S)
arier.
HOLIDAY NUMB BR.
3U
I
Vol. 3. No. 1 EXTRA
Lincoln, Nicuwasia
Tuusday,
j
IDicotCNtmcu no, iwy7
AN ODE TO A TURKEY.
11Y W'AI.T MAHO.V,
"Written for tho Clitlsimn Couhikii.
A High for tho grim old turkoy,
Tho relic of nges gone),
That lived through tho elreur Thanksgiving,
To perish on Christmas eiawn.
Tlio wavM were wild, tho skies wore ilark,
when Noah lanilesl his famous nrk ; tliu liiss-
ing rain In torrents fell, tho nik was tossed
by heaving swell. Ho hennl tho shrieks of
those who tried, by cllinhlng trees to dodge
tho tldo, of thoso who tiled to gnln tho shore,
l)iit oidy sunk to rlso no more. For elays mid
da)s tho torrent poured, for days and days
tho billows roared; at last old Noah landed Hat
upon tho heights of Araiat. Ho open Hung
tho heavy door, to lot his elreus roach tho
shore : then canio tho beasts nbrenst in pairs,
tho chipmunks and tho olar lienrs J tho os
trlch and tho kangaroo, tho Jointed snako
from Tlmbuctoo j and at tho end two turkeys
came tho initio was gray, and hnlt and lumoj
IU head was bowed, It oyes wero blind, it
was tho father of Its kind ; and wo shoulu
happy lie, I say, tohao this noblo fowl to-
-day.
'
A sigh for tho gray old turkoy,
Tim relle of ages dark,
Tho parent of modem turkeys,
Tho iMitron of Noah's urk.
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS.
MY II. T. DOU11INH.
Ho was a oor, forlorn looking sort of an
Individual and ho looked ovcti moro forlorn
thin ho really was as ho shambled along one
of our streets tho other evening. U ery oneo
inawhlloho would stop, look into tho brilli
antly lighted shop!) resplendent In holiday nt
tlro end filled with happy things of gift-seek -crs,
only to turn away and resumo his weary
walk. Hit tattered clothe, his almost shoe
less feet and his hardened visage all botra) ed
tho fact that ho wo a nonielexn wanderer.
Despite tho ravage of exposure and general
Bhlftlossnos-s it was easily soon that ho was
yet a young inn, not even thirty at tho far
thest. Sitting hero by my lhuldoto-ulght,wlth
tho warmth of tho glow Ing lire encompassing
monbout, whllo without I hear tho wild wind
whistling, tho imago of that lonesome-looking
nguro lonesome iiiougu on u croweioei nrcot
comes up lcforo mo. What caused hlui to
become a wanderer upon tho earth ? Why
docs ho chooso to lead tho life of a nomad,
unloving nud unloved I Alas 1 No one can
tell and fow tako trouble to inipilro. Perhaps
in years gono by ho was tho Idol of somo lov
ing mother in some happy homo. Somo
guardian angel may have whispered sweet
lullabjs into his childish ears and soothed his
troubled fears as only mothers can and do.
Somo fathci's hands may have guided his
youthful foot btejis In the labyrluthlan paths
of knowledge, and stavcel his hands with the
wise counsel of experience. Homo sisters
clinging love and sweet companionship may
once have held him close to tho magic In
fluence of tho homo circle, and kept him from
tho bane of evil companionship. Pel hups in
some far-oil" eastern homo an nged father,
a white-haired mother, a alt and watch for
their boy, tho prldo of tholr hoarts.tho Joy of
their early married life, whoso childish piut
tlo still rings In their ears. They watch and
wait for him ; but ho comes, not, nor will he.
