The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923, December 18, 1913, Image 10

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RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
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VIXEN SAMACLAVS
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A (lie bluejackets Htill bollovo In Santa
L Clans. That rotund, rosy-cheeked lit-
E tlo old man payB uh much attention to
E tho thousands of boys on board tho
wnrsnips nn no noes 10 mo mousanuH
of, porhupB younger In years, boys and
girls ashore, lnntead or coming In a
sleigh with reindeer and merry bells,
ho comcB In n precarious-looking boat, fully arm
ed and convoyed, with tho boom of musketry and
tho loud blowing of horns. Tho blowing of hornB
1b a unlverflal cuutom with tho boyn of all coun
tries and colors nnd with tho bluejackets too.
On Christmas day Santy Is tho highest ranking
ofltccr of tho licet, and nil Hags are Junior to his
fur trco hoisted to tho masthead. With his (lag
lieutenant, his aldo and tho rest of tho staff, ho
cruises nbout among tho ships distributing tho
gifts with which his nrgosy is laden. Ills method
of doing this Is fraught with nB much red tnpo as
wob over tho greetings of tho old admiral of tho
Dutch licet in the time of Queen Hess. All tho
paraphernalia symbolical of austere rank and
bounty that can bo gotten to
gether nro used as adorn
ments nnd no end of vorlt
Is expended on the rig of tho
boat to bo used, which Is
eometimcH the wherry and
sometimes tho punt.
In order to hold to tho tra
ditional custom used In tho
time of Paul Jones and down
through tho yeius, tho' boat
1b rigged like a brig, that Is,
with two masts and yard
arms crossing, with Jib and
etnysall and spanker out
astern. On tho fore and aft
er quarters they arrange
largo wooden tubes, In which
nro Inserted small arms.
These "splggoty guns" com
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pose tho saluting battery nnd heavy main battery
also, and are manned and fired by tho boatswain
of "Der Prosit," who Is a ponderous man In his
official garb and daring in the way ho approaches
the ships, whose crews throng the sides and an
swer the salute with a revolver shot from tho
poop.
The saluting takes placo before "Der Prosit" 1b
within hailing distance, and all handB have a
laugh at the tiny sounds, strongly contrasted In
their missis itn the salute of the big guns which
they xh accustomed to hear. Next tho boatswain
gets op is liih bo is and resting ono hand almost
on top of tit loztim.it and lifting a megaphone
aa long as hlxaK-lf to his lips, calLa out at the top
of his o!c, "Ktip, ahoy'" Tho quartermaster
answers from the bridge, "Htllo, hello! Der
Prosit?" "Aj. toe." the boatswain returnB.
"Come alongside," calls the quartermaster Then
the admiral of "Der Prosit" rises In the stern,
some ten feet aft of the boatswain in the bow, his
bead on a ler-l with the topmast, and bawls out
through hie megaphone, "All hands lur-r-1 ball,"
With that the crew, conblbtlng of one man, who
also acta in the cajmelty of foghorn eu amid
ships and climbs the mainmast, which sways to
and Iro nb if about to cupelze the fz.tiif craft.
and pulls down all the tails. "The I'-stel Is
standing to," he then calls out to the Uvfctswain,
who rejKrtn to tho admiral over the crew's head,
who in turn reports to Santa Claus, kitting In the
stern sheets ut the tiller. All these orders are
given and carried out in the most bolemn man
ner, to tho merriment of tho ship's crew looking
on from the rail above.
The crew of "Der Prosit" then geu out oars
and pulls alongside while on deck the real boat
swain's mate pipes eight side boys to stand at the
head of tho gangway and salute the admiral and
Santa Claus when they coma aboard. Tho presi
dent of tho United States only rates six side boys
when ho comes aboard, while Santy has his
eight, besides his are petty ofilcers while the pres
ident's uro only good-looking apprentice boyB. As
tho argosy draws alongsldo tho boatswain pipes
the long, low tuno and threo short blasts char
acteristic of tho coming aboard of great men.
