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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1900)
fi f I tl T i - " s ( ''tt" l't L ft f As V it . h : ' ia&IST LIKE IT USED TO BE HKISTMAS like it used to be! That's tho thing would gladden inc. Kith und kin from fur and near Joining In thcChrlst- mas cheer. Oh, the laughing girls and boys! Oh, tho feasting and the Joys! Wouldn't It be good to see Christmas like It used to be? Christinas llko It used to be Snow a-bendlng bush nnd tree, Hells a-Jlngllng down the lane; Cousins John nnd Jim and Jane, Hue and Kate and all the rest Dressed-up In their Sunday best. Coming to that world of glee Ohrlstmus like It used to bo. Christmas like It used to be Been a long, long time since we Wished (when Santa Claus should come), You a doll and I a drum, You a book and I n sled Strong and swift nnd painted red; Oh that day of Jubilee! Christmas like It used to be. Christmas like It used to be. It Is still as glad and free, And as fair and full of truth, To the clearer eyes of youth. Could we gladly glimpse It through Kyes our children's children do In their Joy-time we would see Christmas like it used to be. Nixon Waterman, In Elliott's Maga zine. fkimMM VF.UYB0DY knew that old Mrs. Moon wns "plumb sit." nir.'iiiiKf 'I'ntii '' While. Tliev also knew Hint I'om wns determined to marry Clnrissy Moon. Tlie views of Clurissy herself were locked in the lirenst of tliut maiden nnd no one, not. even 'her grandmother, could draw them forth. She listened to flio old lady's diatribes against Tom, just ns she listened to Tom's ardent wooing nnd said nothing. Mrs. Moon, her unmarried daughter and Clurissy lived in a tiny cabin at the foot of the Little Backbone, a very pleasant place In summer, though Hint season was brief enough in n region which is described by its denizens as having "nine months win ter nnd three months cool weather" each year. In winter the cabin wns .not a pleasant place of abode. Not only did the snow drift high about it. but the pla.vful winds entered through the crevices which Mrs. Moon wns al ways intending to have filled up and never did. It was lonely in winter, too; not even the most persistent suitor could find his way lo it fre quently when the trail nns obliter ated by snow drifts and when night onme early and suddenly, too, in the shade of the mountains. Clniissy was thinking of these things, as she stood at the cabin door one afternoon in the middle of De cember. It wns rather a eool place for meditations, but her Aunt Phoebe was on what her mother wns wont to call a "high," nnd nny place was preferable to her immediate vicinity at such u time. Aunt Phoebe's tem per, never very sweet, had ill with stood the strain of prolonged spinster hood, and she vented her maidenly disappointment on the nenrest ob jects, her mother and Clurissy, who were quite innocent in the matter. "Seems if I eain't please her, no how," Clarify was saying to herself, "I eain't bear that air bothersome Tom White, but lie's bottom' what she is, nu,hov. Sposn T was t' give him er siu t' come V talk t' me er while!" As she hesitated she henrd Aunt Phoebe's shrill tonvs still raised to danger pitch in the cabin. Draw ing olT the red handkerchief which was knotted coquettishly about her dark hair, she ran down the path und drawing down a branch of the young oak which stood alone, she deftly tied the streamer to it. The handkerchief was Tom's gift and he had begged lier to use it as a signal whenever she desired his company. It was the first time she had made use of it. and as she tied it. she was assuring hovsolf thai she "didn't cure er mite fer that great, awkward fellow," but, in spite of that fact, her cheeks rivaled the handkerchief in color. Yielding to a sudden impulse she scurried into the cabin regardless of Aunt Phoebe's longue. "I'll peek out'n l!i. window nn' watch fer him," she thought, "an' I'll let. him cool his heels n bit waitin', be fore I go out. Anyhow, T ain't prom ised nothing by tying that liiindlior ehev ip there." Clurissy had the sharp cars of the mountaineer and soon she heard steps coming nlong the trail and finnlly into the clewing, but she never moved, save to see that her grandmother wns dozing in the chimney corner and .Aunt Phoebe ubr.orbed with her quilt JSjy- " Tm? m 