Tho wasted years of manhood test ujiou his
head with added weight, and the Jojs, tho
hopes of his earlier life aro but dead sen
fruit on tlio lips of time. Hut not knowing,
still thoy wait and watch and yearn for his
return, until llrst one anil then the other
sinks beneath tho weight of jearsj diopinto
tho nameless sleep and aro laid at rest bui
oath tho waving grasses and given sod that
grace the city of tho silent, llaj Ih, nolxxly
knows and nobody cares. Ho Is only a
tramp Whether tho force of adverso cir
cumstances, tho sw coping awuy mid bren ing
of eorytlo that held him to tho things he
cherished, whether the Inscrutable, workings
of 1)1 vino Providence, or tun moio woiltlly
but equally invisible wot kings of tho unwi It-
ten law of capital and lalwr, forced him out
into tho worl 1 to prey upon anil In rutin u
1)0 kicked and culled by tho moro earthy of
'us, wo aro not awn re. He It as It may, he, and
hundreds, nay, thousands like him, aro turn
ed loose uiou Immunity.
You, w hoso hi Ight homes ring tonight w 1th
tho merry laughter of happy volcosj you, to
whom Christmas Is but tho harbinger of joys
to come as well as Jojs present, look ujion
this poor outcast In pity. Turn him not
uwny from jour door In those glad times of
festivities. Hols only a ti amp. True, but
ho Is oiio of tho same great hi othoi hood of
man to which you and 1 and all of us Moug.
For him no Cluistmus dinner Is spieud, for
him no gifts are brought, for him nololng
woulsaiosolan. Ills life Is a blank. Hols
only u tramp.
On this precious Christmas evening when
the Incense of giutoful thoughts mid pin) crs
rise fioiu tho altnis of many happy homes,
let time Ih) mingled with them an cilsou for
tho outcast and tho waudeur. And In the
midst of our holiday lejolilug ruiiciulcr
thattheio aro many to whom Christmas Is
a sti auger and its icputcd jo)s but a in)th.
Tho lire on the health burns low, tho wind
louder and louder whistles as It sweeps thlo'
tho baio limbs of the maples, and lit fan
cy I see tho poor uufoituuuto, shuttling and
shambling, fade ft mil my sight as ho seeks
thu icposo of some secludesl nook wheio wild
winds blow not,
Won lor If in all their Chilstnius put chases,
our readers will think of tho humble news
paper sciiho Hememlier oiiroll'ieo Is now In
tho now lluir block, or our postoirico drawer,
which is qultadiiigo, Is number 01, or if nii
csnury wo hiivuun expiess wagon that will
call for all laigo packages Hut wo want it
distinctly understood, diamonds will not
bo eo'eptwl.
THIS
FAST.
V
Written McliiUy for tho Christmas Cuuiukii.
All sllentlybcilraped In trailing garb
And shrouded In the sable shades of night,
Willi solemn pace Ihe Old Ycnr stalks aw. ly,
And sweeps the threshold of the sombre Past,
i Farewell, old friend, and, tlio' thy reign Is o'er,
And Youthful Hope imup the car of Time,
Tho' bright and beauteous be the lovely Ik)
Amid the garlands of the coming ) cur,
And like n star o'er dark-rolled waves at night
Throws n long gleam athwart thy shadowy realm
L'on jet, oh Secrl While nil the busj world
Ilestows no thought hut on the Future hour,
Let nic, with thee, In att subdued delight,
Dwell In the dreamy valleys of the Past.
,,, s What tho' the sun of Hope In billllanee sheds '
Ills glories o'er the Future's fairy fields.
Humbly I'll walk with thee where Sorrow'sjnoon
In midnight silence walks the blue serene,
And where the myriad silent stars appear
To cli.inn the chaitcncd vista othc l'ast.
What tho' frondescent In the Future jear,
The bursting verdure decks the nulling earth,
i $v .
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A ml Ti liei f the m i fail Ui ill sftn .
7'n ciiirm lic cnifciiril ' ittu oj tin J'ihI
Yet still, Old Year! with thee I'd choose to tonin,
Like Dante with his Virgil, thro' the nroo es
'Neath which th' autumnal trcisures of the l'at
Lie thickly strewn where softU -tinted lcac
All miitclj plead for notice as ou pass,
And gleam with richly painted breasts, and thus
Rciuirioriii the matrix of the mind
A thousand mellowed thoughts that hid gone b.