No less a person than tho captain of tho ship
meets tho admiral of "Der Prosit," his wife,
Santy, laden with a hugo basket full of presents,
tho boatswain and the crow, whllo tho bugler
sounds three porteutlous rufllcs and tho ship's
company, assembled aft, stands at attention. In
deed tho ofilcers nro nil present, for thuy bellovo
in Santy as well as do tho crow. When tho ad
miral's wife, soma fair faced Bailor with Mnnllu
ropo hair and a tawdry skirt, swings aboard hold
ing her train high and exposing a generous view
of red stocking to tho oyes of tho sailors, a great
laugh Is ovoked nnd a shout goes up, "higher,
higher," or "Oh, you Klddo!"
The boatswain in command of tho crow shouts
to his one man for, "Attention 1" thou puts him
through a series of gymnastics of a peculiar and
intensely funny character. The adralral, us if not
thoroughly taking la the landscape, lifts a hugo
pair of binoculars in tho form of two quart wine
bottles lashed together, to his eyes and makes a
pretenso of getting his bearings by scrutinizing
the sallorB about him. Presently he reportB to
Santy, who has deposited bis basket of presents
on tho quarter deck, "Sir, I Bee we are now In the
Cannibal lslea."
'Santy begins then to pick up presents and
read tho names aloud, giving them to the crew of
"Der Prosit" and the admiral's wtfo, and even t
the admiral himself, who distributes thom accord
ingly, cutting many ridiculous capers.
Tho presents are of a type that bring laughter.
They are gotten up and made by tho friends of
thoso to whom they aro sent, with an idea to
wards characterizing tho ambition, tho whim or
tho standing Jokes that mark tho receiver. If
the captain is a four striper ho will probably get
an admiral's star, unless he hns somo other whim
by which he Is more properly known. When he Is
presented with this ho can only blush In the
presence of evorybody, nnd tnko his dose, aa
Sauty Is supremo on Christmas day.
Hut tho greatest gift that Santy can bestow
falls to tho lot of thoso who, through somo mis
fortune or nlip, have come in lino for punishment.
It Is customary for Santy to walk boldly up to
the captain and ask him to "whitewash" the
books. In tho fnco of everybody nnd on Christ
maa dny tho captain can not very well refuso this
request, although Homo captains have been seen
to winco and cough before granting tho Immeas
urable favor. Tho roport book, In which all pun
ishable acts aro entered, Is swept clean and tho
culprits aro reinstated to first-class standing and
enjoy all tho privileges held by their moro for
tunate shlpmatos who have not fallen boforo the
multiplicity of temptations that daily assail tho
mano'-warsraan.
Tho event which forms n background for nil this
merriment Is tho regular "big feed," as tho sail
ors call It. For tho last week this has cropt Into
their conversation. Pie, turkey und plum dulf
nro tho threo great delicacies to tho sailors, and
they havo moro respect for them than for tho
threo graces,
"What kind of n feed Is the commissary gonna
hand usV" ono sailor asks of unolhur. Duriug this
tlmo of anticipation excitement runs high and tho
commissary is a very much respected puiaou. In
fact, he Is nover a retired person, for his billot is
a hard one to fill to tho satisfaction of every ono
who cats at tho genoinl moss. There Is always
somo old tar or other who imagines himself to
bo slighted by tho quality of his food, and tho
approntlco boys tako from him tho habit of com
plaining with very llttlo i cation on tholr sldo.
Quarrels often result and have to be referred to
tho "mast," whero tho (list lieutenant (first luff)
sottleB tho matter In favor of the commissary, so
that tho sailor at ranges a private settlement with
tho commissary later on whero tho first luff has
nothing to say nbout it.
Tho burden of the repast falls naturally upon
tho cooks and mess attendants. It Is fur trom an
enjoyable affair with them, ultboueh they are an
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(Copyright, by Dally Stoiy Pub. Co.)