0M? : m, ilifey A Ml" VMrf'ZXiZinj A. L-eSiX. fl, limBllU&r ptcccR. The latter had passed from I the active to the passive stage of her ebullitions and was now sulking. The steps approached nearer and nearer. "Kf Hint old stupid ain't comin' in yere, after all," Clnrissy thought. "Well, granny'll send him olt with a flea in his car if ho-does, that's nil!" and she assumed nn air of elaborate, indifference. "Hello, thnrl" called a masculine voice scarcely audible to Clarisy for the beating of her heart. She made no move and the call was repeated. "Ain't ye got no manners, t' let company wait out there that a way," her mint said, sharply, and poor Clur issy went flying to the door. There stood, not Tom, but Amos Purdy, n near neighbor, as neighbors go In a thinly settled country, nnd a widower of two months' standing who hnd dropped In once or twice of late. He entered now with a sheepish air which to anj-onc less preoccupied than Clnrissy would have proved that he was on courting bout. He took n chnlr near the door and where he Bhut out Clarissy's view of Hie win dow. "Right cold tiny," he ventured, ad dressing Aunt Phoebe. "Well, I guess ye can't 'xpect much else, with Christmas only two weeks off." wns the ungracious reply. "Yep, that's so," the visitor re sponded. Then he relapsed into an embarrassed silence, during which he, with apparent unconsciousness stared Clnrissy out of eountennnce. "Ole Zeb White killed er bear last Chuesdny," was his next remark, still addressed lo Aunt Phoebe. "Biggest one this year, he says. Them Whites is awful liars, though, an' I cnin't promise ef he tells th' Iruth er not." "Them Whiles is n bad stock," Mrs. Moon broke in, suddenly; "one of 'em filled our ole cow full of shot when I was a gal. pretendin' like he thought she was er bear. An' all the satisfac tion pap got was puttin' er loud o' shot Into him, nnd pretendin' like he thought he was er buck!" Siie chuck led at the remembrnnce. "That air Tom White's goin' t' see Tiny Koontz;" remarked the guest. "I seen 'em wnlkin' Inst Sunday. Kockou they'll be gittin' married AND CAM13- PACE soon. Seems s'f they'd be a lot of mar ry! u' round yere before long. Kr man nin' worth much nowudnys 'nless he's got ii wife." Clnrissy had turned pale at the bit of news. She rose now, on pretense of getting more wood for the fire and went outside. Aunt Phoebe hud sud denly become gracious and the sound of her voice followed Hie girl as -die ran along Hie trail lo the tree which held her token. "He ain't goin' t' think I want 'ini;" she panted, he can go t' his Tiny Koontz, ef he wnnts to. 1 don't want 'im great awkward thing!" She dashed away a tear, as she did so, and saw that the handkerchief no longer fluttered from the branch - m&WM - III IIP s , mmmi ill 1 1 siip1vMcp'' Nervously she searched the ground to 'Tom White an' Tilly Koontz is goin' see if the wind hnd carried it into a 1'do!" clump of bushes. Hut no hnndker-J Clnrissy never could remember rlgTit chief was there! Tom had evidently ' ly what she said, but Amos construed come and gone, without trying to at tract her attention. "An' he's taken th' hnndkereher t' that air Tiny Koontz!" she said. Then, with head held high, she inarched buck, meeting Amos fnce to fuce, us he came down the path. "Mighty purty red cheeks ye got, Clnrissy," he remarked; "when I git er nother wife she's got t' have red cheeks, I tell ye. Say, d'ye like red npples? I'll fetch ye some when I come this here way agin; you look in that air holler stump, nn' ye'll find 'em." "I jest plum despise red apples, an' I plum despise you, too, Amos Purdy." And she fled to the cabin before the ustonlshed guest had time to make re- ply. To her surprise, Aunt Phoebe was in especially good humor. Her mother hnd been throwing out some very plain hints ns lo the inteiitioiib of Amos re garding herself, which chimed pleasant ly with her own opinions on the subject. She giggled mightily, nnd assured her mother that she "wouldn't look at Unit ole silly, no, not fer nothing!" But she wns mightily pleased, as anyone could see. In her nnger against Tom, Clnrissy forgot all about Amos and his red ap ples, nnd, indeed, she attached no im portance "to the offer, anyhow. She, too, wns very gay that evening, for she felt that her grandmother's sharp eyc9 