' I'U said "All is uncertain 'neath the sun,"
Hut jet, oh Paraclete I 'I hy Kingdom stands.
Lternal in petrean posted Past
The waves of Violence and Accident
In ulii roll on they cannot change the Past,
Nor can we by weakness - e'en should we choose,
Forego one single Item of thy power
Not awful Fate herself can wrest from thee
A single moment of thy changeless reign-,
Hut Mem'rt'fe harp and long- limiting wires,
Shall seem to ring along thy corridors;
And, like a long swept wave, come rolling up
To present hour thro' poitals of the IJast.
t
-It. M. R.
FKIOIC PiVIC OlCNTH
CHRISTMAS ON THE MOUNTAIN.
IIV II, M, MUHIINKI.U
Written fur Iho C'lirlsltuns L'nmilKii,
When thoNim ioho this UlirUtmas morning
iiN)ii a Chrlstmns day not many years ngo
It roundest tho southern side of tho "hump" and
sliouenlowu through Ihoktvn, frosty nlr iis)ii
mi old homestead and farm lions') Hint sevineel
to hnvo cIIiiiIksI us high as It was pemslblo to
get, ill) then uggesl, rough and timhoicil side
of tho old mountain, Ago nud des-uy murkeel
this only sign of el vllluitlou that, In tho win in
hummer da) s nmrkeel more than tho halfway
Miliit totoiitlslH making thoase'eut, nud as
slessl out III the) finell, silent suiroillldlilgs,
hImiwi tho jeillow birches, the le)illless bench
ami the lilnrk e-edurs, It looked nliovi) the) rewieh
of Clulslmas cIiist nud Christmas clilines.
For two long months tho drifts had pi lev I high
along tho mountain sides and the dreary
olevd I'lemeiits had supplailtest the sighs of
summi'i' lirecxcri In tho scatfeteel pines, still
higher on the inouutalus, feir many brief,
early winter da) s. Hut, If the) old heimratooel
lookesl dresiraud froj'ii far up tho mountain,
tho paiiomnm was n grand one from tho old
fm in house, looking over tlio toi of tho tlni
iMiiesI hills olT Intel tho valley, where, two
miles dlstjint, at the very fKit of tho moun
tain uewtled tho iiulet village) that, for nearly
aceutiuy, hail giowu as unchanging ns tho
mountain alsivo It. It Is In no way neccsary
that this llttlo village) Is) e-iillod by name, but
If you wish, call It Undeihlll, Ironi tho
homest'-nd on tho luouulalu tlio long wicalh.
eifstnokei nscoudlug from thuclustcreel houses
of tho village, grew Into small clouds In tho
still morning nlr, nud tho village church
spires and tlio dome on a llttlochurch slightly
seilaUsl from the) others, shone In tho sun's
rays like buruishis! silver. Heyoud tho vil
lage tlio I and wiio widened nud a long whllo
lluo marked tho frozen rlvoryind itlll Iwyonil,
fairly resting on the horizon, was tlio long
w hlVo plain of frozen lako with, rising still
boyond It, In ludlstln?V lines o( 'u'itio ncAl-cMy
ellseernahlo from tho blue) of tho sky, woro
the long line's of mountains lxyond its west
ern shore.
Tho old homestead that, on tho eminence,
overlooked this vista, hael IU history. Uou
this western sldo of thu mountain, In tlio ilays
of tho revolution, a detachment o'f (lioon
Jlountalu Isiys had built signal fires to warn
tlm scattered inhabitants that Horgoyno.wlth
hlsarmyoflnvadoiii from tho north, was
skirting tho lako on his march southwarel.
From one of tho signal stations tho fo'ii-st had
lieon fired mid It was urwn tho black clearing
mmlo, that n ploneer, after lndcienilciieo hael.