T was Christmas eve,
and Alice Mattlnud
sat alone In her luxu
riously furnished bou
doir, putting tho fin
ishing touches on the
glftB she was to be
stow on tho morrow.
She tied tho last bit
r(K "bout a jewel box
pVoffSsW w 1 1 " mathematical
precision, tucked a
bit of holly under tho bow, and pushed
It away from her with Impatient wear
iness. "There," she exclaimed, surveying
tho heap of packages that littered the
tnble and the couch;4 "there, thank
goodness, that's done! I've done my
duty by my fnmily and remembered
every ono that Is likely to remember
me, and I have worn myself to a fra.
zle, and brought on patents trying to
find things for people who already
havo everything there is. Let me see,"
she continued, taking up the packages
one by ono and checking them off with
a smllo that was half sad, and half
cynical.
"Let me see here Is a silk smoking
Jacket for Uncle Joseph, that he will
never wear, and tho Sevres cups that
Aunt .Maud coyly hinted would be an
!
affable lot. The preparation
of tho potatoes Is the work
of a dozen men, since they
must be extraordinarily nice.
Tho "skinners" arrange
themselves aatrldo a bench
In range of a tub whero one
man sltB nnd tosses potatoes
continually. Tho tub Is kept
full by another man who
dumps In from a sack carried
down from tho upper dock.
So n cyclo Is made, tho clean
peeled potatoes going con
stantly Into another tub,
which Is dragged Into tho gal
ley and dumped Into a great
urn through which water 1b
nercolatlng. These are rins
ed around by another mess
attendant and dumped into
other urns whore steam is turned on, while an
other tub of peeled ones are being brought fronr
tho sklnnerB.
When they are done tho Bhlp's cook himself,
who paces to and fro In the galley all the while,
mounts upon the nearest urn with his, and tak
ing a great six-foot masher proceedB to pound
them Into a white flakey raasB fit for a king.
But this Ib not all ho has to do, either. The
turkeys aro browning in tho long ovens and he
and his three assistants havo continually to open
tho doors, probe with long forks Into the swelling
brensts and ascertain when to take them out.
Tho mesa tables are all numbered bo that each
sullor knows just where to go when he gets down
through tho hatchway, and ho doesn't waste any
tlmo getting there on this occasion It 1b indeed
a slngulur and lively scene on tho gundeck at this
period. Every man's plato 1b heaped to tho brim
before him nnd nil apply themselves with a dar
ing and disregard for mere stomachs that would
make a dyspeptic winco and turn his head. Dozens
of tables danglo from hooks between parallel col
umns of sailors, who seem only restrained from
eating each other allvo by tho flimsy, vacillating
boards which support tho food-
When these ravenous appetites have been
slaked and even thoso who havo tho dilating pow
ers of an anaconda aro put at rest, or In pain, as
tho case may be, somo of tho "old shollbacka" will
begin to grow reminiscent and tell of tho Christ
mnscs thoy havo spent in lands whore thoro were
no turkeys nor anything elso fit for tho "big
feed."
Says old Pete, tho sallmaker's mate: "I mind
tho tlmo.down In Daricn, when tho steward had
nothln in the storeroom but a ton of crusty hard
biscuits full of bugs, so when y' busted 'em with
tho handle 'vo yer knlfo thoy wont whlmty nifty
In every direction under yer pinto, behind yer
cup, up yer sleeve and around tho mess pans.
Hut, mates, that was a Christmas for yer llfo! We
couldn't eat tho buffalo meat, It was that much
like bolt ropo, so wo drunk or coffee and engaged
ourselves In bug races down tho table. Hy tryln'
nil tho bugs out wo got somo speedy ones. And
thoy was speedy. I had ono that could trot down
that table trot, mind y' like It was Maude S
herself. Tho devil of It was the bloody bug
wouldn't keep in tho course botween tho plates.