were on her, nnd she would have died rather than display her futile rage against her faithless lover. She as sured herself over and over again that she never cared n strnw for Tom, but the fact Hint she had sent for him and that he had answered her signal only to enrry off the present he hud given her o lake it to another rankled in her breast. Heavy snow fell the next day and n cold kept her close in the cabin for a week. Amos was the only visitor dur ing that lime, and when he came he brought a substantial offering of ven ison and a brace of rabbits, gifts by no means to be despised, nnd which Mrs. Moon received most graciously. Aunt Phoebe's eyes shone, but she kept them on the ground in maidenly modesty nnd was very reserved and coy in her manner. It never occurred to either her mother or herself t hut Clnrissy was the object of Amos' evident intentions. "I plum got t' have somebody t' keep house fer me soon," the guest re marked. "I ain't much of a cook myself, nn' there's lots o' good meat spnilln' at th' cabin now fer want o' n woman t' look after it. T was er good husbun' t' my woman while she was livin'," lie concluded. "So ye was, Amos," Mrs. Moon agreed, eagerly; "I always said so." She.wu overjoyed at the Idea of giving up her daughter; she thought delightedly of the quiet life she could lend with only CInriMy. "An', now that air Tom White's out'n th' way, I'll git t' keip her u long time," she reasoned, com placently, as she listened to the vis itor's account of what he intended to do for his wife when he married again. "An' tnlkin' erbout mnrryin'; I gues Tom White nn' Tiny Koontz'll be git tin' married a Christmas. 1 seen her with a red hunkcrohcr he give her th' Ins' time 1 was over there," he went on. TO PACK WITH TOM. It seemed to Clnrissy tlmt Si.c would die tin she sat there. It was bad enough lo tell herself that Tom had given her handkerchief to Tiny, but to hear it as u certainty was worse yet. She ma le no sign, but when the tall; hud once more veered around to the apparently inexhaustible subject of Amos' second wife she slipped softly out of the cabin and wandered about in the snow like some wild thing with a mortal hurt. As she was returning an hour later she found Amos patiently awaiting her at the hollow tree, , "I put a lot o' nuts in there and some yellow apples," he announced. "ICf ye don't like red apples ye mm,' like yel low ones. Say, Clurissy, spoMi' you'll me git married u Chrlsinus, like what lict answer into consent, und, proini lug to come with the preacher at seven o'clock on Christmas evening, he went his way. It was dark- when Clnrissy came into the cabin, und her grandmother and aunt were in such a stale of excitement that they failed to notice her pule cheeks nnd wild eyes. For they had de cided that Amos certainly meant to marry Phoebe and that preparation- had better be commenced at once. "Hecnuse widowers don't want t' wait er minute," Mrs. Moon said, sagely; "they makes up their minds quick, an' they expects oilier folkH t' do th' same. I wouldn't be a mite surprised to see 'Im come In with th' preneher a. Christ mas, like what ole Sam Smith did when he got married th' fourth time. Sniry she-wnsn' 'xpectin' 'em, but she thought she better take 'im when she could git im." Nothing wns said to Clnrissy, who was regarded as ti child by her elder, nnd she, in her intense preoceupntlon, failed to notice that the preparations for Christmas were on a much more elaborate scale than usual. She wns in n sort of a daze, sometimes determined to .marry Amos in order to convince Tom that she cured nothing for him; at others, determined to die before she did such a tiling. Fortunately for her, Aunt Phoebe wanted a quantity of ground pine nnd red berries with which to adorn the cabin, and as Clnrissy knew the shel tered spots where they wore likely to be found she was sent out iu quest of them. In her anxiety to be ulone she made the quest a prolonged one. Amos wisely ubsenteil himself from the cabin, n fuel which puzzled Mrs. Moon and her daughter not n little. Clarlssy gave this fact not a thought; she wns quite in ignorance of the fact that Amos was supposed to be the victim of her mint's bow and spenr, nnd was only thankful to Lave him out of the wny while she wrestled with her problem. All too