Issjii gulnisl, planUsl his homo in tho wilder
ness, anil for n century fathers, sons anil
giauelsons, "content to Hvo whore llfoleguu,"
hail wnmg from tho cold, rugged mountain
side, all that their fnigal necessities demuuel
isl. Tho old house had grown from a block
houso of I. ;h to a farm house) of no mean pre
tensions that, for many ye-ars, hud enjoyeel
thu distinction given by n redcoat of paint,
but, us many of Its occuiwiMts hael ilono, It was
now going back to childhood and the nsl was
rapidly ellsapisaring, and tho loosenesl ImanU
leveahsl tho ancient timbers of IU early
)enrs.
At tho old farm houso on this particular
CluistmiM morning, of all who had cnllod tho
olel place homo only two remained, and for
tints) score jours their homo had bes.-n on the
mountain. It was tho father anil tho mother
who, like countless other fathers mid moth
ers, hail been left buhliiel when thu children
hael Mown out In tho world from the homo on
tho mountain. It Is needless to say that on
this Christmas morning they thought of
Christmas days In tho years long gono by,
when the old homo mug with l.iughtcr on n
Clulstinas morning, and tho llttlo homo pres
ents went around; In tho years Iwforo a llttlo
yellow haired girl hail been lalel in the church
)ard under tho hill and Ixifore n sturely Imy
went out Into tlio world, and Into the west,
to Join tho push and throng of modern da)s.
"It has Ihiii so Jeing sliu-o wo I unci heard
freiu Charle," the mother had said several
thin the ilay liefore, anil then was Just such
a m islful look, us coined only to mother's
o)i-(, as she moved from place to place in tho
old homo on this Clulstinas morning, Tho
gesNl old custom of church upon Christum
day hail not Ihs-ii liaulshisl In the llttlo villa"
uniler the hill, and its the almost Indistinct
chimes of the liells III thu llttlo town culled to
them on tho mountain, thu father assumed
gooel cheer and brlghtemsl thu hopes of tho
mother, who hud Ik-cii all thu loin; vears un
and ilovvu liesfelo hlui, with tho prophecy that
the mall that day should bring them n letter,
and there was u cheerful t-clm to tho prcphocy
lu tho distant w hlstlu of a train that echoed
along tho inouutalus from the lino of road
beyond tho hills and tho river in tho vulley.
It might not have Urn, but still it seemed to
the father mid tho mother that thu whlto
hainsl man who sjioku to his ooplu on that
Clulstinas iuoniin,j, that ho, too. was holdlinr
a lamp of piomlse to them its ho Sxko of tho
faitu of the fathers, of thu faith that follow ed
en, brought jo) not sorrow , and of the ilay
star tluit should in iso in their hearts. From
thochurth it wasbut a few stejw to thn vil
lage store that possessed Uio aelelenl dignity of
post olllto, niiil tho father thought vvlthn
sinking Ixviit of tho loneliness of tho ilay, end
tho home, and the mountain, If tho letter dlel
not come . and ho went to tho fur md of tho
llttlo store w hero tho rows of Ikixcs stixxl be
fore a table and n chair, and ho looked
through thu glass and arouul thu groat ivl
number that half covered thu little seninro of
glav. ami thu letter wins there! It Is necdlcta
to dw ell upon the hupplnei thu lest of that
Cliilstnmsdaylu the old home on the moun
tain, tor the Clulstinas gift that came that
ilay was pilceless to them, for It tolel that nil
that was left them on tho earth hail not for
gotten thu old home, that a lioy could liecomo
a until, ami a wanderer anil )et that at tho
Cui 1st mini tlmu hu woulel not forgit the, fath
er and the mother and that they loved hhn
evi'ii as tho Chi 1st child lovesl humanity hi the
long ago w hen tho moi uhig stars sang toguh
er. And If thu wamhrer from his mountain
childhood homo could havo steii thu father
nud mother in the twilight looking from the
nluilovv over tho elarkunetl panorama of tho
morning, up at thu staiv lu the upper I elght-uj
ho woulel have known that thu most pihxled .J
gift at Christmas timo is a letter home. ' T
h'