She'd broak for a hole near tho llnlsh. 1 bet big
money on 'or, though, and after loosln' 20 boneB
by her duckln' out of it when she was two wholo
pinto lengths ahead, mind y 1 llggered I could
head her off tho next tlmo nnd win anyhow, bo I
put up fiO bones CO gqoil cold plunkors on thnt
skinny llttlo runt of a bug, nnd strike mo blind!
you ought a seen that raco! Go! That cussed
llttlo bug slid down that mess table like It was on
ball bearings. I headed er off at tho nolo with
u piece of tack und she run clean again tho bot
tom board of tho table an' butted 'er brains out,
kicked over on 'er back Btono dead. Hut that
race! Whew! I raked In tho coin from tho cap
tain of tho hold Christinas! Well, strike mo, fol
lers! That was some Christmas even If wo
' didn't have anv eats."
lit W , ,
LlKJB J.
Slll!SI';L
-- .Vw. Mill 1'JAi.Et v OvX m -
J-JX&n&ZSV
&&
"I Don't Believe I Have Forgotten
Anybody I Love."
acceptable remlndor of the blessed
season to her; the string of pearls that
Adelo has been openly admiring for
months, and a check for Jack for his
college larks one's relatives aren't
bashful about letting one know what
they want, and that 1b a comfort, at
any rate, at Christmas.
"Then, umum-um, a gold bangle for
Mayme Wlnslow that she will take
right down to the jeweler's to appraise,
and a tortoise shell and ostrich feather
fan for Sally Stinton; she'll be sure to
send me something, though she hates
me, tho little cat, and a couple of
bronzes for dear old Mrs. Bullion,
though where she'll put them in that
overcrowded house of hcrB I'm Buro I
don't know, and oh, things for the
servants, and steins nnd etchings for
tho men who havo been nice to me
and er I don't bellevo I havo forgot
ten anybody I love, or who holds a
kindly thought for me."
Sho paused abruptly, pushed tho gay
litter of costly trinkets away fronvher
with disdainful hands, and with a sud
den rush of tears, burled her face In
her arms on tho table.
"Yes," sho murmured brokenly to
herself, "there 1b one that I havo for
gotten, and ho is tho one in nil the
world that I have remembered most,
and to whom I would give all If I
dared," and then she eat still.
"Why do you not Bond him some llt
tlo trifle, just a token that you havo
not forgotten the old days?" suggested
her heart.
"Never," said Pride.
"Even casual acquaintances may ex
change gifts at Christmas," urged her
Heart, speciously.
"Ho would cast my gift back at my
foot," said Prldo.
"Christmas, said her Heart, "Is tho
tlmo of peace on earth ami good will
towards men. It is a time when old
wrongs should bo forgotten, when old
wounds should bo healed, when broken
ties should bo mended, and hearts es
tranged should be reunited. Why do
you not klsB and make up, as children
do?"
"What!" cried Prldo, "and be flouted
once more?"
"You were very tired of the old,
mpty life, with Its monotonous rounds
C Insipid gayety," want on her Heart
"You were that loneliest and most for
lorn of human beings, a great heiress
and an orphan. Alt your life you had
had everything you wanted, except
the thing you wanted most of all Bin
cere and disinterested love. Your
father and mother had died before you
could remember them, and you had
been left to tho care of a cold uncle
and aunt, who thought that they had
done their entire duty towards you by
seeing that you were proporly fed,
clothed and educated, and implanting
In you a distrust of every human be
ing who came about you.
"You nover knew tho Joy that other
girls had of being liked for them
selves. When suitors camo you wore
told they were fortune hunters. Peo
ple, In speaking of you, never praised
you for any charm of your own, or any
grace, or accomplishment. Thoy al
ways said that you were rich, and you
wondered sometimes if they knew how
heir words hurt, or how it must seem
to a girl to como to bellevo thnt there
was nothing about her that could win
lovo that she must buy it with the
money she hated.