soon, it was Christinas cvp, and Clurissy went forth for n last loud of plue, with which lite cabin was already gay. Late In the arter iioon, she sat down n moment with her load, still pondering upon tho sltbjoot which never left her mind. She was in no hurry to return home, for her aunt had gone to the storo tit the cross roads to make a few pur chases and she knew that her grand mother would be, dozing nnd uncon scious of the flight of time. As she sut there, Clnrissy let. 1 lie big tears roll unchecked down her cheeks. It seemed to her now that Tom had left her for another, he had become the one object for which she cared. . i.vn, i II UUli; 41II1U.-, MIC sum, i proudly, "mi then nobody Ml know . Tom left me fer Tiny Koontz!" As' she spoke, he lose from the stump1 on which she was hitting and came j face to face with loin Tom pale and haggard, and with a gun over IiIb shoulder, which added lo tho wild ness of his appearance. Clurissy trembled so that she could scarcely stand, but she put on u brave smile. "That you, Tom," she said, "I I ! nuts' wish ye well, you 'n Tiny. When ye goin' f git married to-morrow V" Tom put down his gun. "Me 'n who?" he demanded, fiercely. Clarissy's anger grew at the eva sion. "You V Tiny Koontz," she re sponded. "Amos Purdy, he tole me how you Mi' her was goin' t' get married to-morrow night." "Amos Purdy tole ye that V" "Yes, he did; and ye needn't, to deny Jt I don't cure!" All the trlii's fierce pride was in anus. "11 only lint th' red handkerchief on th' tree ' that day because " "Because ye wanted t' make er fool er me!" M'om cried, hotly. "Ye had took it down again 'fore I could git ' there, tin' ye ghc it 1' Amos Purdy; ' he showed It t' me. An' he lole me ' you Mi' It I in was goin' 1' got ninrrieil n Christmas, nn' ,Ve didn' want no more sight o' me! I on'y wish I'd hud my gun tlmt day, an' " "Oh, Tom! Tom!" Clarlssy and the ground piius were, all tangled up in his arms, and Clarlssy was crying for pure joy. "Hut I tell ye one thing, Clarlssy," Tom said, Inter, "that ole coon did see me with Tiny Koontz that day. I was giving her u message from Walt Thomas over at th' sawmill. Him Mi' her's goin' to git married sunn's he gits buck." When Clarissv at hint started for home M'om went with her lo tell her grandmother Hint he iitennl to marry her graiiddnughti-r on the following .day, with her consent or without it. "For I aln' goin' 1' lake no more dinners!" M'om alllrmed. Luckily, Aunt Phoebu had not re lumed when they reached the cnbin, and the story was poured out to Mrs. .Moon alone Iter dislike for M'om melted away before I he Idea of C!arisv'a nut frying Amos, on whom Phoebe hud set her heart, and leav ing lift- to bear the brunt, of that damsel's rage. "Tell ye what you do," she said, flnnl.'v. "You Mi' Tom git ready 't git married to-morrow night an' jest leave Amos t' me when he comes!" Tom stood out for a personnl inter view with Amos first, but he was overruled, .lust what Mrs. Moon said to thai worthy dining the few min utes' private talk they had no one ever knew.' She said it so convinc ingly, however, that there was a double wedding In the cabin that Chribtmas night, and Aunt Phoebo never knew thai she was second choice. liliza Armstrong, in Httnncr of Oold. ot Th nt Kind. "You know w hut is said about east ing your breud upon the waters," said the man with Hie subscription paper. "After many days it will come back to you." ".Vol. the kind our cook makes," re sponded Hie oilier man. "It would sink o llie hot lorn like a stone." Chicago MM-lbttne. 1 1 Im Opinion, Pupa WMiat Is the matter with the steam engine, .Johnny'.' Johnny I don't know; but it won't go. J'npa, I think Sntta Claus goi stuck n tlu-t steam engine. Punk. SCHOOL AND CHURCH. Colby Is the first Maine college to publish a collection of college stories. Mr. H.C. Libby hns collected Morten from Colby men who have won fame in the literary world. Harvnrd college, which was founded by llev. .John Harvard, in JB30, and which graduated its first class in l4S, is the first as well as the. oldest col lege in tho United Stales. Andorra, n little republic in the Pyrenees, has marked tho end of the century by opening Kb public schools, to girls for tho first time. The French government contributes $200 to this schools' support. A