire, I think, especially
in q dug-out.


1t was all on account of the grasshop-
pers that we had to spend our second
winter in the dug-out. We had been
brave and patient-father said so-the
first winter. But when the grasshop-
pers came and ate up all our crop, and
we had to give up the hope Of house
for that whole year, we almost wished
we were back IN Vermont. Then, In
the third place, and lastly, as the min
lister says, we had nothing left to eat
but pumpkin. And pumpkin, though
it's very nice for pies, when you have
milk and eggs, and pretty good Cat
least better than nothing) for sauce,
when you haven't got any better, and
there is nothing left but the Johnny
cake-isn't SO very good for steady eat
ing. And there wasn't so very much of
it either; and if that should fail before
father came


But mother wouldn't be gloomy.
Z" Eat all you want of it. / dare say
father will come before it is gone," she
said. "It's lucky I dried so much"
"And lucky the hoppers didn't like
pumpkins" said my elder brother, Bob,
Bake some for supper, mother, be-
ieve like it best baked"


"Yes, I'll bake it for supper; and
you and Lizzie shall have all the milk
to eat with it. We who are well can
and she locked round so brave and
that we were just as willing as could
be to give up our share 'of the milk,
now that poor Bess, who had nothing
but coarse. dry hay and water, could
only give pint twice day.


So Bob and Lizzie had all the milk
that night, and we had only little salt
on our pumpkin; because Lizzie wasn't
much more than baby, and Bob was
sick ever since he broke his leg at the
raising. Bob tried to have mother take
some of his milk; but she wouldn't.
Nobody complained-not q word-we
i
grumbled some, to old Bess, the cow,
you know, when I was pulling down
hay for her. I suppose I'm not hardly
as brave as the rest of 'em. At any
rate, often grumble to Bess. when
things are hard; and told her. that
time, that there was no fun at all in iv-
ing on pumpkin in miserable dug-out,
and wasn't going to stand it. At
least, wouldn't, If had any boots to
get away in. And tried hard to think
what could do.


But didn't see that there was any,
thing. The neighbors were a good way
of, and as poor as we were. All but
old Mother Cripsey, and she was too
cross and too stlngy to live. No use to
go near her.


But when went in, and was crouch
ing down before the fire to get my
fingers warm, mother said: q


"William, I think somebody ought
to go over and see If Mother Cripsey
needs anything this cold weather. 1
know it isn't pleasant for you to go
there; but it would ease my mind to
know she wasn't freezing or starving"


"How can I go, mother, with no
boots but thesep" and 1 held up my
right foot. There was q strip of flannel
tied around it, to keep the sole from
Tapping back and forth every time
stepped, and to cover . big hole that
let the snow in.


"You might wear Bob's best one,
perhaps. 1t is better than that. Can't
he, BebP" -I,


Certainly" said Bob, without raising
his head or looking at me. Bob couldn't
help being gloomy, because he was
sick, and pumpkin didn't agree with
him; but he didn't like to have us take
any notice of it, SO we didn't.
L said: "Well, 1 s'posed I could
go. The only thanks I should
get would be to get my head
snapped off and get called beg
gar, and asked what expected to
get by coming" But 1 was tired of
being cooped up at home, and should
be glad of q walk, if i could only have
something to walk in. So Bob let me
have his boot, and started. 1t was
about half a mile and off the road; SO
had to make my own path, and the
snow was pretty deep. But the sun
shone bright and I rather liked TIE fun
of breaking a track. saw smoke in
Mother Cripsey's chimney, as came
near; SO knew she was all right. You
see it wasn't as If she had been poor,
for aha uoa tho v,chosf nva for yn;los