"Finally you began to realize that
your wholo nature was being warped
by your environment, thnt your soul
was being atrophied, nnd so you ran
away from it all. You persuaded dear
old Mrs. Bullion to tako you away as
her hired companion to a little quiet
place, whero no ono would recognize
you. You wore plnin llttlo cotton
gowns, and snobs who would have
llunklcd before the rich Miss Maltland
snubbed and Ignored you, but there
was a man who saw the woman's henrt
under tho shabby gown, andfjtho wom
an's brain under the common hat, and
ho loved you, and asked you to bo his
wife. "Wo shall bo very poor," ho
said, "for I have my way yet to mako
In tho world, but, please God, we shall
fight tho battle out shoulder to shoul
der." "You remember," went on her Heart,
"how, with your head upon his breast,
and his arms around you, you planned
out tho future tho llttlo house, with
the rose above the door, tho dear llttlo
economies, tho struggles, and tho final
success, and you (Irani: dcop of the cup
of Joy, for you know llfo had made you
licit at last, for you wero loved for
yourself alone loved ns a woman
would bo when a strong man trembles
at her touch, nnd his smllo grows soft
and tender only for you. Then, ut last,
camo the tlmo when you had to tell
htm that you were none other than the
rich Miss Maltland"
"And ho wont white as death while
ho listened, and said that had ho
known It ho would never havo asked
you to bo his wife," Interrupted Prldo.
"But It was then too late," triumph
antly cried her Heart; "he loved you,
and nothing not money, nor position,
nor anything, could chango that. You
came homo," continued her Heart,
"and your worldy wlso uncle and nunt
called him a furtuno hunter, and said
that ho was going to marry you for
your money. You did not bellevo them,
but, by and by, as you plunged Into
the old life, with its sordid strivings,
and selfishness, nnd disbelief in all that
is high and truo, the old distrust began
to creep up and poison life again."
"He should havo trusted your love,"
said Pride; "ho should have known
that you wero merely playing."
"His life," said her Heart, sadly,
"bad not taught him how to play. It
had all been hard, bitter seriousness,
and so when ho saw you smiling into
thlB other man's eyes with the counter
feit of the look you had worn whea
your head lay upon his breast, he
thought that you were faithless and
loveless, and that you you who had
so much had come down out of your
high estate to rob him of the little he
had, and to make life worthless."
"Then," said Pride, desperately, "ha
came and flung back your promise la
your face and told you that he was
ashamed to have loved so poor a
thing."
"Love does not go at any man'B bid
ding," sighed her Heart; "you saw him
the other day. He looked ill, and won,
and poor. Tomorrow will be Christ
mas day " v
"Think" began Pride; but Miss
Maltland had risen up with a look on
her. face of great and exceeding Joy.
"Think, I can think of nothing but
my love!" sho cried.
The next morning Miss Maitlaad
aroso early, and spent much time at
her desk printing a largo placard la
bold and unmistakable lettors. This
done, she donned a simple little gray
gown, much affected by her the sum
mer before, and over this sho threw a
long cloak. An hour later sho directed
her astonished coachman to drive her
to a certain building on one of whose
upper floors a struggling young lawyer
was, at tho moment, engaged in de
vouring with his eyo tho photograph
of a comely young woman. As she
reached his ofllce door Miss Malt
land's courage wavered and sank, but,
taking a death grip upon it, she hur
riedly passed tho oflico boy, and boforo
she know it was in his presence.
-"Alice!" ho cried, starting to his
feet; but sho did not wait for him ta
speak.
"Tom," she Bald, hurriedly, "I I
I have como to bring you a little
Christmas present," nnd with that she
dropped tho onvoloplng cloak aside,
and pinned upon her breast was a
largo placard with the Inscription:
FOR TOM.
WITH ALICE'S LOVE.
"You darling," ho murmured, folding
her in his hungry armB.
"It's so hard to know what to get
for a man, so I just thought I'd bring
myself," she Bald, hypocritically; "but
oh, Tom, pleaso don't send this present
back, and change it." Bui be stopped
her mouth with kisses.
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