notice was recently posted In u West Kensington (London) cIiiiitIi announcing that live pews were for sale. And, according to the notice, one of the advantages of these pews is that the contribution plate is not passed to them, Tho- seventy-sixth annual report of the New York Bible society, Just Is sued, shows another year of earnest work, during which nearly -10,000 vol umes of Hie Scriptures have been placed In the hands of Immigrants arriving at this port, the sallois in the harbor, and churches, mission and families in the city. There Is to be no backward step li Christian missions in China. The church Is rendy to obey the command to "preach the (lospel to every creat ure," undismayed by persecution or other discouragement, It. is subject for eongrut illation that tho most nble and far-seeing men of our own coun try, who hnve hnd experience in the orient and are competent to spenk, are unanimous in the opinion that missions oiiirnot be abandoned miles') we are prepared also to abandon com merce and diplomacy. RUSSIA ENTERS THIBET. C.IH- Huh HnIiiIiIImImmI l)lilomn tlir llclniliiiio Willi tin- l)ii In I I.niiin. Is the evil-of mystery that, has hung so long over the '.and of Thibet and H.m lamas to be at Inst swept aside and Lhasa to be entered In the Itinorurx, of Hie commercial traveler for Man chester lextlles? It would uertuinly-" seem so from the recent-ntalement of a correspondent. lie says: "For the moment wc frankly admit that luissin, in her se cret, stealthy way, has stolen a march upon us and scored ti point. Tlie government of India, by its os tontulious iipglect of all question be yond the northern frontier of the peninsula, has contributed to Itussln's success. When It allowed lis agent at Kushgar, (ieorgc Miicartuey, o be completely overshadowed by the Ku siau consul general, Mr. Petrovsky, it might hnve known that Hiisslu would never rest satisfied until her influ ence was supreme throughout Chinese Tutkcsau. and from the time of (Ion. IM-eJcvaisky she has never concealed her ambition fo pierce Ihe. Thibetan mystery. "Confident In the security supposid lo be conferred by Hie Illiintliiyas the government of India has remained In different to the schemes imputed to KiiM-lu; now that Ihey liuvu Hindu ti step In the direction of realization it may, perhaps, see reason to review the situation." Kightccn mouths ago an accredited. Kuhslaii mission entered Lhasa, sajs the London Kxprcss. Tills Ir not alto gether so exlraonllnary. as Hie result, for "so supreme and secluded n potentate us the dalul lama" has been induced fo send a return mission, which was recently prcHcntcd to the czar at l.'vaiiiu. M'he writer, after summing up the dangers of allowing i'usuiii lo get n, firm footing thus on our Indian fron tier, corn-hubs: "M'he siicccks ot Uus sla in establishing some sort of dip lomatic relations with the dalai lama reeals all Ms perilous possibil ities ut n (lash. We lire not going to allow an Abvssinia to be created ut lite gates of Iteugal, or the failure of Hiinza to' be obliterated in u triumph nt Lhasa." And with this inosl llilnk iug people will agree Phi-Ik Alioiit (lie AVnrlifN CriMtlfi. According lo scientists Hie limit of the earth's capacity to support human life will lip readied when Its population Is O.OOO.IXO.OOO. or four times as much us Its present estimated number. A the ourth doubles her children ecrj MO yours, It is easy to calculate that in 2b() yearn, or in tin- jar 21S0, Hiiire will positively be no room for more, nnd. unloiu by that time there are fiicillths for emigrating to other planets, some serious steps will have to ho taken to restrict the growth of our niiiiiliorh. r by nuj chance ii should be possible to surmount ihe dlllicully of support, am. if the population continues to luci-cuse nt present rates, a more dillicuit prob lem still will hnve io be faced a thou sand years or so later, In Hie year ,il(iO. For by Hint year which, happll.v, none of us may see the earth's broan will have grown to such proportions that every .square yard of solid ground vvl'l have U population of three per sons, each inhabitant of the earth br ing thus strictly limited to throe square, feet of laud for all purposes of support and domicile. People's Home Journal. K -w audTAT' fe(iHi4'MMMi-. - ftm-mr ' 1M&X V V JJ